The Denver Broncos cruised past the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, winning 34-18 to improve to 3-2 on the season. Very little went wrong for the Broncos, but there was one pretty embarrassing play.
Late in the third quarter, the Broncos held a 20-10 lead and had a chance to deliver a knockout blow when Nix fired a deep ball on 3rd-and-3 to Troy Franklin, who was open by at least five yards in the end zone. Instead of hauling in his first career touchdown pass, the ball went right through Franklin's hands.
Saw people having Troy Franklin being drafted in the 1st round lmao https://t.co/ximycMQ4i8
— John Baione (@OJSIMPS0NBURNER) October 6, 2024
Franklin may have misplayed the ball a little before it hit his hands, but in the NFL, you have to catch that pass. Though nobody is going to fault Nix for that play failing, the quarterback still took responsibility for it when addressing the media following the game.
QB Bo Nix on his deep shot to Troy Franklin: "I wouldn't put that as a drop on him."
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) October 6, 2024
Put it on himself and said he overthrew it.
That's what leadership looks like.
Way to stand up for your college teammate, Bo. That is absolutely what leadership looks like.
Troy Franklin is off to slow start in NFL career
The Broncos traded up 19 spots in the draft to select Franklin, who played with Nix in college at Oregon. But things have not gone swimmingly for him thus far.
He had a quiet training camp and preseason and was seemingly behind fellow rookie Devaughn Vele, a seventh-round pick. Vele was active in the season opener and Franklin was inactive. But a rib injury set Vele back and he has not played since that Week 1 game. In his absence, the Broncos have tried to bring Franklin along.
Franklin did catch the first pass of his career on Sunday, a 20-yard reception. But he'll have visions of that ball falling through his hands in the end zone for some time to come. It has to be nice to know that his long-time quarterback has his back the way that he does.
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