Broncos coach Sean Payton ‘loved’ response of QB Bo Nix in heated sideline chat

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix spit fire on the sideline of a home win over the Raiders.

Coach Sean Payton didn’t mind the heat.

Their animated discussion took place Sunday at Empower Field after a long incompletion to rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin. The TV broadcast showed Nix waving his arms and raising his voice. Payton reiterated on his Monday teleconference call with local media that it wasn’t a problem.

“Absolutely. All good. It’s the heat of the moment. It’s the game. It’s competitive. He’s fiery,” Payton said of Nix. “We’re looking for people with passion for the game, not other things. I think that it’s so important to him. Again, I loved his response, and shoot, we’re on to the next play and it’s nothing.”

Nix led two more touchdown drives following his heated sideline chat with Payton. That created growing respect among Broncos teammates for the rookie quarterback with just five NFL starts to his name.

“Obviously, they are two very competitive people. They love working with each other. It’s not a problem at all," tight end Adam Trautman said on Monday. “I think it is a good thing when your quarterback shows up like that and is fiery. All that type of stuff. ... It is what it is, whatever happened on the sideline. But I can saw that we as players absolutely respect that type of stuff.”

On Sunday, in the postgame home locker room, wide receiver Josh Reynolds added: “Everybody is passionate on this team. So, it’s awesome to have these guys in this locker room together this year. Because we’ve got something special going on.”

The Broncos rolled the Raiders, 34-18, with Nix combining for three touchdowns. He connected through the air with running back Jaleel McLaughlin and Reynolds. Nix also rushed for a score. Payton lauded his development on Monday in several key areas.

“(Nix) played well,” Payton said. “He used his feet, went through his progressions and threw the ball well. He got it down the field. He took the underneath throws. Handled the two-minute (offense) again. That’s happened a number of times now where we’ve been able to get some points at the end of the half. Had good command of what we were doing. … Overall, he’s understanding the game better and better.”

The Broncos (3-2) host the Chargers (2-2) on Sunday in Week 6. Denver rides a three-game winning streak, including come-from-behind victories in consecutive weeks. A more balanced running attack and quality protection has allowed continued growth for Nix and the offense.

“It’s a super good feeling,” safety Brandon Jones said on Monday. “It takes a lot of pressure off (the defense) knowing that we’ve seen the offense progressively get better and better each week.”