The Denver Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-14 in overtime on Thursday Night Football, and the sharpest words on Prime Video’s postgame show went to the winning quarterback.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, the former NFL quarterback who now works as a studio analyst on the broadcast, turned to Bo Nix almost as soon as the game ended.
“Bo Nix is not playing competitively. It’s almost disrespectful to the quarterback position how he’s playing football.”
Nix completed 17 of 27 passes for 107 yards, and Denver gained 168 total yards to Seattle’s 353. The defense and Wil Lutz’s 53-yard field goal in overtime won the game.
“He has no trust from his coach, he calls a screen play on third and eight,” Fitzpatrick said. “Now they’re in the locker room right now, they’re excited. They won. He’s not playing competitive football right now.”
He kept going, and named Sean Payton, offensive coordinator Davis Webb and the offensive line as the people he felt for.
“He’s not competing right now. And that’s something that he’s hung his hat on for the last two years,” Fitzpatrick said. “I don’t know if he’s still injured. I don’t know what’s going on. But it’s not good enough. It’s effort.”
“Well, there’s no fire and there’s no passion. And that doesn’t mean you’ve got to be yelling at guys on the sideline or inspiring in the huddle. You can do it with your play as well. And I just don’t see it,” Fitzpatrick said.
Ryan Fitzpatrick just went on a rant ripping #Broncos QB Bo Nix:
“Bo Nix is not playing competitively. It’s almost disrespectful to the quarterback position how he’s playing football.”
(
@NFLonPrime) https://t.co/3IVoZMfGQh
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 16, 2026
Is the Broncos’ problem Bo Nix’s effort or the play calls?
A screen on third-and-8 means the coaching staff decided not to ask its quarterback to win the down from the pocket. Denver went 0-for-6 on third down in the second half and finished with 30 yards and two first downs after halftime.
Nix described the same problem in his own postgame news conference.
“I don’t know why we can’t really push the ball vertically right now,” Nix said. “But defenses are just sitting back and hanging out.”
The week before, Nix went 16 of 27 for 123 yards in a 23-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. That is 230 passing yards across two straight wins, an average of 4.3 yards per attempt, with defenses giving him the short throw and the staff calling for it.
Denver is 4-2 and has won two in a row while its passing game has stalled. If the explanation sits with Nix’s effort, it is his to fix. If it sits with what Payton and Webb will call for him, the screen on third-and-8 was the clearer warning, and the Broncos have until their Oct. 25 game at the Arizona Cardinals to show which one it is.
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