Bo Nix Dead Last in the Entire NFL When Opposing Defenses Bring the Heat

Bo Nix ranks last in the NFL under pressure through two weeks, and Denver's offensive line faces a critical test in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.

by Neal Coolong

Sep 22, 2026

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Pro Football Focus released its updated quarterback pressure numbers through two weeks, and the results were not kind to Bo Nix. The Broncos quarterback has been pressured on 41.5% of his dropbacks this season, the eighth-highest rate among qualifying passers. The rate alone isn’t the alarming part.

Bo Nix falls dead last in the entire NFL when opposing defenses bring the heat, posting a 25.9 PFF grade under pressure that ranks 32nd among 32 qualifiers. His minus-0.960 EPA per play in those situations sits 31st, and four turnover-worthy plays on just 27 pressured dropbacks have pushed his turnover-worthy rate to 14.8%, the second-highest mark at the position.

Broncos need answers up front now

Dec 7, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) is sacked by Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway (97) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Some of that falls on the offensive line, and some of it falls on Nix himself. PFF has noted quarterbacks can inflate their own pressure numbers by holding the ball too long, hesitating through progressions or drifting into rushers who otherwise would have been picked up cleanly. Two weeks isn’t enough to separate one cause from the other, but Denver doesn’t have the luxury of waiting around to find out which it is.

The timing makes it worse. The Broncos host the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 3, and Los Angeles arrives with a pass rush capable of forcing the same kind of night Matthew Stafford just had against pressure of his own. Stafford’s numbers were the only ones uglier than Nix’s on this week’s list. If Denver’s protection doesn’t tighten up fast, Nix could be walking straight into the exact conditions that wrecked his first two weeks.

None of this sinks the Broncos on its own. Two games is a small sample, and PFF’s own numbers come with the caveat that early-season marks tend to shift as the season goes on. But a quarterback who ranks last in the league under pressure is a problem that tends to compound rather than correct itself. Denver has three weeks before its bye to figure out whether this is a line issue, a Nix issue or some combination of both.