At one point this season, a number of analysts and talking heads in the NFL world speculated if the Denver Broncos would be better off playing Jarrett Stidham at the quarterback position over Bo Nix. Some speculated the team should prepare to potentially replace Nix in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The reality is, progression and development in the NFL are rarely -- if ever -- linear. In other words, you're not going to see players climbing some intangible ladder every single week until they reach superstardom. The path to improvement involves big games as much as it involves failing forward.