ENGLEWOOD — The meteoric rise of Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is best told through his teammates.

Step inside the locker room at Broncos Park on the week of their first playoff game since 2015. The buzz is palpable. Few outside the building expect Denver to beat Buffalo in a wild card matchup. But what’s new?

Nobody expected a postseason berth in Year 2 of the coach Sean Payton rebuild, either.

Surprise success heightened media interest as Denver’s small locker room filled with reporters and TV crews. The Denver Gazette spent three days surveying players on a specific question. …

When did Nix prove that he was the franchise’s long-awaited answer at quarterback?

This is Nix in their words.

Wide receiver Marvin Mims: “It was kind of the middle of that part of the offseason, and we were all just hanging out in Dallas. Paint balling, eating together and working out together. So, it was a pretty cool situation. … (Nix) was real competitive. I think Bo was the most covered in paint after we were done playing paintball. He was rolling on the ground and everything. … Not the best. But he was definitely the most competitive one out there.”

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey: “We all came out of training camp knowing that this guy was going to be pretty special. It was moments of: ‘Hey, he threw a pick in practice … and made sure it was corrected for the next time he did it.’ Bo is a very, very prideful guy. He’s very proud to be the quarterback of our team. With that comes a great responsibility of being on task and being the guy that can’t make mistakes. He’s learned so fast.

“It could be the (joint practices) a couple of days against Green Bay. Where you’re competing against … relatively live bullets. You go down in the two-minute drill a couple of times. You’re like: ‘OK, this kid has got something special, and he’s made of the right stuff.’ And the ability will just keep coming as he’s learning how to do this. The thing that you love about Bo is who he is, and it gives you so much confidence in what he’s going to become.”

Tight end Adam Trautman: “I have a hard time picking a specific moment. But I think when he came into OTAs and played really, really well. Everyone was kind of like: ‘Damn. This kid is the real deal. They hit on this one.’ … Well, let’s see what you can do in training camp. He didn’t miss a step. He got even better. Then during the season, it wasn’t him necessarily at all, we were struggling early as an offense. Then, all of the sudden it just turned, and we had some success. And he’s played really well all year. The consistent thing is where you see the maturity, and everyone builds their confidence in him.

“It always goes back to the huddle. How he controls it. Someone might try to talk or speak. … I think twice this year he’s told me to shut up. That’s good. I like that, though. He’s very in control. … Everyone respects him.”

Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine: “Me and Bo go way back. We’re both from Alabama. So, I’ve been seeing him play at his highest level since (high school) state championship games. But I feel like when he came out there and started making plays, he just kept being himself. After the preseason games went by, we saw what he could do in the real game. It really just started to click from there.”

Left tackle Garett Bolles: “Bo is Bo. He’s never going to change. No. 10 is 10. He’s composed. He knows exactly what he wants to do. You would never think he’s a rookie. You would think he’s a 10-year vet the way he acts around this locker room, how he leads us and how he picks us up. … Grateful for him and all the love for him.”

Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto: “I feel like it gradually happened over time. There wasn’t really a moment. It was how he carried himself every day. How he came in with a humbleness to him. It was just a collection of all those things, and on top of that, the performances that he put on in camp. It was just a build-up to what he is now. Bo never wavers man. … The Colts game where he had three picks. He just responded in that fourth quarter, and we were able to find ways to win that game. Things like that show he’s really resilient.”