Denver, CO
Bo Nix Explains Why Broncos ‘Played Motivated’ in Upset Win Over Bucs
Bo Nix just made a statement. It wasn’t of the 300-yard, multi-touchdown sort, but the Denver Broncos rookie quarterback definitely communicated that he belongs in the NFL.
The Broncos rolled into Raymond James Stadium on Sunday and stunned the league by thumping the heretofore undefeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26-7. The score makes plain that it wasn’t even close, but what the final tally doesn’t tell you is how Nix jumped on the Bucs defense early and never let up.
Nix finished with 216 passing yards, completing 69.4% of his passes, and earned an 85.0 QB rating. Although he didn’t pass for a touchdown, he did rush for one, and finished with 47 yards on the ground, putting him near the 300 mark for the day in total offense. Nine different receivers caught a pass in Tampa.
The Broncos showed modest improvement on third down, and converted 2-of-3 fourth-down tries. And in the red zone, Nix and company hit pay-dirt on 2-of-4 drives. 50% in the red zone isn’t phenomenal, but it’s a vast improvement over the Broncos’ production in the first two games.
Nix ma still be looking for the first passing touchdown of his NFL career, but he’s now broken the ice in the win column. That winless monkey is off the rookie’s back.
At the podium post-game, Nix explained that he’s doing his best to enjoy the only moment in his life in which he won his first game — with many more to come.
“Well, I’ve got to [enjoy it]. You only get this moment one time and it’s not easy winning games in this league,” Nix said from the podium. “Our guys deserve this. Our guys have earned this. We have a great team that really battled in there.”
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Nix has learned the hard way that winning in the NFL isn’t easy. Each and every victory is an achievement. The Broncos’ two losses this season were both by a single score. Close but no cigar.
This time, Nix made sure to put some distance between the Broncos and the Bucs.
“We were one possession away in both of the first two games so, just to do what we were able to do today against a really good football team, it gives us a little bit of confidence moving forward,” Nix said. “[It’s] still a long season, but you have to enjoy these wins when they’re here, and it’s a great first win.”
This time around, Nix and company were able to get off to a fast start. Nix began with a 22-yard back-shoulder strike to Courtland Sutton, which was followed by a 31-yard completion to Josh Reynolds two plays later, setting the Broncos up in scoring position.
Nix would punctuate that opening drive with a rushing score. It shows why Sean Payton and NFL coaches at large emphasize starting fast.
“When you start the game with an explosive pass play, you get ‘Court’ involved early, you win a one-on-one, you flip the field in one play—it opens it up for a coordinator,” Nix said. “I thought Coach Payton did a good job of going right back to it. We hit Josh [Reynolds] on the other side and then we get points and we get a touchdown on that first drive. That’s really important to start explosive, but you can’t just hit one. You have to come back and continue to finish out drives. It was good to see that on the first one.”
Not every drive ended with a touchdown, obviously, but the Broncos got points on six drives. Two touchdowns and four field goals. It was reminiscent of how the offense looked with Nix at the helm during the preseason.
Following Nix’s first win, the Broncos locker room was jubilant. Sunday evening was the time for celebration because soon enough, the Broncos have to dive back into game mode with another East Coast road test.
“Oh, it was great. Before the game, we wanted to hear the music and have a party. We played motivated today,” Nix said. “We went out there and executed at a high level. I think that’s what it’s supposed to feel like. You get back in the locker room and everybody is really excited.”
A lot of effort goes into each and every game. So much hard work, discipline, and preparation. For it to pay off with a victory is the ultimate triumph, even if it is short-lived.
“You put so much into the week,” Nix said. “You put so much effort, time [and] energy [in]. Those are what those moments are about. That’s what you want to get to. You want to get to those post-game celebrations.”
Broncos Country is hoping that Nix and company are able to celebrate much more often as the 2024 season marches on.
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Denver, CO
Denver Broncos secret weapon becoming known around the league
Arguably the biggest reason that the Denver Broncos are going to be playing in the 2024 NFL playoffs has been the quarterback play of rookie Bo Nix. The rookie out of Oregon by way of Auburn threw for 29 touchdowns and ran for four additional scores. He has been led this season by Broncos’ quarterbacks coach and former Giants signal-caller Davis Webb.
As the story goes, the Buffalo Bills had asked Webb to be their quarterbacks coach during his tenure as a quarterback in the AFC East, but he had decided to keep playing. Sean Payton was able to snag him as his QB whisperer, and his work in Denver has been impressive. In two years, the quarterback play of the Broncos has steadily improved and now reached the point where their 30+ touchdown rookie is arguably the biggest reason they are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Davis Webb certain to draw interest outside of Broncos organization soon
Webb flew relatively under the radar in 2023, even as the quarterback play of Russell Wilson returned to a strong form. Since then, his name has begun to gain more attention on the national stage. As coaching changes begin to take place across the league, Webb figures to be a name that comes up consistently. As coordinator openings are now rumored and openings are popping up, Webb has already been tied to a fairly high-profile job.
