After the Denver Broncos’ 16-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, the rookie quarterback reacted to criticism directed at his old college teammate and current Broncos centre Alex Forsyth.
Nix drove the Broncos down the field in the final moments of the game, setting up what could have been a 35-yard, game-winning field goal by Will Lutz as time expired; instead, Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal flew in for the game-winning field goal block, sending the Chiefs ahead 9-0 and leaving the Broncos stunned.
A quick check at the footage showed Forsyth being run over by Chenal before making the play, and Nix, along with several other Broncos, gave a passionate defence of Forsyth after the loss.
“There is a lot of negative talk when somebody messes up, but I think it should be known how valuable (Forsyth) is to our team, how much he is respected throughout our locker room,” Nix said to the press on November 13. “It irritates me that people can say such things about him and not see how he works, responds, or plays.” I have no doubt that Alex Forsyth will respond better than anyone in that situation. He cares more than anyone else in that position, and I know that every single member of our team, every single player in our locker room, trusts him to move on and respond.”
“He’s been through more challenging life experiences than most of us.” He can manage adversity. I’m sorry he has to go through all of this, but that’s part of the game, and we signed up for it. I’m glad to be on his squad. “I am proud to call him a teammate…”
The loss reduced the Broncos to 5-5 heading into a crucial three-game stretch before their bye in Week 14: at home against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12, and back home to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.
Nix, Forsyth College teammates at Oregon
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71912628/usa_today_19245140.0.jpg)
Nix and Forsyth were teammates at Oregon, where Forsyth was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection in 2021 and 2022 before the Broncos took him in the seventh round (No. 257 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft.
Nix’s allusion to “tougher life moments” for Forsyth puts things in glaring relief. On December 11, 2012, when Forsyth was only 13, his father, 45-year-old Steven Forsyth, was one of two persons killed in the Clackamas Town Centre shooting in Portland, Oregon.
Nix was not the only teammate that stood up for Forsyth.
“The blame is ridiculous…” “Playing that position is one of the most difficult jobs in the sport, and possibly in all sports,” Broncos offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz remarked on November 13.
Payton, Coaches Accept Responsibility for Mistake
Head coach Sean Payton was another person who defended Forsyth, and he may be the only one with an opinion that matters.
“I felt sick watching it,” Payton explained. “I thought, ‘Hey, that’s on us.’ In other words, technique and, ‘Are we asking the right guys to do the right things?’ (Offensive line coach) Zach Strief has spent his entire career in that position, and after viewing it, every one of us felt as coaches that we had let the guys down, and we needed to see and address that. It’s difficult when it happens. We felt that way about you as a coach.
Leave a Reply