The Denver Broncos were knocked out of the NFL playoffs with a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
The game marked the first playoff appearance of rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s career. Nix went 13-of-22 passing for 144 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. Nix did have one near-interception, but it was ruled incomplete after review.
Following the game, Broncos coach Sean Payton gave an honest assessment of the quarterback’s performance.
“He hung in there,” Payton said. “He battled. There are some third downs I’m sure he’ll want back. Some plays that he’ll want back. It’s pretty tough to play that position when the opponents rushing the ball the way they are and you’re not having the consistency.
“We felt like — man we had — this happens a lot where you have a real good run gameplan, and you don’t do nearly, hardly any of it. Even that last series when it’s still a two-score game. There’s been a lot of times from my experience where you have to stick to the run. We run it, we run it and here we are third-and-seven. We just didn’t execute well enough and it’s frustrating.”
Payton acknowledged that Nix could have played better, particularly on third downs, but the coach also seemed to imply that the rookie was hindered by the lack of a run game. Nix ended up leading the team with 43 rushing yards against the Bills.
#BroncosCountry LIVE: HC Sean Payton meets the media after #DENvsBUF https://t.co/AVRZxyPHu3
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“It was a tough game,” Nix said after the loss. “Obviously, [I] enjoyed being in the playoffs, but I wish [I] could’ve played a little bit better today. Overall, [there is] a lot to grow from, a lot to learn from. We’ll be able to do a lot this offseason, and grow from this and learn from it.”
Nix and Co. will now turn their attention toward the 2025 campaign. Denver’s opponents for next season are already known, but the team’s finalized schedule with dates and times won’t be announced until the spring.
