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Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix finds himself at, or near the bottom, of many of the league’s major statistical metrics after four games, but coach Sean Payton said he remains confident in the 24-year-old rookie.
“You’re still looking for the perfect picture, the perfect game,” Payton said Wednesday. “I know this Shangri-la doesn’t exist, but the execution, the details still have to get better with younger players.”
The Broncos, after an 0-2 start, have ridden one of the league’s best defenses back to a 2-2 record, but Nix has found it a tough go overall. He’s 31st among the league’s starters in passer rating, 31st in average length of completions, 29th in completion percentage (60.1) and his one touchdown pass puts him at 32nd.
Nix threw for only 60 yards on 12-of-25 passing in a rainy win over the New York Jets in MetLife Stadium — after going 7-of-15 for minus-7 yards in the first half. He did throw his first career touchdown pass late in the third quarter — an 8-yarder to Courtland Sutton.
Nix has just two completions this season of more than 30 yards, but Payton remains steadfast it’s more a collective issue on offense than his rookie quarterback.
“I’ve said this before, if everyone else can paint the right picture,” Payton said, “then you truly get to evaluate and watch a really good quarterback.”
Payton said the weather Sunday was a major issue for Nix and the offense. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was 8-of-16 for 81 yards without a touchdown in the opening half.
“I think it was a lot to do with weather and it impacted both quarterbacks,” Payton said. “I’m not making an excuse, it was difficult. … It slowly cleared up a little bit [in the second half], and I think both teams were able to get into things a little more that they wanted to do.”
As Nix prepares for his first foray into one of the Broncos’ oldest rivalries — Denver hosts the Raiders on Sunday — he said he believes he’s making progress.
“Sunday’s tough to evaluate because it was a sloppy game — a lot of rain, a lot of things weather-affected,” Nix said. “… But it’s a lot better watching it knowing you won it. … The last time we had a chance to really get around and spin it, and we did a really good job [vs. Tampa Bay in Week 3]. Hopefully we continue to improve on that, and I think I will.”
Nix was 25-of-36 for 216 yards in the Week 3 victory against the Bucs.
As far as his first touchdown pass, Sutton gave the ball to Nix after the play Sunday and Nix said he took it home.
“[Sutton] was adamant about it,” Nix said. “… It was a great moment. Thankfully, he was the one that caught it and I’m glad we can get past that and move on to other things. … It’ll be at the house. Hopefully it will be up for a while, or at least until my wife gets tired of it.”