Sean Payton wants Bo Nix to "just keep firing"

The Broncos' 1-2 start has led to some criticism of quarterback Bo Nix and a few missed downfield connections in last Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Chargers were fodder for those who think Nix has not progressed in his second season.

Those misses contributed seven three-and-outs over the course of the game, including two in the fourth quarter that helped the Chargers score the final 10 points of their victory. That might be reason for some coaches to say that quarterbacks have to prioritize easier completions, but Broncos head coach Sean Payton has a different view.

Nix also hit on a 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton and the rewards of plays like that are enough for Payton to give a simple command to the quarterback before their Week 4 Monday night matchup with the Bengals.

"Just keep firing. He's gonna hit plenty of those," Payton said, via 104.3 The Fan.

Nix said he loves hearing that from Payton because "you don't want to be afraid of failure" when it comes to trying for big plays. He'll need to connect on a few more of them for the Broncos to go where they want to go this season, but that can't happen without taking shots and it seems the Broncos plan to continue doing just that.