True to form, Nick didn’t have all the big plays against the Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, facing third-and-goal from Carolina’s 8-yard line, Knicks dropped back to pass…and kept dropping back to avoid blitzes…and then continued to run backwards until he reached the 33-yard line, and finally threw the ball away.
After three quarters, Carolina led 14-13. Knicks intercepted and fumbled the ball but did not result in a turnover.
In the fourth quarter, however, the 26-year-old Nix transformed into an incredibly efficient quarterback capable of creating offense when it mattered most. On Sunday, they scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bryant with 5:41 left to give Denver the lead for good. It was the 13th fourth-quarter comeback of his career, as many times as Hall of Fame quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Steve Young had in their careers.
Nix finished with 237 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also completed 6 of 7 passes on third down for 72 yards and a touchdown. The Denver Nuggets had five comebacks in the fourth quarter, the most in the NFL.
“It always seems to be the same feeling,” Nix said. “There’s always a look in the crowd that’s like, ‘Hey guys, we have no choice here, we’ve got to do something from this.'” Today, the touchdown in the second half was really, really important. “
Nick, who led the Nuggets to five fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winners last season to help Denver win the AFC Championship, entered the season with high expectations after being sidelined for that game with an ankle injury.
However, in Week 1, the Broncos lost to Kansas City by double digits. In mid-October, Amazon analyst and former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick lambasted the Knicks after a Thursday Night Football game in which they narrowly defeated Seattle in overtime.
“It’s really frustrating,” Fitzpatrick said after the Knicks threw for 107 yards and averaged 4 yards per attempt, their lowest mark so far this season. “To me, part of it is that Bonix isn’t playing. The way he’s playing right now is almost disrespectful of the quarterback position.”
Knicks said at the time that he wasn’t trying to play conservatively. “When I get the chance, I try to be very positive,” he said. Payton said he never considered benching the Knicks.
The move paid off. Nix had gone five straight games without an interception until Sunday. Even with this pick, the Broncos won their fifth straight game and improved their record to 7-2. But like anything said about the Knicks, whether Denver is ready to compete legitimately for the Super Bowl remains in the eye of the beholder.
“At 7-2, we’re very confident,” Nick said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot we can do better.”
Despite the Broncos’ strong record, their offense has been inconsistent throughout the season, leading Payton to take back game-calling responsibilities last month. The inability to find a rhythm outside of the fourth quarter is one of the reasons Denver trailed 658 yards this season entering Sunday — third-worst in the league. (The Panthers then led Denver by 41 yards.)
Denver has been shaking off these struggles all year. Whether the playoffs are valid is another question. But in 16 straight close games with the Knicks as starter, the Denver Nuggets have found a formula that’s both ugly and consistent.