With 27 total touchdowns thus far in his rookie season, quarterback Bo Nix is inching toward having one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history.
After their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football, the Denver Broncos have two more games to take care of business and earn a spot in this year’s playoffs. Anything less would be a disappointment, but there are certainly still silver-linings and endeavors worth of praise.
One of those would be the overall efforts of rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Overall, he has put together a quality campaign in 2024 and surpassed many fans and pundit expectations. It’s true analyzing the quarterback position involves more than just glossing over statistics, but Nix’s 27 total touchdowns this season put him in very good territory.
He currently sits in a three-way tie for seventh place alongside Baker Mayfield and Robert Griffin III. Justin Herbert had 36 as a rookie in 2020 and Cam Newton had 35 in 2011. Its improbable Nix gets that high, but Russell Wilson’s 2012 rookie season isn’t out of reach at 30. With two games left to go, I’d say he has a great shot of getting into the Top 3 in total touchdowns. That would be quite the feat.
With 3,235 passing yards, Nix is 22nd in that respect for a rookie quarterbacks all-time. He certainly has a good shot at breaking the Top 10 in that if he keeps up his average per game the next two weeks. Additionally, he could crack the Top 12 in completion percentage. Not only that, but he also ranks high regarding deep ball completions over 20 yards too. Overall, that’s very encouraging and we know Nix’s best football is still ahead of him.
When you factor the aforementioned alongside having three game winning drafts and three comeback victories and being great at avoiding sacks, it’s hard not to come away impressed with Nix’s body of work this season. He has certainly exceeded my expectations this year and will undoubtedly perform even better next season with more talent alongside him.