Oregon Ducks fans had a momentary reason to smile on Sunday even though their season is over
The season is over for the Oregon Ducks, and plenty of their former players, now in the NFL, saw their seasons come to an end in the Wild Card round. While Ducks fans have a long offseason ahead, and will have a largely different team on the field when Oregon returns next summer, they were given […]
The season is over for the Oregon Ducks, and plenty of their former players, now in the NFL, saw their seasons come to an end in the Wild Card round.
While Ducks fans have a long offseason ahead, and will have a largely different team on the field when Oregon returns next summer, they were given a nostalgic reason to smile in the Buffalo Bills vs Denver Broncos Wild Card matchup.
Denver got off to a fast start, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix linking up with his former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin on a deep bomb. It was a deep connection that Ducks fans were quite accustomed to seeing, and it inevitably brought about a smile.
It was one of the only bright spots of the day for the Broncos. Nix and the Broncos, after putting a quick seven points on the board, were shut out the rest of the day. Nix showed some guts, especially on his final drive before halftime when he got the Broncos into field goal range. Kicker Will Lutz ended up missing the try.
The former Ducks duo had a few bright moments in their rookie season, but Franklin's role remained limited over the course of the year. He saw a season-high six targets in Week 7, but never caught more than two passes in a game this year.
Hopefully the coaching staff will see the chemistry that Nix and Franklin have together, and the duo will develop more heading into their sophomore season. Nix certainly looked the part of a franchise quarterback in his rookie year, and the Broncos will head towards the 2025 NFL Draft looking to build around their young signal-caller.
Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
