Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix learns difficult, but valuable lesson in losing playoff debut against Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bo Nix’s first style of the NFL playoffs shortly turned bitter after a candy begin.

Denver’s rookie quarterback threw a 43-yard landing go to his former school teammate Troy Franklin on the opening drive of Sunday’s wild-card playoff recreation. However the Broncos by no means scored once more in a 31-7 loss to the Payments.

“Loads to develop from, lots to be taught from,” Nix stated.

If there’s a vivid facet, the 24-year-old first-round decide now has a reference level to construct from after Nix performed a significant position in main the Broncos to their first playoff look since their 2015 Tremendous Bowl-winning season.

“I haven’t been within the league lengthy sufficient to know the way far off we’re,” stated Nix, whose 29 landing passes have been two shy of the NFL rookie regular-season document.

“I simply know we competed towards some actually good groups this yr. Subsequent yr’s going to be a brand new yr and we simply acquired to go and compete like we did this yr,” he added. “To make the playoffs was a particular second for this group. It’s one thing we are able to construct off of. … Our objectives are altering.”

Nix completed 13 of twenty-two for 144 yards passing, and led the Broncos with 43 yards dashing whereas failing to maintain any momentum from the opening drive.

Denver mixed for 154 yards on its last seven drives, 4 ending with punts, two on being stopped on fourth down, and Wil Lutz lacking a 50-yard field-goal try that will have tied the sport at 10 at halftime.

Coach Sean Payton stated the following step for the Broncos is to safe residence playoff video games by profitable the AFC West.

“We acquired beat at this time. Particularly within the postseason, it’s all the time a bitter tablet to swallow,” Payton stated. “It’s acquired to gasoline you and light-weight a hearth within the route we have to go. One of many issues we realized early on is we acquired to discover a option to play these video games at residence.”

The Broncos dropped to 2-7 within the wild-card spherical, with all seven losses approaching the highway. And Denver has misplaced 5 straight highway playoff video games.

With the offense sputtering, Denver’s attacking protection was ineffective in sacking Josh Allen simply twice. And the Broncos finally wore down with Buffalo having fun with a 23-minute edge in time of possession.

“We by no means actually had a solution to cease their operating recreation,” Payton stated. “And while you’re enjoying a recreation like that, you’re not dashing the passer almost as a lot as you’ve been accustomed to.”

The Broncos transformed simply 2 of 9 third downs towards a Payments protection that ranked twenty ninth in that class.

A kind of third down conversations got here on the opening collection when Nix discovered Courtland Sutton for a 19-yard acquire on third-and-8, two performs earlier than Nix related with Franklin 2:24 into the sport.

“You go to a brand new degree, you get to the NFL, I anticipated it to be powerful,” Nix stated. “However I used to be happy how on the finish of the day, it’s simply soccer.”

That’s the mindset Nix plans to convey into his subsequent playoff look.

“The largest factor is that we are able to make all of the hype we would like about playoff soccer. Nevertheless it’s simply one other recreation. It’s simply one other AFC recreation,” Nix stated. “So I feel sooner or later, it’s deal with it like simply one other recreation, prefer it’s the following one in your schedule. You go on the market and play. There’s nothing completely different. There’s no particular factor as a result of it’s a playoff. It’s only a soccer recreation. That’s encouraging to know.”

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