Beating the league’s best team is no easy feat. However, the Denver Broncos‘ Week 10 performance against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs showcased how Bo Nix and the defense have shown the resolve to thrive under pressure and compete with the best.

The Broncos are proving they can go toe-to-toe with any opponent in the league. But how exactly have the Broncos taken strides to deliver what the fanbase yearned for?

Let’s examine.

The Broncos defense came into Arrowhead Stadium with one mission: disrupt Mahomes’ rhythm and bring Kansas City’s high-powered offense to a screeching halt — a mission it performed quite well. Denver tallied four sacks, nine quarterback hits, and held the Chiefs to a meager 300 total yards — their lowest yardage output of the season. 

Defensive end Zach Allen and rush linebacker Nik Bonitto had the most significant impact in this contest. Allen used his ability to collapse the pocket, and Bonitto was a nightmare off the edge with his speed rush.

While Allen and Bonitto had stand-out games, it was a team effort, as Mahomes dealt with pressure from practically every player on Denver’s defensive front.

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While Denver is coming off a heartbreaking loss, the Broncos’ young gunslinger refuses to hang his head and is confident they can square off with the league’s best teams. When asked whether the Broncos could build any confidence in the wake of this disappointing loss, Nix said, “Oh, yeah. We’re very confident. We feel we can compete against a lot of teams in this league, all of them, really. We’ve faced a lot of good teams this year and have been in one-possession games, it feels like, in every single one of them.”

This game showed Nix’s ability to perform in the most crucial moments, especially that huge third-down conversion at the end of the game, connecting with Courtland Sutton to ensure Mahomes wouldn’t see the field again. Finishing with 215 yards passing and two touchdowns, Nix showed he could go up against the league’s top teams while remaining poised in critical in-game situations.

Denver’s running game has been inconsistent, to say the least. While Javonte Williams has had a couple of good games, the rest have been relatively lackluster.

Rookie fifth-rounder Audrice Estime was supposed to compete with Williams for carries this season. Unfortunately, injuries and ball-security issues temporarily delayed Estime’s involvement in the offense. Even so, Sean Payton refuses to give up on him.

“We keep wanting to get him involved,” Payton said. “He is a handful.” 

While Estime didn’t pop off for a 100-yard game, he did have some impressive, hard-nosed carries that sadly reminded Broncos Country of Williams before his multi-ligament knee injury. If Estime can build on his last performance and, more importantly, hold on to the ball, he has a serious chance of locking up the starting job.

Denver’s recent performance against the Chiefs showcased a team on the rise. Despite the narrow loss, the Broncos demonstrated that with their elite defense and offensive potential, they can play with anyone in the league.

While still a work in progress, the Broncos are trending in the right direction, building a foundation that could make them a force for years to come.

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