"That Team Out West" Boasts Two NFL Starting Quarterbacks Out West

Denver coach Sean Payton has named rookie quarterback and former Oregon great Bo Nix the starter for the Broncos

Nix locked up the job with an 8-9 stint in an exhibition win over the Green Bay on Sunday, leading two quick scoring drives to spur the Broncos to a 10-0 lead in the first half. He threw for 80 yards and a touchdown before a home crowd at Mile High Stadium.

He's won the confidence of his new teammates, just as he did in Eugene. After the game safety P.J. Locke told reporters, “He’s super, super efficient. Man, I think he’s like a very seasoned rookie — the way he marches down the field. The way he carries himself, the confidence he has. He has confidence in his arm. He’s able to read the defense and make the right reads. Man, he just continues to get better every week. Our job is challenge him in practice, and man, he’s stepping up big time.”

Nix beat out NFL veterans Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the job. Payton told Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, “It’s not a reflection on Jarrett or even Zach. It’s about what [Nix] has been able to do so quickly. It was the overall body of work.”

In the team's 2-0 start in preseason, wins over the Packers and at Indianapolis, Nix connected on 23-of-30 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns. He’s also rushed six times for 29 yards, showing the mobility and field smarts to extend plays and keep drives alive.

Apparently the Ducks know how to develop quarterbacks. Out on the West Coast in Los Angeles, 4-year Oregon starter Justin Herbert returned to practice for the Chargers, recovered from a plantar fascitis strain in time for the season opener. In four seasons in the league the rocket-armed 6-6 gunslinger has put up 17,223 yards passing and 114 touchdowns while setting numerous NFL records.

The Chargers travel to Denver on October 13th, the day after the Ducks showdown with Ohio State. The two NFL rivals meet again in Los Angeles on December 22nd.