Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Will Bo Nix pass Jayden Daniels in tight Offensive Rookie of the Year race?

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Nov 26, 2024 10:05 AM ET

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix keeps closing the Offensive Rookie of the Year gap.

At the beginning of the season, it seemed Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels would run away with the award. However, he's recently slowed.

The Commanders (7-5) have lost three straight games, and Daniels has completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 668 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions during this stretch.

Meanwhile, Nix and the Broncos (7-5) are rocking. He has won two of his past three starts, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 795 yards, eight TDs and no interceptions in this span.

As of Tuesday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives Nix the second-best OROY odds (+175) behind Daniels (-210). ESPN analyst Damien Woody, a former O-lineman, thinks Nix has already surpassed Daniels.

"If we had a re-draft, Bo Nix would probably be the No. 1 QB," Woody said Monday on "Get Up." "As much as we're talking [about] Jayden Daniels for OROY, Bo Nix has leapfrogged him right now."

.@damienwoody says Bo Nix has surpassed Jayden Daniels as offensive ROTY pic.twitter.com/Oqb6bbDFRH
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 25, 2024

Nix has a statistical edge over Daniels. Per CBS Sports, the Auburn and Oregon product leads rookies in games (five) with 200-plus passing yards, two-plus TD passes and zero picks. Daniels ranks second in this category with three such games.

Bo Nix looking a LOT like an Offensive Rookie of the Year pic.twitter.com/IXSfZNB6ge
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) November 25, 2024

Daniels produced one of the memorable moments of the season, though. In an 18-15 Week 8 victory over the Chicago Bears, he chucked a winning 52-yard Hail Mary to wide receiver Noah Brown.

"The reason we remember the Hail Mary plays through NFL history is they're rare," wrote Yahoo Sports Frank Schwab after Week 8. "Daniels heave immediately became one of the best Hail Marys in NFL history because it's one of the few that have been successful."

Nix almost earned a signature win in a 16-14 Week 10 loss at Kansas City, but Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal blocked kicker Wil Lutz's winning field-goal attempt before time expired.

With five games remaining, Nix still has time to bolster his case. If he helps Denver snap its eight-year playoff drought, it wouldn't be shocking if he overtakes Daniels.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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