The Broncos have clinched their first winning season since 2016 in an ugly win over the Indianapolis Colts. The final score was 31-13, but the game felt much closer than that, and it was the type of game that gave me confidence as a fan. This game showed me that the Broncos are a good football team. Are they elite? No. Good? Absolutely! Good teams find ways to win when they don't fire on all cylinders. Today, the offense struggled mightily as they only mustered up 193 yards of total offense. Neither the run nor passing game worked, and Bo Nix played arguably his worst 3 quarters of his life as he threw for 1 TD and 3 Ints during the first 45 min of game time. However, despite that, they still won the game by 18 because the defense and special teams showed up in a big way.
Let's begin with the defense. The reason the team was in the game to start with. The Broncos went into the half down 13-7, and with the opening possession of the second half, Bo Nix threw an interception. The Colts looked like they would take advantage when Jonathan Taylor busted out a long run to the endzone and, at the moment, looked to have his team with a 20-7 lead over Denver in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately for the Colts, Taylor had accidentally let go of the ball right before crossing the goal line, and the ball bounced out the back of the endzone, Denver got possession as the score stayed 13-7. The Broncos offense still could do nothing as the next possessions were a three and out and then a 3rd interception by Bo Nix. Right after that 3rd interception, the Broncos got the ball right back after PJ Locke laid a big hit on Pittman and forced a fumble. The defense kept the Broncos in the game for the first 3 quarters and then just erupted in the 4th.
The comeback, though, was sparked by Mimms on the punt return. The Broncos, down 13-10, needed a big play, and they got it from Mimms as he took a return down around the Denver 15-yard line, and then a few plays later, Bo found Atkins on a well-designed play to Nate Atkins for a TD, a similar play they ran vs Atlanta to open the scoring in that game. Then, on the very next possession, the Colts, down 17-13, tried to run a double pass where Richardson threw a backward pass to Mitchell, a Colts' wide receiver, and Mitchell was attempting to throw it back to Richardson on a second lateral behind the line of scrimmage, but Nik Bonitto sniffed it out and caught the pass and took it back for 6. It was one of the greatest on-ball plays I've seen from an edge rusher, and Bonitto is making a strong case for DPOY as he has scored a TD in a second straight week. That made it 24-13, and that was the ball game. Denver would go on to score once more off a Nix TD to Sutton late in the 4th, which came after PS2 picked off AR. The defense ended the day with two sacks and forced four turnovers(not counting the Taylor endzone fumble). The special teams got the team going, and the defense took care of the rest to close out the game. It was truly a full-team win.
As for Bo Nix, games like this are inevitable. He's a rookie, and mistakes are just a part of it. His throwing three interceptions is fine I was mainly curious about how he would respond, and he responded exactly how I wanted him to. He threw for 2 TDs and no interceptions in the 4th. They weren't incredibly hard passes, but I liked that he still kept his poise and continued to make throws when the team needed it, and props to Sean Payton for allowing him to keep throwing it rather than playing it safe after the 3rd interception. My confidence in Nix has not wavered.
Injury Status: Patrick Surtain was seen to sustain an ankle injury. Let's hope he's ok. If he has to miss the Chargers game, that should be fine the team will need him healthy come playoff time. Yes, I said it!
This team is now 9-5 and looks forward to a big divisional showdown in LA vs the Chargers. This could be a win and in situation. This team is so damn close!
Comments