The Denver Broncos pulled off a statement win Sunday afternoon that will reverberate across the AFC, and the rest of the NFL, holding off Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to take control of the AFC West and emerge as the No. 1 seed in the conference.
One veteran NFL scout didn’t hesitate, when asked what is powering the Broncos’ stifling defense that was the catalyst in Sunday’s 22-19 win over Mahomes and Co., that gave Denver a commanding two-game lead in the division and pushed Kansas City out of the top-seven spots in the AFC Playoff race.
“That defense wins one-on-one matchups across the board,” a veteran AFC Scout tells Between The Hashmarks, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “They can get home with four pass rushers whenever they want. [Nik] Bonitto is versatile when you blitz him as a defensive end or as a linebacker, and, when they do blitz, they get home with those guys, too.”
Sunday inside a raucous Empower Field at Mile High, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s front seven created chaos around Mahomes in the Chiefs’ backfield all afternoon.
The Broncos sacked the three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback three times, hitting him eight times, logging four tackles for loss and stonewalling Kansas City’s offense in the red zone, holding them to just one touchdown in four trips inside the 20-yard line.
The Broncos didn’t just beat Kansas City; they exposed a flaw in the Chiefs’ offense that no one else has consistently exploited. Their ability to generate pressure without blitzing forced Mahomes into one of the worst interceptions of his career, and save for a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, limited the damage the offense was able to inflict.
This was arguably the biggest game the Broncos’ franchise has faced since Super Bowl 50, and it was Denver’s stifling defense that created short fields for Bo Nix and the offense at key spots of the game to capitalize, and that provided legitimacy for a 9-2 team that has pulled off five fourth quarter comebacks and seven one-score victories.
Few teams can match the resumè the Broncos are building; with wins over the Chiefs, defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the Houston Texans’ elite defense.
Even fewer possess a defense like Denver’s, a group that is powering the franchise’s most legitimate Super Bowl push in nearly a decade.
Bo Nix Has Simple Message After Broncos Clip the Chiefs
Justin Edmonds| Getty ImagesDenver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix celebrates after beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-19, to improve to 9-2 and first place in the AFC.
The Broncos’ offense is still looking to calibrate its explosiveness, and Nix has done an exceptional job taking advantage of opportunities in late game situations.
But, while Nix didn’t exactly light up the stat sheet Sunday, passing for 295 yards, he didn’t turn the football over and orchestrated his fifth game-winning drive through Denver’s first 11 games of the season.
And, the second-year standout did it against the vaunted Chiefs, potentially ending Kansas City’s run atop the AFC West.
After the game, Nix didn’t shy away from what the victory meant for the Broncos, their postseason aspirations, and the even bigger picture that head coach Sean Payton’s team viewed the win through.
“If you want to be the best, you got to beat the best,” Nix told reporters. “Some say, ‘If you’re scared, go to church.’ But if you’re going to play this sport, if you’re going to play this game for too long, you can’t really be intimidated. There’s really no sense in going out there if you don’t think you’re going to win and eventually get to the top.”
Nix saved some of his best moments for the most vital, completing 4-for-6 passes for 62 yards on Denver’s final possession, to set up Will Lutz for the game-winning 35-yard field goal at the buzzer.
“He won,” Payton told reporters, of Nix’s performance. “That’s his job. He won, and against a pretty stingy defense that can give you problems. There were some big plays there.”
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