Denver Broncos Rookie Quarterback Bo Nix defends center teammate Alex Forsyth

There’s a sour taste in the mouths of Denver Broncos fans after Denver’s final field goal attempt was knocked away by the Kansas City Chiefs just seconds before the clock ran out, resulting in a 14-16 loss at Arrowhead Stadium. On the cusp of defeating back-to-back Super Bowl champions, the Broncos seemed to be doing everything they could to pull out a last-minute win.

Unfortunately for that Oregon duck fans, former Duck center, current Denver center, Alex Forsyth is in the middle of this controversial play gone wrong.

For the fourth field goal attempt, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix rushed right and knelt on the hash to set up the field goal. With kicker Will Lutz in position for a 35-yard attempt, Forsyth stood on the left side of the line and was blown up by a rush from three Chiefs defenders. This led to a successfully blocked kick, and would have resulted in a blocked kick regardless of Lutz’s accuracy, as Forsyth was placed on the ground.

“It’s obviously a tough defeat. I thought we played well on the road. I felt like we outplayed them but we didn’t make it. We had the chance to equalize at the end. We had the ball more or less under control, and we’ve got to be able to finish it. That’s going to take a while (to get over it),” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after the game.

In an unusually passionate way, Nothing came to the defense of his former Duck teammate Forsyth this week when he spoke to the media about the botched play on Wednesday.

“What happened to him sucks. It really does. It’s happened to a lot of us and unfortunately you have to get over it,” Nix said. “You have to find ways to get past it. He’s mentally strong. He’s been through tougher life moments than probably any of us. So he knows how to deal with setbacks. I’m happy to see him grow and respond through this. “

Nix and Forsyth played together for the Ducks for a year during the 2022 season. During that time, Forsyth led the trench starters with an 85.8 pass-blocking grade, allowed one pressure and no sacks on 384 pass-blocking opportunities, and was a first-team all-conference selection. Rumor has it that Forsyth is one of the reasons he is a coach Payton drafted Nixas he would highly recommend it the quarterback after their time together at Oregon.

Now, Nix is ​​set to work for his former Duck center after a tough break.

“I can’t imagine how much he works in a week, how much more he’s going to put himself through,” Nix said. “I respect him a lot. I hate that he has to go through all this, but sometimes it’s part of the game and that’s what we signed up for. I’m happy to be on his team. I’m proud that I can call him is a teammate and I know he will respond very well.”

This is Forsyth’s second year with the Broncos, and with several teammates besides Nix sticking up for him after the game, it shows a camaraderie in the locker room that starts with Nix’s leadership.

“It really bothers me that people can say such things about him and not even see how he works, how he reacts or how he plays. And I have no doubt that Alex Forsyth will probably respond better than anyone else in that situation. He cares more than anyone in that situation. And I know that everyone on our team, every guy in our locker room, believes in him to move forward and respond. And what happened to him sucks, it really does. It has happened to many of us, and you unfortunately have to get over it and find ways to move past it,” Nix said.

The Broncos will take on the Atlanta Falcons at home on Sunday, November 17 at 1:00 PM PT.