The Broncos keep winning.
The Green Bay Packers came into this game on a hot streak and were favored by Las Vegas, while the Broncos were still being called frauds, doubts, and underdogs despite being 11-2 and at home. In the end, the Broncos do what they do and keep winning. They improved to 12-2 on the year, won their 11th straight game, clinched a playoff berth and quarterback Bo Nix had the best game of his career.
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With all that said, here are the winners and maybe a couple of losers from the Broncos’ 34-26 win over the Packers.
WINNER – QB Bo Nix
What a game!
All we heard this week was about Micah Parsons, this defense, and how great the Packers are. Bo Nix said to hell with that and dropped 4 touchdowns and threw for over 300 yards on this tough Packers defense. Nix looked comfortable, in control and made multiple important passes down the field.
This was Bo Nix’s best game in his career.
This was a playoff-like atmosphere against one of the best teams in the NFC and probably the Broncos’ toughest test yet. We heard about his weak schedule, lack of explosive plays, frauds, and yet Nix silenced the skeptics and played very well.
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Nix finished the game 23-34 for 302 yards, 4 touchdown passes, a 134.7 QB rating, and 10 additional rushing yards. He played well and if he plays like that in the future, the Broncos will be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
WINNER – Vance Joseph Rebound
In the first half, the Packers and quarterback Jordan Love were slicing and dicing the Denver Broncos defense. While the red zone defense played well and limited them to field goals, running back Josh Jacobs continued to victimize the Broncos and scored 2 touchdowns in this game. However, in the second half, aside from a BS DPI call on Moss that erased a fourth down and quickly led to a touchdown, the Broncos defense went crazy.
They held Love to 60 yards in the second half, had 2 interceptions, 3 sacks and slowed down the Packers running game. Joseph tended to be an underdog in the first half, but those second-half adjustments were huge and a big reason the Broncos won this game.
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WINNER – PS2
The Packers just scored a touchdown after a terrible DPI call on Riley Moss, and the Broncos had one of their three-and-outs lifeless on offense. Things looked tough, but the tide began to turn after the reigning Defensive Player of the Year made the biggest play (so far) of his season.
Quarterback Jordan Love would go deep to his favorite target, Christian Watson, but PS2 would make an incredible INT to give the ball back to the Broncos. This was a HUGE momentum shift and game-changing moment for the Broncos.
Surtain II doesn’t commit many turnovers, but when he does, they are big ones that ultimately change the outcome of the game. Hopefully, we’ll see more of these big plays from PS2 in the future and he can help lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl.
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WINNER – WR Courtland Sutton
In a big game, Courtland Sutton stepped up in a big way.
He is Bo Nix’s favorite target and played a big role in the outcome of this game. He caught 7 passes for 113 yards and 1 beautiful touchdown. Sutton once again showed up in big moments, making tough catches in the end zone and proving to be the Broncos’ best playmaker on the roster.
Nix and Sutton’s connection is strong and today was one of their most memorable performances. Early in the game, Sutton had a long 42-yard catch where he worked with a Packers defender and was WIDE OPEN for a long catch.
We need more performances like this from Nix and Sutton in the future.
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WINNER – CB Riley Moss
Redemption!
Broncos cornerback Riley Moss was called again for a terrible defensive pass interference call early in the game. We’ve seen this happen a lot throughout the year, and it has to be weighing heavily on Moss, who has even started wearing boxing gloves in practice to prevent him from being aggressive in coverage. However, a late-game INT against QB Jordan Love could be just what the Broncos corner needs to make things work for him.
All in all, Moss has been playing pretty well this season. It has drawn the ire of fans due to these IPRs, but the vast majority of them have been dubious at best. It’s frustrating that this is happening, and teams know it and continue to target it on key third downs, hoping the referees will throw the flag.
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I hope we see more INT from Riley Moss and less DPI in the future.
WINNERS: WR Troy Franklin, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Michael Bandy
I’m grouping these three together because all three had great performances for the Broncos and caught key touchdown passes. The Broncos were down rookie Pat Bryant, and Marvin Mims missed part of this game due to a stinger, so we needed the next man up at receiver, and these three stepped up.
Michael Bandy only had one catch, but he made the most of it and scored the first touchdown of his career. He was elevated from the practice squad this week and showed why the team continues to keep him around.
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Lil’Jordan Humphrey returned to the team last month and instantly made his presence known on this team. He is one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL and also showed off his receiving skills. He caught 3 passes for 42 yards and 1 touchdown, which came on a beautiful pass from Bo Nix. With Bryant sidelined, he was going to spend more time and played well for the Broncos.
Troy Franklin has been unpredictable this season, but he seems to show up in the Broncos’ biggest games. He had multiple big receptions against the Chiefs, including the pass that led to the game-winning field goal. Tonight, he caught 6 passes for 85 yards and 1 touchdown and arguably had one of the best, if not the best, game of his young career against the Packers.
WINNER – POSTSEASON PLATE
WINNER – Sean Payton
The Denver Broncos are 12-2, have won 11 straight games, are in the driver’s seat for the AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and things are great again in Broncos Country.
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We went through dark times for basically a decade after Super Bowl 50. Hell, even Payton’s first year had the 70-point loss to Russell Wilson and a devastating loss on Christmas Eve. Two seasons later, the Broncos are the best team in the NFL, legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and they’re just getting started.
You may not like it. You may not like some of his decisions or his plays, but Payton has pulled this franchise out of the gutter and back into relevance once again.
Thanks, Sean Payton.
Other notable winners and losers
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WINNER – RB RJ Harvey: The stat line may not seem surprising, but Harvey was the Broncos’ bellwether and held his own against a tough Green Bay Packers defense.
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WINNER – WR Marvin Mims Jr.: He may not have flashy stats like the rest of his teammates, but he came back from an injury and looked good when involved in the offense. He is an All-Pro returner and a weapon whenever the ball is in his hands.
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LOSER – Broncos First Half Defense: Whatever that game plan was, it wasn’t working. Green Bay moved the ball quickly up and down the field. I’m glad things have changed, but it was a rough start.
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LOSER – TE Evan Engram: Even in one of the Broncos’ best offensive performances of the season, they couldn’t get Evan Engram into the game. He had just one catch for 12 yards and sometimes seems like an afterthought.
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LOSER – Complicated things: The timeouts, not kicking the ball on fourth down at the end of the fourth quarter and rejecting that grab call a play before Josh Jacobs’ touchdown catch. Bad things happen, but they deserve some attention.