Broncos coach Sean Payton buries Geoff Schwartz after analyst butchers Bo Nix's downfield game

Schwartz appeared Wednesday on "First Things First" as the panel debated whether Nix was primed for a major second-year jump or likely to level off. Schwartz argued Nix was still essentially the same quarterback he had been in college.

"I do think he just is what he is at this point. He looks like the same quarterback he was in college... He's consistent. He's not gonna make mistakes. But he's not gonna push the ball down the field all that often."

The clip quickly drew a Community Note correcting Schwartz's claim:

Nix has thrown the most touchdown passes of 20-plus air yards in the NFL since the start of the 2024 season, with 19 including the postseason ...

Payton caught Schwartz's take and brutally offered his own assessment.

"Always easy to tell who works at it and who doesn't," Payton said, responding to Schwartz.

Payton quoted the post and went straight at the work behind Schwartz's take.

Former players are hired to provide perspective beyond standard debate-show talking points. That is why Schwartz's claim stood out. Nix's deep-ball production is not an obscure or cherry-picked statistic. It directly contradicts the premise of Schwartz's take.

Schwartz may believe Nix has limitations as a passer. That is a fair discussion. But presenting him as a limited quarterback who rarely attacks downfield is not supported by the numbers.

Schwartz got sacked, plain and simple.