Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos hosted the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon in a high-caliber AFC West divisional matchup. The implications on the outcome of the division and the future playoff seeding were immense. It was a knockout, drag out game, but when the clock struck zero, the Broncos were victorious by a score of 22-19. That gives Denver their tenth win of the season. Here are some instant reactions and takeaways from today’s game.
Broncos earn tenth victory, gain important ground in the AFC West and playoff race.
Divisional games are always tough and gritty. This one was no exception. With the Los Angeles Chargers losing earlier today to the Jacksonville Jaguars, coupled with this bigtime Broncos win, Denver now has a two-game lead in the AFC West. Not only that, but they are the top team in the AFC and the presumptive #1 seed entering their BYE week. Things couldn’t have played out any better for fans across Broncos Country today.
Giving a shoutout to the Broncos’ offense.
The offense has struggled for most of the season. It wasn’t perfect today by any means, but man, they came through in the clutch. First and foremost, I thought Bo Nix looked really good today. Arguably, it was the best he looked all year. Nix did a great job getting a lot of players involved in the passing attack. He ended the game going 24-of-37 with 295 yards and really turned it on in the second half.
Second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin has been the most targeted receiver for the Broncos this season. That’s been a surprise to me. Franklin has done well getting separation and getting open. Alas, he has really struggled coming down with the ball. A great Nix deep pass early in the game went through his hands and a key third down attempt toward the end of the half hit him right in the chest.
But the second half was a bit of redemption for Franklin. On Denver’s first drive of the second half, with 35-yard over the shoulder catch on the left sideline. He also had a great catch 32-yard catch on the final drive to set up Wil Lutz for the game winning field goal.
It’s been a series of ups and downs this year, but the Nix-to-Franklin connection flourished in some key moments today. We also saw some great plays from Pat Bryant, Courtland Sutton, and Evan Engram. Maybe this is the blueprint for a more consistent passing attack in the second half. With the run game struggling today a bit without J.K. Dobbins, seeing Nix and the other players step up on offense was great.
Hats off to the defense and special teams as well!
This might have been the most complete win of the season. Overall, I don’t think there were many big issues from today’s game—outside the number of penalties—but I’ll save that discussion for after this. Marvin Mims Jr. came up big with several returns and both Wil Lutz and Jeremy...
