CBS Play-by-Play Legend: The National View on Bo Nix has Shifted

A common complaint among the Denver Broncos fan base is that the national perspective on the team is rather slow to come around. Many high-profile analysts have been accused of being misinformed to boot, but that all depends on what side of the fence you're on. 

While undoubtedly the wider NFL community has been aware of superstar cornerback Patrick Surtain II, taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award last year, the prevailing perspective on quarterback Bo Nix has often resembled an ostrich with its head in the sand. 

We know that looking at things through Orange and Blue-tinted glasses can muddy the waters, so often, the best reference is a less-biased boots-on-the-ground observer. 

Renowned sports commentator Ian Eagle certainly provided exactly that balancing voice. The CBS heavyweight saw enough from Nix last season to convince him that right from coast-to-coast, the nation's media is no longer sleeping on the Broncos' burgeoning franchise quarterback moving forward. 

"I would tell you that it's a lot of positive energy in the offseason, from a national perspective, with Denver, that they can take the next step," Eagle said during a Tuesday morning appearance on 104.3 The FAN. 

To accurately chart how Nix has now risen to prominence, we first need to rewind his game tape all the way back to a miserably cold and wet afternoon the Broncos spent battling the New York Jets in the Meadowlands during Week 4's action. 

Eagle was on the mic that day when Nix only put up a meager 60 yards through the air. The first-rounder showed guts and leadership to help carve out a spirited 10-9 win to bring the Broncos to an even 2-2 record.  

Coming hot on the heels of taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the road in a game that nobody picked the Broncos to win, beating the Jets helped prove that Nix and company could scrap hard when they really had to. Furthermore, Eagle witnessed firsthand that Nix has a real backbone in him; the young quarterback wasn't the least bit afraid to put a stamp of authority on the proceedings and work things out on the fly. 

"For the Broncos, it was really a starting point, and I just saw a confident quarterback," Eagle told The FAN. "Think there's a belief within that team, and there's certainly a belief with Sean Payton, that the guy knows how to win, knows how to run a program. He's a problem solver. He'll figure it out. He'll do it in his way. By the way, he's not going to change for anybody. He's going to do it the way that he does it." 

Only a week later, at home against the Las Vegas Raiders, we saw NIx get into a heated sideline exchange with Payton as the Broncos emerged as 34-18 victors. That game snapped a heretofore — and completely unacceptable — eight-game losing streak at the hands of Denver's bitter division rival.

Funnily enough, the confrontation between the rookie quarterback and head coach wasn't at all divisive; it merely pointed toward Nix's winning DNA and unflinching determination to vigorously lead his team. Credit also went to Payton in how he dealt with the entire situation, and with a sprinkling of good humor, the veteran coach successfully harnessed the energy in an entirely positive way 

According to Eagle, Payton was already firmly behind his quarterback heading into the crucial road fixture against the Jets the week before. During a CBS production meeting with Payton, the head coach's confidence didn't falter in the least when he threw his weight behind Nix's ability to get the job done — both in the short and long term. 

"I'm just really impressed with how [Nix] carried himself throughout the season," Eagle said of how impressed he was by the Broncos' rookie. "Obviously, the connection between Payton and Nix, you could feel the trust level. I had them early, had them in that Jets game early in the season, when Payton in our production meeting, basically went on and on to say, 'No no, this guy's the guy, and we know it.' And it was still when the stats weren't backing up all of the plaudits." 

Laying the foundation will now prove crucial for Payton, because it sets Nix up to succeed in what can often be a perilous and tricky Year 2. If more people jump on the Nix bandwagon in 2025, it just means that the Broncos are doing something right and continuing to win games.