Bo Nix added another milestone to his growing NFL résumé on Thursday night, passing Baker Mayfield for the fifth-longest streak of games with a passing touchdown by a player in their first two seasons (18). The Denver Broncos may have edged a dull 10-7 win over their AFC West rivals, but the night was another reminder of how far the Oregon product has come since his Auburn days.
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In an Auburn special with Eli Manning recently, Nix reflected on what it meant to grow up in a household where the Tigers were more than a team. They were family.
“I didn’t,” Nix said when asked if he ever had a choice between Auburn and Alabama. “But even if I did, I would choose Auburn. He [dad Patrick Nix] graduated from here, and he played here. My mom went here. So we were raised in the Auburn family.”
Bo’s father, Patrick Nix, was a star quarterback and team captain for the Tigers, leading them to an 11-0 record in 1993. Two decades later, Bo became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season opener for Auburn since 1946, guiding the program to three consecutive bowl appearances before transferring to Oregon.
At Oregon, Nix broke multiple NCAA marks, including setting the record for most career starts (61). His five-year college career yielded 15,532 passing yards, 113 touchdowns, and 1,613 rushing yards, cementing his place as one of the most experienced and productive quarterbacks in college football history.
Now, as he dons familiar colors in Denver orange and blue, Nix is trying to build a similar legacy in the big leagues as he and his father did in Auburn. Nix finished Thursday night with 16-of-28 for 150 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, as the Broncos won their seventh straight game to improve to 8-2 and stay atop the division.
Despite offensive struggles and special teams miscues, Denver’s defense again carried the night, recording six sacks and blocking a punt that set up Will Lutz’s decisive 32-yard field goal.
Nix’s lone touchdown came in the second quarter, a seven-yard strike to Troy Franklin that tied the game 7-7 just before halftime. Though far from his most dazzling outing, Nix still outperformed veteran counterpart Geno Smith (16-for-26, 143 yards, one interception), and the victory extended Denver’s best win streak since 2015.
