The Broncos' 29-19 victory over the Raiders yesterday was their first ever in Las Vegas. They were 0-4 up until that point. This is also the first time they had won a road game vs. the Raiders since 2015, and they completed their first sweep of the Raiders since 2014. This team has exorcised the demons of the past in terms of what the Raiders have done to Denver since 2020.
This season, as a whole, has shown the importance of having a franchise QB. Talent-wise, this team does not have any big names. Sutton and PS2 might be the only two players that get consistent attention from the national media. With Nix's recent surge for the Rookie of the Year award, he has been getting some shine as well, but that's about it. Despite the lack of big-name players on this team, they are 7-5. Why? The man calling the shots under center knows what he is doing. Bo Nix, after a slow start in September where he only had one passing TD and 4 INTs, has thrown for 15 TDs and 2 INTs since. On the season, he has 19 total touchdowns, which leads all rookies, and he has made it a real race for Rookie of the Year, with Daniels still being the slight favorite. The Broncos have won the most games through 12 games since 2016, where they went 8-4. It's no secret that this is the Broncos' best season since 2015, as this is the best production the Broncos have had at the QB position since 2014.
The Broncos winning only nine games the year after they won the Super Bowl should say it all in terms of NFL teams, more often than not, taking on the success of their QB. Trevor Siemian was a decent QB in 2016 who threw for over 3,000 yards with 18 TDs and 10 Ints, and the team was decent as they went 9-7. Not bad, but not extremely good either. In 2017, Simeian and the entire QB room were awful, as that was the year the Broncos had Siemian, Osweiler, and Lynch all play games due to poor production and injury, and the team went 5-11. It didn't matter that the core of the team that won the Super Bowl in February 2016 was still intact for the next 2 years. The QB play was not up to par, and as a result, the team has not been up to par, and it has been like that for the next 7-8 years.
It sounds obvious that every team needs a good QB to be successful, but you never truly understand it until a team gets a QB that has real potential to be the franchise guy. And for the young QB to be the face of the franchise, you need a head coach who can install a playbook that fits his skillsets, and that is exactly what Sean Payton is. Speaking of Sean Payton, he has completely changed the culture of this football team. The games vs. the Raiders was a good example. The game did not start the Broncos way as they found themselves trailing 9-13 at the half but fought back to win 29-19. Though the Raiders only have two wins, road divisional games are never easy, and this was the kind of game that, Sean Payton put it perfectly, that this team would have lost 10/10 times in the past. However, the 2024 Denver Broncos are not like the teams of the past. They have real beliefs because of number 10. Bo Nix is the perfect fit for Payton, and all of Broncos Country is thankful to have both of them.
The Broncos broke the Chiefs streak, they broke multiple Raiders streaks. Can they break the big one down the stretch? An 8-year postseason drought.
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