Newsday’s Tom Rock shared on X that Webb could be a name to watch as the Giants continue evaluating their coaching staff after a disappointing 2024. Webb, a former Giants quarterback himself, could become a strong offensive coordinator candidate for multiple vacancies. If Vance Joseph, who has been tied to the Jets opening, is to take a head coaching job elsewhere after this year, Webb could be a strong candidate to follow him as an offensive coordinator.
It has been a decent amount of time since top Denver lieutenants were named in coaching searches around the league, but between Joseph, Webb, and the potential for others such as Pete Carmichael, Zach Strief, and David Shaw to get tabbed for jobs, the Broncos could be looking to rebuild aspects of their coaching staff in the next few months. However, there is no reason not to have faith in Sean Payton to once again build one of the NFL’s premier coaching staffs, just as he did heading into the 2024 season.
Denver, CO
WATCH: Broncos Let Cameras in For Fiery Post-Game Locker Room Speech
The mood in the Denver Broncos locker room on Sunday following the team’s playoff-clinching win over the Kansas City Chiefs was jubilant. Tones of triumph, relief, elation… the Broncos embodied it all and for understandable reasons.
Denver snapped its eight-year playoff drought, finishing the 2024 regular season 10-7. But before the Broncos could get into game-planning mode for the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard Round, head coach Sean Payton finally gave fans a glimpse of the post-game locker room scene at Empower Field at Mile High.
For the first time this season, the secretive and protective Payton allowed the cameras in for his post-game locker room speech.
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You can see how excited and greaful Broncos CEO and co-owner Greg Penner was as he greeted the players and coaches at the door, exchanging hugs, fist-bumps, and words of encouragement. We learned from Coach Payton at the podium that his game balls went to the Walton/Penner ownership group.
“The game balls today went to ownership,” Payton said on Sunday. “They’ve been tremendously supportive. Man, I’ve been to a number of pro teams, but I told the players, you don’t get to pick a lot of times where you end up, but you guys are in a good spot. This is a group that cares about you.”
Payton has often talked about how big of a selling point the Walton/Penners were in his decision to come out of retirement and take the Broncos job. They rewarded Payton with a lucrative contract and traded a first and second-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints to acquire his coaching rights.
Payton knew the long-standing tradition of winning in the Mile High City and was well aware of the legacy created by all-timers like John Elway, Peyton Manning, Mike Shanahan, and late owner Pat Bowlen, but in his NFL experience dating back to the ’90s, he believed that the caliber of a team’s ownership group is one of its predictors of the future.
“In today’s pro sports, I think it’s probably one of the bigger indicators of success,” Payton said of ownership. “I know for me, personally, when I went through this process, that meant a lot to me relative to where, and I said that it wasn’t like I was looking to choose to join Patrick Mahomes in this division, you know? But the ownership group here was the reason. They got the game balls.”
Kudos to Payton for relenting and acquiescing to the cameras being the locker room following Sunday’s win so that Broncos Country can partake in the message and the celebration. Now it’s on to Buffalo.
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Denver, CO
Mayors of Denver and Aurora clash over placement of migrants
In an op-ed published in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman accused Denver Mayor Mike Johnston of not being truthful about how migrants, including Venezuelan gang members, ended up in Aurora.
Coffman said he filed an open records request that shows Johnston used the cover of non-profits to quietly dump migrants in other cities.
Johnston denied the allegations, stating, “The City of Denver never places anyone anywhere.”
Johnston said he was blindsided by the op-ed that included a headline claiming, “Denver’s Mayor offloads immigrants on Aurora.”
“I’m surprised by this because Mayor Coffman and I have a collaborative relationship,” Johnston said.
According to Johnston, Denver contracted with two non-profits to find housing for migrants after more than 40 thousand of them were bussed here from Texas last year.
“We give them dollars and they decide on housing,” Johnston said. “Every day it’s looking for where that housing is and identifying what open unit it is. You might go to Thornton, you might go to Northglenn, you might go to Denver.”
Mayor Coffman said one of the non-profits worked with a landlord to place migrants in three apartment buildings in Aurora, where police say Venezuelan gang members terrorized residents. The incidents there drew the attention of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to carry out mass deportations, or what he calls “Project Aurora”.
Coffman said Johnston has refused to say how many migrants were placed in Aurora, so he filed an open records request to obtain the contract the city signed with the nonprofit. He said the contract included a clause allowing the agency to put migrants in other cities without notifying them.
In his op-ed, Coffman said, “Aurora has suffered from a national embarrassment that has harmed the image of our city in a way that could have lasting economic consequences. As the Mayor of Aurora, I’m asking that Mayor Mike Johnston be transparent and tell the truth about what he did.”
Johnston said he bears no responsibility for what’s happened in Aurora, “We run the City of Denver and he runs Aurora and they control the outcomes in their city. We control the outcomes in ours. We’re responsible to our voters and he’s responsible to his.”
Coffman said the nonprofit is required to report to city officials how many migrants are placed in other cities, but he says Johnston continues to dodge the question about how many migrants were sent to Aurora.
President-elect Trump takes office Jan. 20th. His Border Czar has said he will prioritize the deportation of migrants who’ve committed crimes.
In November, Johnston told the Denverite he would resist all deportations. He now says he will cooperate with federal immigration agents in deporting violent criminals.