A statement game with a loud message to not only the Kansas City Chiefs, but the entire NFL. The Denver Broncos aren’t giving their criticizers a leg to stand on. This team’s renewed energy is amplifying each week expeditiously, and so is the fanbase riding that high on an 8-game winning streak, undefeated at home.
Mile High Stadium was as hype as it’s been all year on Sunday afternoon, as the Denver Broncos took on their truly hated division rivalry, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Before kickoff, Broncos fans were so loud and rowdy that the television viewers were able to physically see the camera shake during the opening kickoff. Even Tony Romo couldn’t help but to mention how electric the crowd was all game long:
“Whoa! This is as loud as I’ve heard any place this year!”
– Tony Romo
The game had a wild start, but a sluggish ending to the first half
On the first play of the game Kansas City DB Chamarri Conner, made a dash blitzing Bo Nix off the line untouched, and sacked Nix for a loss of yards that made Denver fans a little nervous, decreasing the volume of the crowd instantly.
During the first half of the game, the momentum shift went back and forth, mainly because of the defense on both ends that were able to make plays shutting down each other’s offense.
Wil Lutz, played flawlessly kicking 6/6, was 2/2 in the first half, as did Harrison Butker. Both kickers scored the only points in the 1st & 2nd quarters. Lutz once again proved why he is such a vital asset to Denver, kicking the game-winning field goal, being one of the main reasons why the Broncos were able to win this game.
Bo Nix had a day and was determined to win this game that felt like a true playoff game. Going head-to-head against Patrick Mahomes, one of the best in the business. Nix outplayed Mahomes and made very minimal mistakes with zero turnovers.
Bo Nix – (24/37 Completions, 295 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 89.4% QB Rating)
Patrick Mahomes – (29/45 Completions, 276 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 79.5% QB Rating)
Bo Nix was out there playing “Brady Ball”, distributing the rock to several WR’s. Predicting where Bo Nix was looking to throw the ball was pretty much impossible. Every WR on the field was eating:
Top 5 Broncos WR’s:
Troy Franklin: 4 receptions for 84 yards
Patrick Bryant II: 5 receptions for 82 yards
Courtland Sutton: 4 receptions for 59 yards
Evan Engram: 4 receptions for 33 yards
RJ Harvey: 3 receptions for 20 yards
The Nix & Bryant connection should unquestionably come into play more often. Especially considering how the 3rd round rookie Pat Bryant wasn’t shying away from anything thrown his way, looking more like a 1st round pick, catching 5/6 passes for 82 yards. Nix looked his way almost every time he was under pressure on 3rd down, which clearly shows how dependable Byant is and how much Nix relies on him to make a play at critical moments.
B. Nix completely silenced his critics. Nix has earned the nickname as “The Comeback Kid” now that he has 5 game winning drives under his belt this season. No matter how rugged it gets, Bo has never lost his composure or confidence to be able to finish the battle strong.
Nix also accomplished his eighth 4th quarter comeback. That is the most by a player in the first two seasons since 1950. Nix and the Broncos have now beaten the Kansas City Chiefs 3 out of the last 4 times they’ve faced them, and are now the 1st seed, and sit on top of the entire AFC at (9-2).
Let’s not forget, a few weeks ago the Broncos beat the defending Super Bowl champions (Philadelphia Eagles), and now the Chiefs who lost to the Eagles in the Super Bowl last year. Also, take into consideration the Broncos didn’t have J.K. Dobbins, Pat Surtain II, Alex Singleton, Nate Adkins, or Jonah Ellis active on the roster during this game.
The Broncos will head into a much-needed Bye week where the players will be able to rest and rejuvenate for the entire week, while Coach Sean Payton will head back to the drawing board to expand his blueprint for a successful playoff run. The last thing this league wants to see is this team have time to rest and return with vengeance.
Dante Robinson | Senior NFL Analyst for The NSR Network
