Mile High Report
When I was younger, I used to say, “I believe in Mile High Magic” quite often. What I believe in more nowadays is the grit and determination of our Denver Broncos. I’m so proud of how this team plays every game, giving every ounce of effort possible in pursuit of excellence.
This was such a special playoff game. There was so much stress, drama, wins, losses, and heroics on both sides of the ball from start to finish.
Also, let me say that I hate that the Buffalo Bills, their fans, and especially Josh Allen lost. I have a big heart for the Bills and the Vikings, as I know exactly what it feels like to have a team that just can’t find a way to win a championship.
We’ve got a lot to unpack here, so let’s dig in.
Sean Payton’s play design was on point in this game. We saw a fake shotgun spread quarterback sneak. We got a gimmie touchdown to backup tackle Frank Crum on a play-action rollout. He threw everything and the kitchen sink at the Bills, with only 4 healthy wide receivers by the end of the game.
The only nit I have to pick on the playcalling is not understanding how we didn’t use McLaughlin more. I get that he fumbled, but the defense gets paid too, and we could have used his 5.3 yards per carry.
Bo Nix is the truth. This guy is a winner, a leader, and the future of our franchise. It absolutely sucks that he broke his ankle. He was an absolute beast to stay out there to end the overtime drive and help this team win.
Throughout the season, I’ve picked on his need to fine-tune his accuracy, but let me tell you that that isn’t the problem with this offense. The problem is that he throws perfect passes to his receivers, and they drop them. Bo will set records when this team puts weapons around him that can consistently catch.
As I had expected, they had plenty of Nix runs wrinkled into the gameplan and his legs were a big key in extending drives.
His interception was partially not on him (more on that below), but that route was not open at all. I don’t know the thinking there, but it sure did look like he was locked in on the crosser by Engram and decided that’s where he’s throwing it before he even hiked the ball. It was mystifying, though, as there was a zone linebacker standing where the route was going that was going to most likely break up the pass if not intercept it.
Even with our third-string center playing, this line is still playing great football. They allowed zero sacks, which is always impressive.
The one thing I’d like to see more of is engagement by our line on pass plays. On the interception, Bolles just let his guy watch Bo and jump up to intercept...
