Bo Nix’s stats are terrible, but is he making progress?

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has completed 59.7% of his passes for 384 yards with no touchdown passes and four interceptions through the first two games of his NFL career. He has also been sacked four times. Nix’s passer rating of 51.0 is the second worst in the NFL, trailing only Bryce Young (44.1), who was benched this week by the Carolina Panthers.

Despite those terrible statistics, Broncos coach Sean Payton believes the rookie quarterback has made progress over the past two weeks.

“I found that he processed this quite quickly [on Sunday]” Payton said earlier this week. “I thought he did a really good job of executing some of his progressions. At the line, he’s got a handful of things under control and I agree with him when I watch the video. … We had a handful of RPOs that we executed well. We’ll build on that, but I agree. I felt like we saw steps and I think someone asked me about his confidence after the game, I feel like a confident player. I think I’m encouraged from that standpoint.”

Nix’s yards per attempt improved from 3.3 to 7.0 from Week 1 to Week 2. His passing yards also improved from 138 to 246. These are small improvements, but even small improvements are a step in the right direction.

It’s also worth noting that even Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the draft this year, got off to a slow start this season with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Young quarterbacks need time to develop, and Denver will let Nix go through his rookie growing pains.

Yes, Nix has struggled, but he has also made small strides from Game 1 to Game 2. If that progress continues – even if it is slow – Nix will be headed in the right direction. In the meantime, fans will have to be patient, which is no easy task after eight years of missing the playoffs and 14 different starting quarterbacks since 2016. However, it is too early to give up on Nix, and fans should follow him as he develops.