Which quarterback would you rather have under center for the Broncos when they meet the Buffalo Bills in the Division Round of the National Football League playoffs this weekend?
Bo Nix? Or Josh Allen?
It could have been either one.
Bo was an 18-year-old senior at Pinson Valley High in Pinson, Alabama when Josh was about to be drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
A native Californian from the San Joaquin Valley around Fresno—an agricultural area known for its tomatoes, garlic and almonds, Allen had begun his college career at Reedley Junior College close to home.
Those Tigers averaged 452.2 yards total offense per game with him at quarterback, yet the University of Wyoming was the only major college to offer him a scholarship. He played three seasons for the Cowboys, leading them to an 8-3 record in 2018.
Denver had the fifth pick that year and still needed a successor to Peyton Manning, who had retired after leading the Broncos to victory in Super Bowl L on February 7, 2016.
Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were expected to be chosen 1-2, but it was a deep QB class that year—a total of five would be taken in the first round. One of them, a raw, 6-foot-5 talent from the University of Wyoming named Josh Allen, intrigued Denver’s John Elway.
“I loved him,” Elway has said. “He was my type.”
Elway wanted to take him with the fifth pick, but his coaching staff didn’t share his enthusiasm. Pointing to a lackluster completion percentage of 56% his senior season, some considered him erratic. And Elway’s previous gamble on Paxton Lynch from Memphis had bombed.
The Denver coaches, including current defensive guru Vance Joseph, favored defensive lineman Bradley Chubb from North Carolina State. Buffalo traded up to No. 7 to snatch Allen.
“That was probably the biggest mistake of my General Manager days, not taking Josh” Elway told Barstool Sports in 2024.
“I didn’t override everybody and say, ‘I’m taking him and now it’s up to you to make him good.’”
Could-a, should-a, would-a, as the Rockies’ Clint Hurdle likes to say. Allen has become one of the NFL’s biggest stars—voted league most valuable player in 2024.
Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton faced a somewhat similar decision on April 25, 2024.
As it turned out, six quarterbacks were first-round picks, tying the record set in 1983—the year John Elway was No. 1 and forced his trade from Baltimore to Denver.
When the Broncos’ turn came at No. 12, the other five had all been taken. Did Payton and Paton want the last of them—Oregon’s Bo Nix—highly regarded Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, or someone else?
Sean Payton didn’t hesitate.
The son and grandson of coaches, Nix had been the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year at Auburn in 2019 and the Pac 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 after setting the NCAA record for completion percentage (77.45%) and leading all of the NCAA in touchdown passes (45).
In addition, Nix was awarded the William V. Campbell Trophy—known as the “Academic Heisman”—by the National Football Foundation, recognizing him as the college football player who best combines academics, leadership and on-field performance.
So far, Payton has been proven right.
In his rookie season, Nix led the Broncos to their first postseason playoff berth since Manning’s victory a decade earlier. And this year, they’re the American Conference’s top seed.
Of course, in the next five years, Allen has led the Bills to five division titles.
In Allen’s first two seasons, Buffalo won 15 and lost 12. He completed 440 of 781 pass attempts (56.3%) for 5,163 yards, and he ran 198 times for 1,141 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Through the end of this regular season, Nix went 24-10 with 764 completions in 1,179 attempts (64.8%) and 54 TDs and carried 175 times for 786 and nine TDs.
In his first 34 NFL games, Nix has led eight fourth-quarter comebacks, which leads the league in that time.
So, back to the beginning.
Which quarterback would you rather have under center for the Broncos when they meet the Buffalo Bills in the Division Round of the NFL playoffs this weekend?
As you ponder your answer, keep this in mind:
Neither has yet played in a Super Bowl, much less won one.
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Denny Dressman writes a weekly sports column for The Villager. You can write to Denny at dennydressman@comcast.net.