The Denver Broncos beat the defending Super Bowl champions in overtime Thursday night, improving their record to 4-2. The win came after a difficult opening stretch of the season, according to the source. But the game also drew pointed criticism of quarterback Bo Nix from former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was working as an analyst for Amazon Prime.
Fitzpatrick said Nix was not playing at a competitive level and questioned his willingness to throw the ball. He also criticized Nix’s decisions on a third-and-eight screen play and in overtime, when Fitzpatrick said the quarterback had two chances to help Denver sustain a drive. One of those opportunities involved a designed run, according to Fitzpatrick’s account.
The broadcast exchange surprised other members of the panel, the source reported. Former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was described as appearing stunned by the strength of Fitzpatrick’s comments. The supplied material does not include a response from Nix, Broncos coach Sean Payton, or the team.
The source cited Nix’s passing line as 17 completions on 27 attempts for 107 yards. It also said Denver had seven consecutive punts at one point and recorded eight three-and-outs during the game. Those details formed the basis for the article’s assessment that the offense struggled despite the overtime victory.
The report further referenced a statistic attributed to CBS researcher Doug Clawson: Nix was listed at 701st among 701 qualified quarterbacks over the prior two decades in average pass length, with 4.9 air yards per attempt. The supplied material does not provide additional methodology or context for that comparison, so the ranking should be understood as attributed to Clawson rather than independently established here.
The account raised the possibility that Nix could still be feeling the effects of an ankle injury from the previous January, but it offered no medical confirmation or statement from the quarterback or team. It also said he had not been running as much, though the material does not establish why.
The outcome leaves Denver with a winning record, while Fitzpatrick’s criticism focused on Nix’s execution and the offense’s limited production. The available source material gives no further details about the game’s scoring, the overtime sequence beyond Fitzpatrick’s description, or any subsequent comments from the people involved.
