It’s only been two games, but Bo Nix is off to a rough start in Denver.
Nix, the sixth quarterback drafted in April and taken with the 12th overall pick, had 45 touchdowns against three interceptions last year at Oregon. After two NFL games, he already has four interceptions, without a touchdown pass.
He’s far from a problem in Denver — he’s the team’s leading rusher, with 60 yards in two games — but it’s a disappointing start after what looked like a promising preseason. Take out screens and dumps, and Nix is 11-for-36 (31%) with four interceptions on passes thrown more than five yards downfield.
And if there’s anything added to writing for a 24-year-old five years out of college, it’s to expect the maturity that comes with answering questions after wins and losses. But asked by a reporter to “take us through the final zone considerations” after Sunday’s loss, Nix was unequivocal.
“Uh, yes,” he said. “Um, it backed off, threw it to the other team.”
You can’t expect Nix to have all the answers yet, but the way he handles himself is important. If he defends his colleagues in his answer, there are better ways to put it. Most great quarterbacks have had bad starts to their careers. Peyton Manning had six interceptions in his first two games. Matthew Stafford had five.
Nix ranks 31st among NFL quarterbacks in passer rating, ahead of Carolina benched Bryce Young. He’s only one spot behind Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick who’s also off to a rough start. But if the Broncos have their eyes on challenging for the wild card, they’re going to need more from Nix — and fast. On plays inside the Pittsburgh 30 on Sunday, he was 2-for-6 for 15 yards and that interception in the end zone.
“We need to be better around him,” coach Sean Payton said after Sunday’s loss. “Listen, this boy has been through it. It would have been different if he hadn’t.”
Bowers rose quickly
Brock Bowers has been a definite NFL prospect since his freshman year at Georgia, so it’s no surprise that he’s hit the ground running in his professional career. Las Vegas picked up a big win against Baltimore on Sunday, rallying for 10 points down the stretch in the fourth quarter, and Bowers finished with 98 yards on nine catches, on at least nine targets.
After two games, he has gained 156 yards, which is the most in NFL history for a rookie tight end in his team’s first two games. Mike Ditka held the record for 63 years, with 148 yards in 1961.
Bowers has the potential to be a high-volume, utility tight end in the passing game, and the early numbers bear that out. He’s on pace for 145 goals in a full season. Last year, Evan Engram of the Jaguars led the NFL with 143, and the most by any tight end in a season is 156, by Zach Ertz and the Eagles in 2018. option for Davante Adams, who could quickly challenge those numbers as one of the league’s top tight ends.
Suddenly, he looks amazing
We’ve noted a quiet start for Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. last week, so we have to come back and take note of his big week 2 – 130 yards and two touchdowns in Arizona’s statement win against the Rams. It’s only the third time in 40 years that a rookie has had 125-plus yards and two touchdowns in one of his first two games. The others were Hollywood Brown and the Ravens in 2019 (147/2) and the Cardinals’ Anquan Boldin in 2003 (217/2).
Marvin Harrison Jr. catches back-to-back TDs against the Rams
Not everyone connects with the quarterback right away, and one of the most extreme so far is Colts receiver Adonai Mitchell, a second-round pick out of Texas. In two games, he has two catches for nine points. Since targets became the number in 1992, only one player has had more targets and fewer catches – the Raiders’ Darrius Heyward-Bey, who caught one pass out of 10 targets in 2009. finished his rookie year with nine catches (on 40 targets) for 124 yards.
Expect Mitchell to catch much better as he and second-year QB Anthony Richardson get to know each other.
The Texans I’m still getting the rookie impact
Houston didn’t have a first-round pick this year because it gave up a first- and third-rounder last year to move up for defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who had 1.5 sacks in Sunday’s win against the Bears.
But even without a first-round pick, the Texans are already enjoying the rookie’s positive impact. Second-round cornerback Kamari Lassiter from Georgia and third-round safety Calen Bullock from USC have both been involved in their first two weeks in the NFL. That’s as many considerations as the NFL’s other rookies combined — just four total in the league so far, and none of them high draft picks. Packers safety Evan Williams, a fourth-round pick out of Oregon, has one, as does Giants linebacker Darius Muasau, a sixth-round pick out of UCLA.
Introducing…
Rookies have totaled just 3.5 sacks in the league after two weeks. Rams first-rounder Jared Verse, the 19th overall pick out of Florida State, has one and leads all rookies with four tackles for loss. Only two others (Giants’ Andru Phillips and Broncos’ Jonah Elliss) have more than one TFL. Verse is only one TFL away from the NFL lead, shared by the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson and the Saints’ Alontae Taylor.
The Rams opened the season with 15 rookies on the 53-man roster, easily the most in the league, and that deep group is led by Verse and his FSU teammate, Braden Fiske, the team’s second-round pick. Now that receiver Cooper Kupp is sidelined with an injury, another rookie who could step up is sixth-round receiver Jordan Whittington. His college numbers at Texas weren’t strong — five touchdowns in five seasons — but he already has two Rams and should play a bigger role while Kupp is out.
Braden Fiske (left) and Jared Verse were teammates at Florida State and are now starting defensive ends as Rams rookies. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
The NFC East is putting rookies to work
Which NFL teams get the biggest impact on rookies? In terms of total offensive and defensive snaps in Week 2, the top three were all from the NFC East. The Giants, led by receiver Malik Nabers and safety Tyler Nubin, had 260 such snaps, just ahead of the Cowboys, who had 250 percent, more than half coming from the offensive line from Tyler Guyton and center Cooper Beebe. In third was Washington, with 215, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels and receiver Luke McCaffrey.
Fewer rookie shots? The Falcons no longer have to have a rookie play one snap on offense or defense. The top pick is Michael Penix Jr. he’s the backup quarterback, and most of Atlanta’s draft picks have been inactive thus far, with fifth-round cornerback JD Bertrand playing on special teams.
Greg Auman is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent ten years covering the The Buccaneers Of course Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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