Bo Nix and Sam Darnold face question marks as Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks enter playoffs as No 1 seeds
The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks both earned first-round byes and will begin their playoff campaign in the Divisional Round; watch every minute of the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California live on Sky Sports
Monday 5 January 2026 20:13, UK
The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks may enter the playoffs as the NFL's No 1 seeds, but question marks hover over their quarterbacks, believes Sky Sports NFL's Jeff Reinebold.
Bo Nix threw for just 38 yards in the first half of Denver's 19-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, before finishing the game with 141 overall while being sacked four times by a defense largely consisting of backups.
Sam Darnold, meanwhile, posted 198 yards and no touchdowns in an efficient but unspectacular performance as the Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday to seal pole position in the NFC.
The two now enter have bye weeks before leading their respective teams out in the Divisional Round.
"Sam Darnold didn't produce huge numbers against the 49ers and Bo Nix 141 yards and no touchdowns," said Sky Sports NFL's Neil Reynolds.
"So I raised that question, thinking there are some concerns and that might be where the weak point is. But then Sam Darnold's played in a couple of shootouts this year, including beating the Rams a couple of weeks ago and Bo Nix had that huge comeback against the Giants.
"So we've seen it occasionally. But they didn't produce inspiring numbers over the weekend."
Darnold has been exceptional in his first season with the Seahawks, having signed a $100.5m deal in the offseason on the back of his comeback year with the Minnesota Vikings.
His time with the latter ended in ugly displays against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and then in defeat to the Los Angeles Rams during the Wild Card round.
"I think there are a couple of things in each situation that would cause some alarm if you were a fan," said Sky Sports NFL's Jeff Reinebold.
"Number one, Sam Darnold has piled up huge numbers before and then not produced in the playoffs. He's going to have to do that to take the next step as a quarterback in terms of how the public and the league and everybody looks at him.
Nix has meanwhile led Denver to the playoffs for the second straight year since entering the league, executing Sean Payton's offense with precision and invention as well as leaning on late comebacks and one of the NFL's best defenses.
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"The other one that was really alarming to me as I watched the Broncos. Remember this was the Chargers' backups, right? Khalil Mack didn't play, Mack didn't play, Tuli Tuipulotu didn't play.
"Nix was getting hit way too much, he got sacked four times in the game. That was their number one offensive line out there. You can't protect against the backups.
"You're going to see some really good pass rushers in the playoffs and you're gonna have to throw from the pocket and win from the pocket. And I'm a little concerned about Denver's pass game.
"Courtland Sutton played very limited snaps in the game and he's their number one. So you have to factor that in too. But there would be some concern if I'm a Broncos fan about our ability to protect our quarterback."
Nix guided Denver to a 14-3 record and the AFC West crown, ending the Kansas City Chiefs' run of nine straight division titles. Darnold meanwhile unleashed Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the NFL's leader in receiving yards while fending off the Los Angeles Rams and 49ers in one of football's most competitive divisions to seal a first-round bye.
"I think there's probably a lot of fairness that goes with why they have been questioned," said Sky Sports NFL's Phoebe Schecter.
"I think they've both come back in a lot of ways too and proven why they are on winning teams. At the end of the day, all you can show is the results, right? And it doesn't always matter how you get the win.
"I think a lot of the issues people might have is how are they going to fare in the playoffs, where the stakes get a bit higher, the teams and the defenses get a bit more challenging?"
Watch the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs live on Sky Sports from Saturday January 10-Monday January 12, starting with the Los Angeles Rams against the Carolina Panthers at 9.30pm Saturday night.
