
Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix and his Denver Broncos will have wild card weekend off after their 19-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18. The Broncos earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a first round bye with the win.
It wasn’t the best performance from Nix and the offense, but the Broncos defense stepped up and led the way to victory. Denver heads into the playoffs with a record of 14-3. Will Nix be able to go on a run?
Nix will look to become the first Oregon quarterback to win an NFL playoff game since Marcus Mariota led the Tennessee Titans to a road playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs back in the 2017 season. Since then, Oregon quarterbacks have a combined NFL playoff record of 0-4.
Nix lost his lone playoff start as a rookie. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is 0-2, but will have a chance to get his first before Nix as the Chargers will play before the Broncos.
In the win over the Chargers, Bo Nix went 14 for 23 with 141 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Despite the offense not being their best, the game never felt in doubt. The Chargers were locked into a wild card spot heading into the game and opted to rest some of their top starters, including quarterback Justin Herbert.
There is a possibility for Denver to end up facing the Chargers in their divisional round playoff game if the Chargers win their wild card game on the road against the No. 1 seeded New England Patriots. Denver will play the lowest remaining seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Chargers being the lowest seed heading into the playoffs guarantees a matchup between the two if the Chargers pull the first round a first round upset against the Patriots.
Prior to being selected No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by Denver, Bo Nix played his final two collegiate seasons for the Oregon Ducks in 2022 and 2023. He threw for 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns in this time.
His final season in 2023 was his best, throwing for 4,508 yards and 45 passing touchdowns. The Ducks went 12-2 and capped off the season with a Fiesta Bowl victory over the Liberty Flames. Nix finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.
It came as a surprise to many to see Nix be selected as high as he was in the draft even with his college resume. He has silenced doubters in his first two seasons. Nix's record as a starter is 23-10.
His NFL numbers aren't the most eye-popping with 7,565 passing yards, 54 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions in his first two seasons, but Nix has shown the ability to make plays in and out of the pocket when his team needs it. This is especially true in crunch time. The Broncos have a record of 11-2 in one-score games.
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