ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Throughout the Denver Broncos’ 11th straight win on Sunday, head coach Sean Payton has tended to be mostly conservative on offense, playing positional plays even in close encounters so he can take advantage of his tenacious defense.
But that wasn’t the case on Sunday, when he got quarterback Bo Nix to take his hands off him in Denver’s 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers.
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Nix tied a career high with four touchdown passes, no interceptions and zero sacks in his best game of his second NFL season.
Some of his best performances came after the Broncos (12-2) trailed 23-14 and the Packers scored on their first five possessions, only to lose No. 1 receiver Christian Watson with a chest injury on Pat Surtain II’s leaping, game-changing interception in the third quarter.
Nix threw 14-yard touchdown passes to Courtland Sutton and 23-yard touchdown passes to Troy Franklin in the third quarter and commanded a drive in the fourth quarter that was capped off by RJ Harvey’s 4-yard touchdown run.
“Man, he made his day out there, just playing around the ball,” Sutton said of Knicks. “Based on their defense, we knew it was important for us to protect the frontcourt, and I thought our O-line did a great job today. We need to be able to combine the run with the pass and take advantage of opportunities when they’re out there. Bo did a great job giving us opportunities on the outside. Everybody made a play.”
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Even though the Broncos last lost in September, oddsmakers still have the Broncos as home underdogs, so when asked what a win against a really good team shows everyone, Nix said, “We’re the underdog.”
In fact, BetMGM Sportsbook has the Broncos as three-point favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars next weekend at Empower Field.
Sutton said he’s convinced even this latest win hasn’t won over the Broncos’ many doubters.
“I’m sure they’re going to” continue to doubt Denver, Sutton said. “But that’s okay. We worry about ourselves and we show up week in and week out and try to be the best we can be.”
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what’s working
Denver’s offense comes in just in time for a late push that includes home games against the AFC South-leading Jaguars (10-4) and Los Angeles Chargers (10-4), as well as a Christmas Eve game against Kansas City, where the Broncos haven’t won since 2015.
What help do you need?
The Broncos sacked Jordan Love three times, pushing their NFL-best season total to 58 points and bringing them close to the 1984 Chicago Bears single-season record of 72 points. But running back Josh Jacobs held them 73 yards on a dozen carries, including a 40-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, extending Green Bay’s lead to nine points. Love also threw for 29 yards to three goalies.
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Stock up
Nix threw just one interception last month. Sutton was once again his favorite target Sunday, catching seven passes for 113 yards and a score.
Inventory decline
Denver hasn’t posted a loss since Sept. 21, and virtually no one’s stock has fallen.
Injuried
While the Packers bore the brunt of this brutal game, losing their top receivers, best defenders and best O-line players to injuries, the Broncos themselves suffered some key casualties: S Brandon Jones (pectoral), Harvey (ribs) and ILB Justin Strnad (right ankle).
key statistics
— The Broncos’ 11-game winning streak is the NFL’s longest active winning streak and the franchise’s longest winning streak in a single season since 2012.
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— The Broncos’ 12-game winning streak at home is tied for the fourth-longest streak in franchise history and Denver’s longest since 13-game winning streak in 2012-13.
— The Knicks have won 22 games in their first two seasons. It was the second-most wins by a quarterback in his first two NFL seasons since 1950, tying him with Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Dak Prescott. The Knicks can surpass Russell Wilson (24) by winning Denver’s final three regular-season games.
— 8. OLB Jonathon Cooper shared a sack on Sunday, becoming the third seventh-round draft pick since 1994 to have at least eight sacks in three consecutive seasons.
Next steps
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The beleaguered Broncos faced another favorite, the Jaguars, who had won their fifth straight game by a cumulative score of 171-72. The Broncos have outscored their opponents by just 77 points in their 11-game winning streak.
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