Sean Payton on Bo Nix: We found the player who can lead us

The Broncos failed to pull off a victory in last Sunday’s playoff game in Buffalo, but there were a few minutes where it looked like they might pull off the upset and advance to the divisional round.

Such thoughts began when quarterback Bo Nix hit receiver Troy Franklin for a 43-yard touchdown pass that gave the Broncos a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. The lead has evaporated, but the hope for success that Nix has provided since joining the team as a first-round pick last April has not faded.

Nix is ​​one of five rookies in league history to throw for at least 3,500 yards and at least 25 touchdowns, which is part of why head coach Sean Payton believes the Broncos have the guy whose they need to run the show for years to come.

“I think everything is in front of him,” Payton said via the team website. “And I’ve said this before, I think we discovered that player who can lead us and be what we need, in relation to the success we are accustomed to. I think we found it.

Broncos owner Greg Penner and general manager George Paton echoed Payton’s sentiments in their own news conferences Wednesday. The Broncos still have work to do to contend for the division title and catch up to the AFC’s top teams, but that job will be a little easier now that they have the most important position on the field.