Kurt Warner Biggest Takeaways from the Broncos’ WK8 Win over the Chiefs

Kurt Warner watched the Broncos beat the Chiefs and came away with one big question about Bo Nix. If he can do it in the fourth quarter, why won't he do it for the first three?

Rich asked Warner for his biggest takeaway from the Week 8 matchup, and Warner started with the people calling the plays. "Both play callers, I thought, did a great job of creating some big play opportunities for their quarterbacks," he said. But he also saw a shared weakness. "I think both teams have some issues in their pass game."

The Bo Nix Puzzle

Warner said Rich had talked a lot about Nix being aggressive, and Warner keeps scratching his head about it too.

"I've watched Bo make big throws and big reads and attack down the field at critical times," Warner said. "I've watched him do it over and over again. I know he can do it. I just can't figure out why he won't do it for three quarters."

He understands the argument that a quarterback gets aggressive when he's forced to, when he has to throw and make plays to come back. But that's exactly the point. "If you can do it, and if you can see it, why would you not do it the entirety of the game?" Warner asked. "And you're not going to be in the balance in the fourth quarter all the time."

Denver's pass game has been "a real struggle for the most part," he said, "but then they get into these moments and it doesn't look like that much of a struggle at all. So where's that disconnect?"

Credit to the Play Callers

Warner gave coach Payton credit for his work "down in the tight red zone," calling plays that produced touchdowns on fourth down. He also singled out the big call after the missed field goal, a dump-off pass that turned into a 50- or 60-yard play and set up the game winner.

He was just as complimentary of Andy Reid on the other side. Warner said Reid did a great job designing things for Kansas City's second running back and creating opportunities there, because he thinks the Chiefs "have limitations with their wide receiving corps on the outside."

Two Contenders, One Question

Warner's bottom line was that these are two really good teams that will both be in the mix when it's all said and done. The separator will be the passing game.

The question for both, he said, is "who's going to be able to put this pass game together," so that when the quarterback and the passing attack have to carry the team, they are more efficient with their receivers, dropping back and pushing the ball down the field than they have been up to this point.

For Denver, that starts with getting the fourth-quarter Bo Nix to show up a little earlier.