Horse Tracks: Broncos football is fun again

You always feel like this team has a chance.

Good morning, Broncos Country!

Watching Sunday’s game with my boys, my 14-year-old says, “Bo Nix is a GOAT” after the third touchdown drive.

Obviously, he was hyperbolic. He’s 14. Everything is dramatic. So I remind him that GOAT status is reserved for a select few.

But then he says something smart:

“Yeah, but I’m no longer nervous watching our offense. It’s exciting and I’m confident Nix will throw a good pass, the receivers will catch the ball and we’ll score.”

Same.

Last season there was that magical stretch of five wins that pulled us out of the depths of football hell and made us believe that better days were ahead.

But I dare say, NO ONE was that confident the wins would keep coming. And in the end, it kind of imploded and that was a whole different story that thankfully doesn’t belong to us anymore.

But this season…

This season is downright fun.

The offense scores a bunch of points and in all sorts of ways with all sorts of players. The QB spreads the ball around and the running game has really picked up steam.

The defense comes up with big plays, not just stops – multiple sacks, interceptions, batted passes and tackles for a loss.

And special teams? Holy cow. Have you ever been so interested in watching players down a punt inside the five so often? It’s so great.

It’s fun to watch young players get better and all the players get excited — especially behind a rookie quarterback. The growing pains are still there, and won’t disappear anytime soon, but the progress is so evident that any “rookie mistakes” are bearable. The potential is obvious, so the optimism can be real.

Sean Payton reminded the media on Monday not to get too wowed by the young QB. He isn’t ready for the Hall of Fame just yet.

“Let’s not send this kid to Canton quite yet. We’re sitting here in the middle of the season. He’s playing well. I’m excited,” the coach said. “The film showed that he’s playing well. The film showed a few things though that I wanted to scream at him about.”

But Payton likes how Nix prepares and his enthusiasm for the game.

“I love the way he comes to work. I love his enthusiasm. I think it’s naturally contagious. I think he’s a winner,” Payton added. “It’s interesting because you guys real time are seeing it just like we are. I’m real encouraged by that.”

WIth Nix’s four touchdown passes on Sunday, he tied the rookie record for most passing touchdowns with former Denver Broncos quarterback Marlin Briscoe. Payton acknowledged the milestone but reminded everyone the only record of any importance is the number of wins.

“I think the most important thing is this—and I mean this because you guys, you spend a lot of time with [Nix]—it’s getting the win. Our job is to win each week, week-after-week,” Payton said, noting that he believes Nix and the offense feel the same. “It’s an unselfish group, and they’re playing pretty good team football.”

But the thing Payton believes the most is exactly what my son believes — this team always has a chance.

“You always believe you’re in each game. You always believe—even if you fall behind—you’re in each game,” Payton said. “The opposite can be very difficult.”

We’ve been in difficult. It’s nice not to be there this season.

Broncos/NFL News

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