Broncos Rookie QB Bo Nix Sets Stunning Passing Mark

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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and wide receiver Marvin Mims.

Even in a league where quarterbacks routinely wow millions of people every week with their collective arm strength, Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix has trumped them all.

Nix’s 51-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Mims in the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 30-24 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 traveled 67 yards through the air and was the longest any NFL quarterback has thrown a ball in 2024.

From Next Gen Stats: “Bo Nix‘s 51-yard TD pass to Marvin Mims traveled 67.0 yards in the air, the longest completion by air distance of the season and the second-longest in the NGS era (since 2016), behind only P.J. Walker to D.J. Moore in Week 8, 2022 (67.6 yards).”

On the play, Nix dropped back from his own 49-yard-line to his own 40 before launching the pass that hit Mims in stride 7 yards deep in the end zone for the score.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared an angle of the throw on his official X account from a seated position in the end zone directly in front of Mims that shows the ball’s flight through the air.

“Arm arrogance from Bo Nix!!!” former ESPN host Trey Wingo wrote on X. 

“BO NIX LAUNCH CODES,” the NFL wrote on its official X account. 

It was the first time Nix attempted a pass beyond 20 yards in the game.

“Bo Nix’s passing chart is killing me,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote on X.

Playoff Implications for Broncos After Loss

It was the second consecutive loss for the Broncos, who could have clinched their first playoff spot with a win or tie against the Bengals and can still clinch with a win over the 2-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the regular season finale in Week 18.

The Broncos dropped to 9-7 with the loss. The franchise hasn’t made the postseason since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

According to NFL.com, the Broncos had a 91 percent chance of making the playoffs before a Week 16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. That dropped to 77 percent headed into Week 17 against the Bengals and dropped to 64 percent after the loss.

Chiefs Likely to Sit Star Players in Finale

The Chiefs are 15-1 and have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs, which means they have nothing at stake against the Broncos.

That could very well mean the Chiefs could choose to sit quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce in the regular season finale in order to give them extra time to heal their bodies after a brutal stretch to close the year that included 3 games in 11 days. The Chiefs capped that stretch with a 29-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

Mahomes has been playing with a mild high ankle sprain he suffered in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 16.

In the 2023 regular season finale, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid sat Mahomes and Kelce in the Chiefs’ regular-season finale for the 2023 season against the Chargers with Kansas City holding the No. 3 seed in the playoffs in order to give them an extra week of rest before the AFC Wild Card Round. On the other side of the ball, the Broncos also aren’t likely to face NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who sat out the Week 17 win over the Steelers with a calf injury.