Bo Nix delivered quite the second season, as he set a franchise record for the most regular-season wins by a Denver quarterback and guided the Broncos to an AFC Championship Game appearance.
In honor of Nix's birthday on Wednesday, we're taking a look back at his top 10 moments from the 2025 campaign.
As Nix led the Broncos to their first division title in a decade, he made a slew of big plays. That didn't make this list easy to create, and there were several deserving plays that just missed the cut. Throws like Nix's touchdown pass to Troy Franklin against the Packers or his on-point end-zone throw to Pat Bryant against the Cowboys were among the ones that could have easily been included. Read on to see which ones DenverBroncos.com deemed the best of the bunch.
[Note: The following ranking is the opinion of the author.]
10. A two-minute dart to Courtland Sutton vs. the Chiefs
The Broncos were locked in a tie game against the Chiefs late in Week 11 when Nix delivered a big play. Facing a third-and-15 from his own 21-yard line, Nix hung in the pocket and then move to his right. While working to his right, he fired a pass in to Courtland Sutton for a big-time conversion that extended the eventual game-winning drive. If the pass had fallen incomplete, the Broncos would've been forced to punt it back to Kansas City, giving Patrick Mahomes a chance to win the game. Instead, the drive continued and led to a victory.
9. Reversing course
Nix worked himself out of trouble on multiple occasions during the 2025 season, and his athleticism was on display in Week 2 against the Colts. Early in the second quarter, Nix spun out of the pocket and rolled to his left. He then unfurled a high-arcing pass to Troy Franklin down the left sideline for a 42-yard gain to set up another scoring drive. The play highlighted Nix's ad-lib ability and athleticism and was one of Nix's most impressive throws of the season. Later in the year, Nix showed a similar ability with a pass to Lil'Jordan Humphrey against the Packers.
8. Using his legs
Nix's ability to use his athleticism will be a trend on this list, and we saw it in Week 9 against the Texans. With 44 seconds to play in a tie game, Nix dropped back to pass against Houston's ferocious pass rush and then spotted a lane. He took off for 25 yards, moving Denver from its own 39-yard line to the Houston 36 and the edge of field-goal range. The Broncos picked up another 20 yards on the ground over the ensuing three plays before kicking the game-winning field goal. The long run, though, was the key play of Nix's fourth game-winning drive in a five-week span.
7. Setting up a win vs. KC
Let's jump back to that Week 11 game against the Chiefs. Five plays after the third-down conversion to Sutton, Nix earned another fourth-quarter comeback with a perfect throw to Franklin. Nix provided the perfect touch pass for Franklin to turn back and get with a defender in close coverage. The catch went for 32 yards, and Wil Lutz then drilled a 35-yard field goal for the win. It was just one of many examples of Nix being at his best in the big moments.
6. Just how they drew it up
Nix and the Broncos had to make a slew of big plays to record a 33-point fourth quarter in a 19-point comeback win over the Giants. But it was the last throw of a Week 7 win that earns this spot on the list. After the Broncos surged back to take the lead, the Giants climbed back ahead. With 37 seconds to play, Nix and the Broncos faced a daunting task to get into field-goal range. After a 29-yard completion to Marvin Mims Jr., Nix took the snap from the New York 43-yard line and looked to Sutton. The Broncos' No. 1 receiver made a leaping grab on a back-shoulder throw and then raced to the line of scrimmage for the Broncos to spike the ball and attempt a game-winning field goal. After the win, the play got even better, with Head Coach Sean Payton revealing the play had been installed the day before at walkthrough.
5. A key playoff moment
Late in the first half of Nix's first career playoff win, he and the Broncos were tied with the Bills with 29 seconds to play in the first half. A field goal would have given the Broncos a lead, but the advantage would have remained tenuous with Josh Allen receiving the ball to start the second half. Instead, Nix looked deep on a second-and-10 from the Buffalo 29-yard line. In a highlight moment, Nix hit Humphrey in the end zone in stride for a 17-10 advantage that gave the Broncos some breathing room in a Divisional Round matchup.
4. Dropping it in the bucket
Let's head back to the Broncos' win over a vaunted Houston defense, as Nix connected with Sutton for a 30-yard touchdown. With Sutton working against an All-Pro cornerback in Derek Stingley Jr., Nix needed to deliver a perfect throw. He did that, as he dropped a pass in over Sutton's shoulder to the front left pylon. It was one of two touchdown passes in the game for Nix, who showed off his accuracy with the pass.
3. Racing ahead
Nix rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and threw for two more in the comeback win over the Giants, but none was better than the final score. With less than two minutes to play, Nix received the snap and took off to his left on a designed quarterback run. As he turned the corner with blockers out in front, he raced into the end zone for the lead. As Broncos Country went ballistic, Nix celebrated with the home crowd. It was an unforgettable moment and was a key play in one of the largest comebacks in franchise history.
2. An acrobatic score
It's hard to fully know how to describe this play. Late in the first half of a "Sunday Night Football" win over the Commanders, Nix tried to step up out of the pocket and sprint to his right when he was grabbed by a Commanders defender. Nix, though, somehow kept the play alive. As he was falling, he flung a pass through traffic to Sutton for a score. Replays showed Nix was somehow able to keep his shin and knee off the ground before he released the throw, which gave Denver a halftime lead. In a season in which Nix threw or rushed for 33 total touchdowns, this was was easily the most physically impressive play.
1. Playoff heroics
Nix's final touchdown pass of the 2025 season undoubtedly belongs at the top of this list. In a playoff environment with the reigning MVP in Allen on the other side, Nix was at his best. Late in regulation, the 26-yard over-the-shoulder pass to Mims for the go-ahead score was a highly impressive moment. And while it was a terrific throw and catch, it also earns this spot for the importance of the moment — and for how Nix made a statement on a big stage. While Nix was unable to play in the AFC Championship Game, the throw to Mims will be the lasting memory of the offseason before Nix returns to the field in 2026 with an opportunity to add even more impressive moments to his resume.
