Time raise Bo Nix alarm? Check back after Broncos vs. Colts this week

Bo Nix has more in common with Reggie Jackson than Lamar.

Maybe the explanation for his slow starts is that simple. Nix is the Broncos’ Mr. October. His play changes with the leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.

It was this time a year ago that Nix looked like a baby giraffe on roller skates. And it only got worse in Week 4 when he couldn’t grip the football in the rain against the Jets.

And here we are in September again, and Nix isn’t exactly inspiring confidence. It was one week. And specifically Week 1. But man, the offense was ugly, forgettable and boring, wasn’t it? Sean Payton seems fine with Nix, blames himself for the play-calling and shields his quarterback from criticism to such a degree that it is weird.

We have not reached the “everyone freak out stage.” Not yet. But with games on the horizon against the Chargers and Bengals, it will be time to worry if Nix plays poorly this week.

This is suddenly a scary matchup against the Colts after they demolished the Dolphins. They looked like a playoff team last Sunday. The Broncos did not.

No quarterback performed worse in a Week 1 win than Nix.

“I know I can be a lot better,” he admitted after Wednesday’s practice.

What happened against the Titans reminded me of Texas’ Arch Manning at Ohio State. We weren’t sure what it was going to look like, but we know it wasn’t supposed to look like that. Nix threw off balance. He threw into double coverage. He threw sidearm.

He finished with two interceptions and lost his first fumble in 19 NFL games. Sometimes disappointment is traced to expectations. And that definitely applies to Nix after he led the Broncos to their first playoff berth since 2015.

My concern is one that surfaced over the summer. He never caught fire in June, failed to wow in training camp, save for a few scrimmage series against the 49ers and Cardinals, and remained uneven in two preseason games. His play has been a mirror of the offense. There are glimpses of improvement that are quickly overshadowed by long bouts of ineffectiveness.

The Broncos can win Sunday because their defense is so (bleeping) good. But they cannot stand more carelessness.

Nix needs to stop chasing perfection and focus on precision.

There’s nothing wrong with a couple of first downs and teeing up Vance Joseph’s charges with a long punt. Nix knows who he can be. He has to understand who he is on game day. If he’s not feeling it, put the ball in your pocket.

You can’t lose to the Colts because you can’t control an impulse. Nix, a coach’s son through and through, recognizes this. But will he do it?

Well……

“In the future, maybe not be so aggressive,” Nix said. “But at the same time, it’s what makes quarterbacks good. It’s a fine line.”

It really isn’t. It is a flashing neon sign in the construction zone at Dove Valley, screaming, “Proceed with caution.” This is not about taking the wag out of the puppy’s tail. We want Nix to play with passion and enthusiasm, but he must be more strategic.

Some of you don’t see it. You see Nix as the face of the franchise, the future, the reason for hope. And it makes sense. I was right there with you after last season. But give me space to remind you that Nix never went on a heater this summer. He has earned our faith that everything will soon be all right. The time is now to minimize the wrong.

“It’s not about the stats and perfection, for me it’s a standard I have for myself. With our defense, we can definitely make sure at times to give them great field position and we will get the ball back and go right back to work,” Nix said. “Overall, we want to play complementary football, but we definitely have high standards for our offense.”

Nix must prove he can do it this month.

In September games, he has completed 60.7% of his passes with two touchdowns and six interceptions in 178 attempts. In all other games, including the postseason, he boasts a 66 completion percentage with 28 touchdowns and eight picks.