Broncos Fans on Defense Saving Bo Nix Versus Raiders | Westword
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Broncos Fans on Defense Saving Bo Nix's Ass Versus Raiders

The D carried Nix — but can it continue?
October 7, 2024
Pat Surtain II had one of his best games as a pro versus the Las Vegas Raiders on October 6.
Pat Surtain II had one of his best games as a pro versus the Las Vegas Raiders on October 6. Denver Broncos via YouTube
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With their 34-18 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on October 17, the Denver Broncos achieved several notable accomplishments: The team broke an eight-game skid to the Silver and Black, which they'd last defeated in 2019, and won their third matchup in a row under quarterback Bo Nix — the first such mini-streak for a rookie QB in franchise history.

Despite the triumph, though, plenty of questions remain for members of Broncos Country. The most important: Is the squad's impressive defense good enough to continue carrying Nix, who looks like a borderline competent NFL signal caller at his best and a lot worse when he's not?

Granted, this query is a lot more positive than fans might have expected after Denver's desultory opening-season losses to the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers, when the biggest mystery of the 2024-2025 campaign seemed likely to involve whether the Broncos would be in the running for the first-overall draft pick. Nix surprised plenty of doubters with a mostly decent turn against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but seemed to regress against the New York Jets. However, the Broncos prevailed in a brutally ugly contest mainly because the D's all-world play compensated for a performance by Nix that may have actually been more offensively anemic than Tim Tebow.

A further decline loomed early in week five. The Raiders got the ball first and promptly put seven points on the board after safety P.J. Locke badly botched coverage on a heave by Gardner Minshew to gifted rookie tight end Brock Bowers. The Broncos responded with a 22-yard yawner of an opening series that lasted seven plays, only because head coach Sean Payton directed his minions to go for a fourth-and-one on their own side of the field — a tactic typically reserved for late-game desperation.

Las Vegas then marched down the field again, notching a three-pointer in the process. And after Nix and company settled for a filed goal even though a strong kickoff return gave them great field position, Las Vegas made it into the red zone on their next opportunity.

That's when everything changed. Minshew delivered the ball straight to super cornerback Pat Surtain II, who returned it 100 yards to pay dirt. Suddenly, what would probably have been an insurmountable 17-3 deficit was transformed into a 10-10 tie — and the turnaround energized both the crowd at Empower Field and Surtain's fellow defenders. The Raiders failed to make a single first down the rest of the half and went into intermission trailing 13-10 following a field goal by Will Lutz, who missed his first try but got a second chance thanks to a Las Vegas penalty.

The Raiders' collapse became even more overt during the final two quarters. So frustrated was Las Vegas head coach Antonio Pierce that he eventually replaced Minshew with backup Aiden O'Connell — a premature move that didn't help on Sunday (O'Connell's only score came in garbage time) and will almost certainly have negative consequences down the road.

Meanwhile, the Denver defense kept piling up stats. The unit wound up with three sacks, too many pressures to count and two more interceptions — a second for Surtain and one for his opposite number, Riley Moss.

And Nix? He passed for two touchdowns, including a toss to a tip-toeing Jaleel McLaughlin and a genuine beauty to Josh Reynolds, and reached the pigskin over the goal line as a runner to notch a third. But these successes were predicated largely on great field position and a steady running game led by Javonte Williams, who looked like his old self en route to a combined triple-digit output (61 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving).

Indeed, Nix's best moment was probably when he was caught on camera yelling at Payton — an indication that he is starting to feel his oats.

Even most commentators on social media avoided overpraising Nix, reserving their plaudits for the defense. But the most dedicated Bo-Ners are optimistic that he's coming into his own. Next week's faceoff against the Los Angeles Chargers will give a better indication about whether they're right. But for now, Broncos loyalists have earned the right to celebrate a surprising twist: a winning record.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
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