Bo Nix Injury Return: 76 Yards, TD vs Packers

The Bo Nix injury return was 15 snaps, one touchdown, and a 129.9 rating. Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix started Friday's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, his first live action since a fractured right ankle in the playoffs, Sports Illustrated reported. He went 6-of-9 for 76 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos still lost 33-13 at Empower Field at Mile High. Sean Payton had targeted about 14 snaps. SI counted 15. Payton called him "solid."

Broncos.com, posting after midnight on Aug. 22, had the same line: 6-of-9, 76 yards, a touchdown, 129.9 passer rating, two scoring drives. Nix told the team site "it was like riding a bike." "It was very smooth, very easy to get back out there and go," he said. "Honestly, the other 10 guys in the huddle made it pretty easy for me as well." That is the whole medical report the building wanted. The snap count was a pitch count. It was not a limp.

Bo Nix injury return vs the Packers, drive by drive

The first possession was six plays and 65 yards, SI and Mile High Report both had it. Nix hit Jaylen Waddle for 35 yards on third down, then threw a 21-yard touchdown to running back RJ Harvey on a wheel route. Broncos.com quoted Nix on that finish: "You want to finish every drive with a touchdown, so to do that for the first one to start the game was good." The Denver Gazette put the score at 7-7 after that throw. The second series was nine plays and 25 yards, SI wrote, with the starting line still in and backups at the skill spots. It stalled. Wil Lutz made a 53-yard field goal. Then Nix sat.

The ankle story is seven months old and still the lede. Nix broke the right ankle on the second-to-last play of a 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo in the AFC divisional round on Jan. 17, the Gazette reported. He sat out the AFC Championship loss to New England on Jan. 25 and had two surgeries in the offseason. He did not play in Denver's 27-7 preseason win at Atlanta on Aug. 14. Friday was the first time another defense hit him in a game since January. "When I got out there, it was like riding a bike. Nothing really changed," Nix told the Gazette.

What Payton saw, and what comes next

Payton's review of Nix was short. "I thought (Nix) was solid," he said, per the Gazette and Broncos.com. The rest of the night was not. The Packers snapped Denver's eight-game preseason winning streak, Mile High Report noted. Pierre Strong Jr. returned the kickoff 68 yards after Lutz's 53-yarder. What is on the record from Friday: Nix took the 14-to-15 snaps he was assigned, threw the ball, moved, and came out healthy. SI said Payton may give him snaps again next week against Minnesota. The Gazette reported his next real test is Sept. 14 at Kansas City.

This is the same preseason injury week that already put George Kittle on a Week 1 watch and left the Lions unsure about Sam LaPorta. Denver's question was simpler: can Bo Nix still throw? Friday's answer was 76 yards, a wheel route to Harvey, and a 129.9 rating in a loss that did not belong to him.

Bo Nix injury return FAQ

How did Bo Nix play in his return from the ankle fracture? Sports Illustrated and Broncos.com both had him 6-of-9 for 76 yards, one touchdown, and a 129.9 rating in two drives. The touchdown was a 21-yard throw to RJ Harvey.

How many snaps did Bo Nix play vs the Packers? Payton targeted about 14 snaps. SI counted 15. The Denver Gazette said he got 14 when a penalty was included. He did not play after the second series.

When did Bo Nix originally injure the ankle? Jan. 17, in Denver's 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo in the AFC divisional round, the Gazette reported. He had two surgeries and missed the AFC Championship Game.