The Denver Broncos are 9-2 and are the 1-seed in the AFC through 11 weeks. Despite that, there are a lot of people out there who don’t believe in them. Their defense has been great, but their offense has been far too inconsistent. Bo Nix has come through in the clutch time and time again, but his first halves have been far too inconsistent.

Broncos legend John Elway has heard the noise, and he was quick to offer some advice to Denver’s young quarterback. “It’s funny to listen, they’re 9-2, and everyone’s talking about ‘oh, they’re not playing that good’ and this or that. I said ‘Bo [Nix], turn it down and don’t listen to it. If you keep winning games, everything else goes away.”

Elway knows a thing or two about dealing with criticism. He was the Broncos’ starting quarterback for 16 years. For the first 14 of those, he never won the big game. He came close, losing three times in 1987, 1988 and 1990, but he could never capture that elusive Super Bowl ring.

Despite everyone acknowledging that he was one of the best quarterbacks in the game, he always caught flak for his inability to win the Super Bowl. While Denver’s defense certainly didn’t help in those games, giving up a combined 136 points in his three Super Bowl appearances, Elway did himself no favors, either. In those three games, Elway threw for a combined 669 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions while scoring just 40 points.

After Denver’s Super Bowl loss in 1990, it took them seven years to get back. For a decade, Elway had to deal with the critics saying he couldn’t win the big one. But after 15 years in the league, Elway took home his first Super Bowl victory in 1997, before following it up with another in 1998. He finally got the monkey off his back, and nobody could say he couldn’t win the big one anymore. He got the monkey off his back, and after his second Super Bowl victory, he rode off into the sunset.

Needless to say, if there’s anybody who knows how to deal with criticism while winning games, it’s Elway. There’s arguably no better person for Nix to talk to in this situation than Elway himself.

John Elway’s thinks Bo Nix has “all the tools”

While many have been quite harsh to Nix this season, he really hasn’t played that badly. He’s thrown for 2,421 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s 10th in yards and 7th in touchdowns. While a good portion of those numbers have come in the fourth quarter, I’d rather my quarterback show up in tough moments late than ball out in the first half and crumble in high-pressure situations. You know that saying, “better late than never?” That’s basically Bo Nix in a nutshell.

Part of Nix’s issues this season, particularly early in the year, was that the game looked too fast for him. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and was panicking when his first read wasn’t open. That’s gotten a lot better as the season’s gone along, which is something that Elway has observed and thinks will only get better with time.

“I do like him,” said Elway. “I think he’s settling down a little bit. For the first part of the season, it looked like he was just moving too quickly. Things were moving really, really fast for him. Once he slows that down with age and experience, it will help him out. He’s got all the tools.”

As long as Denver keeps winning, nothing else matters. In 10 years, nobody will remember how “poorly” Nix played if the Broncos go on to win the Super Bowl.

Denver has one of the best defenses in the last decade, which includes the most efficient pass rush we may have ever seen. The truth is, their offense doesn’t have to be great to win games, they just need to be serviceable and come through in clutch moments, and that’s exactly what Bo Nix and Co. have done this season.

Just keep winning, Bo, and everything else will go away.