Bo Nix used his legs to jumpstart a previously sluggish offense.

Denver never trailed New Orleans on Thursday night in a 33-10 road victory with Nix running wild.

The rookie Broncos quarterback sprinted up the middle for 14 yards on the first play of the game. His night finished at the Caesars Superdome with 10 carries for 75 yards. Nix thrived on design runs and improvised scrambles against an injury-laden Saints team.

“I think it’s just an added bonus,” Nix told reporters in New Orleans. “Obviously, you want to run the ball with running backs in special ways and get behind the O-line. But at times things break down and those hidden yards I think are really important. They get extra first downs. … That was good to see and good to use.”

Nix’s longest gain went for 32 all the way down to the New Orleans’ 5-yard line. Running back Javonte Williams, on the very next play, punched it in for a third-quarter touchdown.

“We got a lot more zone (defense) tonight from this team,” coach Sean Payton told reporters in New Orleans. “I think probably to keep more eyes on Bo relative to his ability to scramble when teams are playing man. But he did a good job with his feet. … You watch him play and you don’t feel like you’re in harm’s way.”

Nix was also efficient through the air — 16 of 26 for 164 yards passing, no touchdowns or interceptions — without a single target to No. 1 wideout Courtland Sutton. Rookie Troy Franklin led the Broncos in receiving with five catches for 50 yards.

New Orleans did not sack Nix once Thursday night. Credit to Denver’s offensive line with center Alex Forsyth making his second NFL start. They also benefited from the healthy return of starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey. The Broncos totaled 225 rushing yards.

Nix managed to avoid significant contact in the run game with timely slides and using the boundary sideline to his advantage. The Broncos utilized his athleticism to great success in his first prime-time NFL start. It seems Nix embraces the spotlight.

“All explosive runs are really good,” Nix said. “I wouldn’t to say the pass game was bad by any means today. We hit the big ones we needed. But we just ran the ball. When you can run the ball, it’s obviously easier that way. It just opens up everything else. … We’re going to continue to find ways to have explosive plays and move the ball like we did today.

“We’ve just got to go back and duplicate it.”