Broncos’ Bo Nix reveals the one thing the team did just 24 hours before thrilling comeback victory that helped swing the game in Denver’s favor
Bo Nix’s admission makes the victory even that much sweeter for the Denver Broncos.
The Denver Broncos had one of the best fourth quarters in NFL history, fueling their 33-32 comeback victory over the New York Giants.
It wasn’t all pretty, as the team was shut out in three quarters. In front of the Super Bowl 50 alumni and a magical night honoring legendary receiver Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos rose to the occasion with some magic of their own in the victory.
Quarterback Bo Nix opened up on a play that the team drew up just 24 hours before the game, which helped them pull out the victory. It involved superstar receiver Courtland Sutton, a connection that’s proving to be fruitful through seven weeks of the season. Nix and Sutton connected on a jump ball late in the contest, which helped the Broncos get in field goal range to drill the game-winner.
“You know what’s crazy is, we installed it yesterday,” Nix said. “The first live rep we got was what you watched, so. Courtland Sutton is just the man, that’s all I got to say.”
Later on in the press conference, Nix was asked about his connection with Sutton and how it could be similar to the connection quarterback Peyton Manning had with Thomas during his career in Denver — a classy response from the second-year signal caller.
“Absolutely. The one throw I felt like I made the day that got me in rhythm, we threw an out route to Courtland,” Nix said. “There was a guy just kind of standing right in front of him, and I knew if I threw this high enough and threw this over this guy, Courtland is going to somehow end up getting there. And then the last play, to where I knew if I get a one-on-one with DB’s backs turned and I see Courtland go up and jump, I know he’s coming down with it.
“The vision I have, seeing Courtland against man to man, just thinking, man this is going to be a no-brainer,” Nix added. “I’m going to put this up, he’s going to go get it, and as soon as he left the ground I knew. We just had to get up there and spike the ball, and Lutz is going to have a chance. It was awesome, it was awesome, I love playing with a guy like him because there’s no prima donna, he works harder than everyone in the locker room.
“He’s one of the oldest vets in the locker room, and he works harder than everybody else,” Nix added. “He runs more than everybody else, he trains more than everybody else, and he never complains. You never hear a word out of him, and the way he practices is how he plays, and I think that’s why it translates.
Super thankful to play with a teammate like that, they don’t make many like him, I’m just fortunate to have a guy like that,” Nix finished.
A night of celebration, despite some sloppy play
It was an improbable comeback for the Broncos, something that Nix was asked about after the game. The franchise quarterback put everything into perspective, offering a hilarious response when asked about the 33-point performance in the fourth quarter.
“I was thinking about how I was going to answer questions if we got shut out,” Nix said. “Not where you want to be, at some point, I knew we’ve done it before in the fourth quarter. At some point, we’re going to go down and score. Maybe too late, we may not score enough, but at some point, we’re going to do it. We did it, got a good drive there at the end of the third, scored quickly in the fourth, and it’s almost like once we scored and got the two-point conversion, we knew how to play all of a sudden. I don’t have many answers, but we just kept fighting.”
Part of the job being the franchise quarterback is to make sure you don’t fall under pressure. Being down so late into the contest, Nix was asked how he rallied the troops and what type of legacy he hopes to bring once the smoke has settled and the dust has cleared for his career.
“Never flinch, never back down, always in the fight,” Nix said. “It wasn’t pretty for a long time, me included. We all were like, ‘Man, it’s just not our day, can’t get anything going.’ And then, just takes a few plays and a few moments and a few guys making plays and a few pieces of encouragement by guys. I don’t even know how we scored 33 points in a quarter; that’s kind of insane. It’s just whatever we have to get done, and we did it. It was a full team effort, just play after play by guys. Now you want to see it done earlier, but however, whatever it takes, by any means necessary.”
Nix was asked about the fourth quarter as a whole and how they just seem to be a different team once the final quarter begins. It’s not something the team can rest on or use as a game plan moving forward, but Nix opened up about what the team was able to accomplish.
“We just saved all our good ones for the fourth quarter; they worked, we just kept running them,” Nix said. “We found some momentum and our defense found some stops, got a huge turnover, and all of a sudden we got some life back, felt like we could win the game. Kept playing until we won the game.”
Nix proved why he’s the franchise quarterback Denver has been waiting for. When everything looked lost, he led the charge and made sure the moment belonged to the Broncos.
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