Denver — A smiling 24-year-old rookie quarterback shared a moment with thousands of his newest friends in a picture that was nearly ten years in the making.
Bo Nix performed a celebration lap after the Denver Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 38-0 on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High, securing the seventh and final AFC playoff position. The fans cheered and erupted when he did so.
With a wry chuckle, Nix remarked, “I realized that I need to run a bit more during the week because that’s a long lap.” “Toward the finish, I felt a little worn out. It’s been long overdue, and the fans deserve it.
Long, indeed. The Broncos secured their first postseason berth since their Super Bowl 50 victory to end the 2015 season on Sunday, defeating a Chiefs club that rested the majority of its front-line players because the AFC’s top seed was already guaranteed.
In a postseason game, none of the players currently on the roster have donned a Broncos uniform. The longest-tenured Broncos are wide receiver Courtland Sutton, in his seventh season with Denver, and left tackle Garett Bolles, in his eighth season with the organization. Both players will play their first playoff game on Sunday against the Bills (13-4) in Buffalo’s wild-card game.
“To be in that position where we get a chance to extend our season is a really cool experience…. [Bolles] and I were able to have a little moment on the sideline…. to see the joy and the light in his eyes…. it’s a really good feeling to just know we have an opportunity to extend our season, to do something special, and to get this organization back on track to what it’s known for.” “We’ve been through the ugly, and to be able to see the other side of it… man, it’s really dope,” Sutton mentioned.
Before kickoff, the Broncos (10-7) knew they were in a win-or-stay-at-home position on Sunday because the Cincinnati Bengals (9-8) had upset the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. If both clubs had finished the season with a 9-8 record, they would have forfeited a playoff tiebreaker after losing to the Bengals in Cincinnati last week.
However, the Broncos displayed no signs of stress as they quickly ended a 3,255-day playoff drought following their victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. They lead the overpowered Chiefs reserves 24-0 at the half after scoring three touchdowns and a field goal on each of their four first-half possessions.
With his four touchdowns, Nix set a franchise record by completing his first 18 passes of the game. His season total of 29 touchdowns is second only to Justin Herbert’s 31 in 2020 for a rookie quarterback in NFL history.
When Nix spoke about his stadium lap, he remarked, “It’s fun to do something like that… just kind of a great story.” Despite the fact that it hasn’t been done in a long time, we had much higher goals in mind than simply making the playoffs. We’re thrilled about the prospect.
Nix continued, “You don’t have to be what people say you’re going to be,” in reference to the vague preseason expectations that some people had of the Broncos. “It gets fun at this point.”
“Everyone around you is improved when you see a young man with such enthusiasm and drive for the game,” Sutton added. “When your quarterback is the one with that passion and energy, it improves everyone else in the building, and he is that guy.”
Kansas City only ran 33 plays during the game, and the Broncos defense held the Chiefs’ offense, who was without quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, to 98 net yards. The Broncos increased their league-high sack total to five throughout the game, with Carson Wentz being sacked four times while passing 10 of 17 for 98 yards.
Kansas City failed to go past the Denver 33-yard line during the game, and two of the Chiefs’ nine possessions ended up in Bronco territory. Harrison Butker, who had not missed in his last 18 field goal attempts in Denver, missed a 51-yarder in the second quarter, the Chiefs’ only and best opportunity to score went wide left.
Payton stated, “I thought the players did a good job of focusing on the things they could control.” “Listen to who might be playing and who might not.”
“Young and hungry can sometimes be pretty dangerous,” Payton continued, referring to the team’s return to the postseason in his second season as coach.
The Broncos will return to work on Monday, so Nix predicted their joy will not last long.
“Coach stressed that we must have faith in what he already knows and believes, which is that we have the potential to be a postseason team,” Nix stated. “We finally worked out the buy-in, and the guys in the locker room are aware of it; they just finished.”
