The resilience of Bo Nix, the return of Riley Moss

A look at how the Broncos’ rookies played in their 30-24 overtime loss to the Bengals on Saturday afternoon.

Highlight: Bo Nix gave Denver hope in the second half. After his interception in the fourth, the rookie quarterback initiated a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive that ended with him hurling the ball into the end zone, where Marvin Mims Jr. made a contested touchdown catch over two defenders made to tie the game at 24 and sent it to OT. Mims may not have been his most impressive touchdown pass of the quarter. The other – a 51-yard strike that increased the score to 17 – was a perfectly thrown ball that Mims caught in the back of the end zone. Nix finished the game 24-for-31 for 219 yards, three touchdowns and a pick.

Lowlight: What did Nix think? With the game tied at 17 in the fourth, he threw an interception right into the hands of Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt. Cincinnati took advantage of the turnover and took a 24-17 lead after a 1-yard jumper from quarterback Joe Burrow. Nix and the offense also had a poor two-minute run to end the first half. Nix’s pass to fellow rookie Troy Franklin resulted in a 1-yard loss before being sacked on consecutive plays. Nix was forced to run out the clock and concede a 7-3 halftime deficit by throwing a short pass to Mims.

Analysis: Nix’s resilience was on full display in Cincinnati. When it became apparent that Denver was losing momentum, the first-round pick found a way to keep his team in the game. For all the good Nix has done, his decision making needs to be better. Although the defender hit Nix’s hand, his interception was doomed from the start because he didn’t see Pratt in front of Sutton. Nix has 12 interceptions this season, and most of them would give you a headache.

Unsung hero

DE Zach Allen: There was no denying Denver’s start on defense. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Allen had 3.5 sacks and eight pressures despite being double-teamed 11 times on Saturday. Allen’s sack total would have been higher, but he had two negated by defensive penalties.