Tony Romo Eviscerates Broncos Rookie QB After Game-Changing Mistake

Getty Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

It’s the kind of moment that comes for every rookie quarterback in the NFL. Happens every year probably. And you know it when you see it.

There’s a wide receiver, streaking open without a defender in sight. The quarterback has to make what amounts to the simplest of throws. Just drop it in there. From 20-30 yards out, it’s an even simpler throw. Spin it in there like you’ve done on every level in almost every game you’ve played since you were a kid.

In Week 9, with the game very much still in doubt, Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix had one of those moments against the Baltimore Ravens.

Trailing 7-0 on the first play of the second quarter and facing 4th-and-4 from the Baltimore 33-yard-line, Nix’s college teammate and rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin left Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet in the dust and was wide open in the end zone.

Nix, facing no pressure in the pocket, overthrew Franklin by 5 yards, drawing some sharp, succinct criticism from CBS Sports color commentator and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

“You can’t overshoot him when he’s open by 5 yards running into the end zone,” Romo said. “You just can’t.”

While it wasn’t the only lowlight from the Broncos’ 44-10 loss to the Ravens to drop them to 5-4, it was the one that stood out the most. And it led to a field goal to give the Ravens a 10-0 lead after the Broncos turned the ball over on downs.

Nix finished 19-of-33 passing for 233 yards and 1 interception with no touchdown passes. He also threw an interception and caught a touchdown pass from wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

“At some point, Nix is going to hit Franklin over the top from 30 yards out, the way they missed on fourth-and-4 at the Ravens 33 to start the second quarter,” Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler wrote after the loss. “He’s not there yet. They’re not there yet.”

Nix First Rookie QB Starter for Broncos Since 1983

Nix has had some pretty notable struggles for the Broncos as the first rookie starting quarterback since 1983. Still, Denver is 5-4 headed into a Week 10 game at the 2-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

That Nix choked in a big moment is notable more because it came after his best game of the year. In a 28-14 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, Nix went 28-of-37 passing for 284 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for another touchdown.

Broncos Still Have Favorable Schedule

Other than 2 games against the Chiefs, including the regular-season finale in Denver, the remaining 8 games on the schedule for the Broncos are all highly winnable, including back-to-back home games against the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts sandwiched by their bye in Week 14.

In a season where 9 of the 16 teams in the AFC have losing records — including 4 that Denver will play in the final 8 games — that makes the Broncos still very much contenders to end a playoff drought that dates back to the 2015 season and end a streak of losing seasons that dates back to 2016.