Bo Nix's struggles continue. Did he prove Jeffery Simmons right?

Sean Keeler, The Denver Post on Sep 7, 2025

Published in Football

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DENVER — Initial thoughts from the Broncos’ 20-12 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 at Empower Field:

— Did Bo Nix prove Jeffery Simmons right?: We still want to Bo-lieve. We really do. We’re not quite sounding the alarm on a sophomore slump. Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee. Truth be told? Bo almost threw a couple more. Titans defensive end Jeffery Simmons had raised eyebrows when he said last week that Nix was a one-read QB, and “it’s going to be on us up front … (to) keep him in the pocket.” For the most part, they did, much to the chagrin of Broncos Country. Nix ran into a Simmons sack at one point. So even if the Titans defender didn’t win the game, he won more than a few individual battles. Whether he’ll win the “argument?” Time will tell. And Nix has got nowhere to go but up.

— Umm, where was Evan Engram?: If you had to squint to see some impact for the Broncos’ veteran free-agent signing at tight end, it wasn’t you. Dude was hard to find. The former Jacksonville pass catcher made his first grab of the day on Denver’s second drive, with 3:11 left in the first quarter. Engram didn’t see his third catch of the day until there was 1:02 left in the third quarter. That last grab sort of summed up Engram’s regular-season Broncos debut. Upside: The 31-year-old big man turned it into a 10-yard game and a first down. Downside: Immediately after the catch, Engram was seen limping off the field and went to the medical tent. He was eventually ruled questionable to return — and never did.

— Hufanga fills up box score: Of all the Broncos’ free-agent gets, safety Talanoa Hufanga had the most impactful debut — which was a mixed blessing. Denver struggled early to get first-level hands on Tennessee tailback Tony Pollard, who led all skill players in first-half touches (14) and first-half yards from scrimmage (76). As a result, the Broncos safety had nine tackles by halftime, which is … well, a lot. But, to be fair, some of that action was due to Hufanga’s ball-hawking radar, too. His impact was felt most literally, and figuratively, when the veteran defender stripped Pollard at the Denver 37, diving into a pile to rip the rock loose and snuff out a Tennessee threat.

— Wyoming’s “Thunder” marching band defeated by lightning: What did the Wyoming Western Thunder Marching Band do to anger the football gods? The Cowboys’ longtime entertainment troupe, which has more than 2,700 followers on Instagram, had been slated to perform at halftime when Mother Nature had other ideas. In a confluence of events unusual for an NFL afternoon, the Broncos announced a lightning delay to the crowd at Empower Field just as the teams were leaving the field for the halftime break. While some raindrops were felt, the skies cleared quickly, and as the usual halftime clock expired, both the Broncos’ and Titans’ special teams came out for their warm-ups pretty much on schedule. The scoreboard then said the lightning danger had passed, essentially leaving the crowd without a halftime show. Amuse yourselves!

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