Bo Nix “made a huge leap” in Broncos Week 3 victory

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix made big strides “in his ability to be authoritative with the football,” says CBS Sports analyst Ryan Harris.
Harris, who was on the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50, appeared on “All Access” on CBS Colorado on Sunday night following Denver’s 26-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The following is a transcript of his conversation with CBS Colorado Sports Anchor Romi Bean.
Romi Bean: Talk about a win. Boy!
Ryan Harris: Perfect timing. And against a great team, too, in Tampa Bay who has been playing very good football … just not against the Broncos.
Romi: I’m going to start with Bo Nix. It felt like everything clicked. What did you take from this win and his performance?
Ryan: He made a huge leap in his ability to be authoritative with the football. He was making quick decisions, third down conversions, getting that rushing touchdown. But even on that first drive, he was locked in and just making the decision quickly and trusting himself. And then his fellow teammates backed him up. I thought it was one of Courtland Sutton’s best games of his career. You got great production from Tyler Badie. Josh Reynolds was fantastic. Just all around, everybody performed around Bo Nix. That’s what Coach Sean Payton talked about last week; he wanted them to increase around him to help him perform. They all did that today. 
Romi: How was this whole team able to make a leap in one week?  
Ryan: Well, you start with anticipating what you’re going to encounter, right? So you want to anticipate ‘Okay, hey, now I understand what it’s like on third down in the NFL. I know what it’s like to get hit in the NFL, and maybe know how to run this play in this offense now as a football player.’ So you start there, and then you go into the fact that you’re able to be successful multiple times in multiple areas, and the load was carried by so many different players. So that allows confidence in the huddle, play by play, for everybody on the team to get excited.
Romi: Let’s talk about the other side of the ball: the defense. They’ve really been fantastic all season long. Vance Joseph is just a great defensive coordinator, but what has impressed you most about what the defense is doing?
Ryan: The sacks have been fantastic. Seven 7 sacks today — that’s an incredible accomplishment. John Franklin-Myers is getting in there. Everybody had a piece. And then defensively, with those turnovers. Riley Moss has come to play, knocking the ball out. Because you’re being physical, because you’re going after an opportunity, and not just trusting your teammates are going to get the guy down, that that ends the game. So front line to back line, that defense was amazing. It was clean play all day, too.
Romi: Broncos Country was so hungry for a win. Everyone is so excited. But as someone who played the game and now analyzes the game, what does this win mean for this team?
Ryan: It’s everything. It changes the way players talk to each other after games. ‘Hey, great job. Hey, way to make that play.’ Now you’re talking to each other differently than when there are heads down and some guys have their headphones and are leaving. Especially because they’re on this elongated road trip coming up, it’s a lot better to be happy and jovial with your teammates after a football game. And echoing what a lot of the players said, know that you know what it takes to win now. There’s that bar of the standard in the week. What you did? You’ve got to do it again.
Romi: Let’s talk about that road trip. All the players are saying the right thing: ‘Yeah, it’s going to bond us, etc.’ But what do you think the players really feel about this? This is different. You’re going to be away from home for 10 days.
Ryan: The parents — the dads of the team — are going to get the best sleep of the week, right? That’s the start. Coaches, too. But you do get that time, and you have to remember, it’s a lot different than training camp. With training camp, you don’t really know who’s on the team. There’s a lot of nerves. Guys aren’t really going to talk, and you’re not able to bond in the same way. Well, now you guys are going to be on the same bus, at the same meal for three meals a day. It really changes things. And especially now, everybody’s gotten paid by now in the season, so everybody’s a little more relaxed. Everybody’s feeling good. So it’s going to be great for them to have that kind of camaraderie on top of the win going into next week.
Romi: It will be interesting to see if it really does pay dividends. Let’s talk about the running game. Jaleel McLaughlin has been incredible, and Tyler Badie. How much longer is Javonte Williams running back No. 1?
Ryan: It’s going to be difficult to keep Jaleel McLaughlin from that spot, especially after today’s game. I mean, he broke the ankles of a defensive end. I mean, it’s illegal in 20 states what he did on the field. So you got that, plus Tyler Badie’s explosion and shiftiness. It’s going to be really hard to keep those players off the field. So it’s not as much about Javonte Williams for me, it’s about how well other players in that position group — in the running back position — are playing as well.
Romi: You’ve got to keep improving in the NFL, right? What step do you want to see the Broncos take next week?
Ryan: Third down offensively. They left about 14 points on the field today because of third downs. You don’t have to get to fourth down. You don’t have to worry about that. And then defensively, a little tighter stopping the run. But it’s hard to it’s hard to pick things after today’s game to say that they have to make drastic improvements on. They made a drastic improvement from last week, and that’s a huge sign going into Week 4.
Romi: Isn’t that nice to say that? I feel like we’ve had you in here so many times last year. Now we’re talking about wins, and hopefully many more. Ryan, always a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us.