On the night the Saints honored quarterback Drew Brees, the quarterback Sean Payton wants to turn into a Brees-level player lived up to a mark set by John Elway more than 40 years ago.

With four wins in seven starts, Bo Nix tied the Broncos' franchise record for most wins by a rookie quarterback in a season. Drew Lock reached this mark in 2019.

“It means a lot,” Nix told reporters after the 33-10 win over the Saints. “You’re talking about one of the greats to ever make it in our organization. It means a lot. You are in good company. I'm not finished yet. We still have a lot to do, so I definitely don't want to stop here. We will continue to get better as a team. I will continue to grow and learn as a player. Hopefully we can continue to celebrate victories like this.”

In 1983, Elway picked up his fourth win in Week 15 and finished the season with a 4-7 record as a starter. Lock went 4-1 in five starts five years ago.

Nix still has 10 chances to overtake Elway and Lock. The question at this point is not whether he will; The question is, how far will he separate himself from them?

Next up are the Panthers. This gives Nix a great chance for his fifth win. (Things get a little more difficult after that, with games against the Ravens, Chiefs and Falcons.)

After an 0-2 start, the Broncos have won four of five games. A stifling defense helped. But Nix has shown improvement. Last night he completed 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards. He also had 75 yards on the ground on 10 attempts.

He still has a long way to go to be as successful as Brees. However, Nix is ​​already winning as a rookie like Elway. And things can only get better from here as the Broncos push themselves into the AFC playoff race.