Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix and rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin made NFL history in the first quarter of Sunday’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
On the game’s opening drive, Nix threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Franklin to take an early 7-0 lead. That score marked the first time in NFL history that a rookie QB threw a touchdown pass to a rookie WR in a playoff game, according to CBS Sports.
From the line of scrimmage to the end zone marked 43 yards, but the ball traveled 53.5 “air yards,” according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That marked Nix’s fourth pass that traveled more than 50 yards this season, fourth-most in the NFL only behind Jayden Daniels (six), C.J. Stroud (five) and Jared Goff (five).
T AS IN TOUCHDOWN.
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/1UZYcSS7aZ
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 12, 2025
Nix had a brilliant regular season, breaking all of the team’s major rookie passing records. Nix ended the year with 3,775 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes, plus four touchdown runs and one touchdown catch.
INCREDIBLE, but true
Bo Nix to Troy Franklin is the FIRST rookie to rookie TD in NFL PLAYOFF HISTORY pic.twitter.com/cdd7QO9nNc
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 12, 2025
Nix and Franklin were teammates at Oregon. Surprisingly, though, Sunday’s completion was the first time they’ve connected on a deep pass this season. It came at the perfect time in a do-or-die playoff game.
