DENVER — Bo Nix's last touchdown pass came just over seven months ago, as he dropped a perfect pass into Marvin Mims Jr. in the late stages of regulation against the Buffalo Bills.
While the stakes weren't quite the same on Friday night in the Broncos' preseason home opener against the Packers, Nix got back to throwing touchdowns in his home stadium.
"It was like riding a bike," said Nix of his return to game action.
The third-year quarterback led the Broncos to scores on each of his two possessions, and he completed 6-of-9 passes for 76 yards, a touchdown and a 129.9 passer rating.
"It was awesome," quarterback Sam Ehlinger said of Nix's performance. "I thought he did a great job. Right back to postseason form, really. Didn't miss a beat. Really happy for him. He's in a great spot. He's been looking good, and clearly he's feeling good."
Nix's two biggest plays came on third downs on the first possession. He first found Jaylen Waddle for a 35-yard gain on third-and-5 from Denver's 40-yard line and then connected with RJ Harvey on a 21-yard score on a wheel route.
"It felt great," Nix said of the opening drive. "Just like a typical year, going out for the first drive, there are always going to be some different things that you can grow from. I felt like for the first drive of the season, it was solid."
Nix said his return to game action felt "very smooth," and he said the challenge was more mental than physical — given the nature of the preseason and preparation for those games. From a physical standpoint, Nix said he "felt better" than before a pair of surgeries this offseason.
"I think over time, the extra cleanup surgery was good for me because it put me back to square one, back to base one," Nix said. "I thought that I felt pretty good, as good as I've felt in a long time."
The Broncos were far from perfect Friday night, and Head Coach Sean Payton — who said Nix "was solid" — identified a number of areas for improvement. But as Denver works toward making those corrections, the impact of their quarterback's performance in his return is far-reaching.
"It's a morale booster," outside linebacker Que Robinson said. "He had an injury, and everyone just wants to see him well. Seeing him bounce back from that and being able to be the same Bo that we all know and love is a tremendous thing. It's a morale booster, for sure."
