The Broncos just kept winning.
The Green Bay Packers are coming into this game and favored by Vegas, while the Broncos are still being called frauds, doubters, and losers despite an 11-2 record at home. Ultimately, the Broncos did what they had to do and went on to win. They improved to 12-2 on the year, winning 11 consecutive games to secure a spot in the playoffs, and quarterback Bo Nix played the best game of his career.
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With that said, here are the winners and maybe a few 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, his defense, and how good the Packers are. Bonix said screw it, throwing four touchdowns and passing for over 300 yards against a Packers defense. The Knicks looked comfortable, in control, and passed the ball down the floor multiple times.
This was the best fight of Bonix’s career.
It’s a playoff-like atmosphere against one of the best teams in the NFC and may be the Broncos’ toughest test yet. We heard they had a weak schedule, lacked explosive play, and were liars, yet the Knicks silenced the doubters and played great.
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Nix finished the game 23-34 with 302 yards, four touchdown passes, a 134.7 quarterback rating, and 10 rushing yards. He’s playing well, and if he keeps going like this, the Broncos will be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Winner – Vance Joseph’s rebound
In the first half, the Packers and quarterback Jordan Love were tearing apart the Denver Broncos defense. While the red zone defense performed well and held them to field goals, running back Josh Jacobs continued to hurt the Broncos and scored two touchdowns in the game. In the second half, however, the Broncos defense lost its mind, aside from a BS DPI call on Moss that eliminated a fourth down and a quick touchdown.
In the second half, they limited Love to 60 yards, 2 interceptions, and 3 sacks, slowing down the Packers’ rushing attack. Joseph had a tendency to lose in the first half, but the adjustment in the second half was huge and an important reason why the Broncos won this game.
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Winner – PS2
The Packers had just scored a touchdown on a bad DPI call by Riley Moss, and the Broncos had a lifeless three-and-out on offense. Things looked tough, but things started to turn after the reigning Defensive Player of the Year had his best performance of the season (so far).
Quarterback Jordan Love would go deep on his favorite target, Christian Watson, but PS2 would make an incredible diving score to bring the ball back to the Broncos. It was a huge momentum shift and the moment the Broncos turned the game around.
Surtain II didn’t make a lot of mistakes, but when he did, they were big mistakes that ultimately changed the outcome of the game. Hopefully we’ll see more of PS2 and he can help the Broncos get to the Super Bowl.
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Winner – WR Courtland Sutton
Courtland Sutton was outstanding in a big game.
He was Bonix’s favorite target and he played a big role in the outcome of this game. He caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Sutton came up in a big moment again, making a tough catch in the end zone and proving to be the best playmaker on the Broncos’ roster.
The Knicks and Sutton have a strong connection, and today was one of their most memorable performances. Earlier in the game, Sutton had a 42-yard catch where he made contact with a Packers defender and was open on a long catch.
We need Nix and Sutton to continue to provide more performances like this.
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Winner – CB Riley Moss
redemption!
Broncos corner Riley Moss was whistled for another bad defensive pass interference call earlier in the game. We’ve seen this happen numerous times throughout the year, and it must have been a heavy strain on Moss, who even started wearing boxing gloves in practice to prevent him from getting caught in coverage. However, a score late in the game by quarterback Jordan Love might have been just what the Broncos corner needed to get going.
All things considered, Moss has performed pretty well this season. He drew the ire of fans because of these DPIs, but the vast majority of them were iffy at best. It’s frustrating that this is happening and teams know it and continue to target him on crucial third downs in the hope that the referee will raise a flag.
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I hope we see more Riley Moss INT and less DPI moving forward.
Winners – WRs Troy Franklin, Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and Michael Bandy
I put these three together because all three played a big role for the Broncos and caught key touchdown passes. With Broncos rookie Pat Bryant out and Marvin Mims missing part of this game with a nagging injury, we needed the next guy at receiver and these three stepped up.
Michael Bandy only had one catch, but he took full advantage and scored his first career touchdown. He was elevated from the practice squad this week, which justifies the team’s continued retention of him.
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Junior Jordan Humphrey returned to the team last month and immediately made his mark on this team. He is one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL and has shown off his receiving skills as well. He caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown, all on a beautiful pass from Bo Nix. With Bryant out, he will get more playing time and perform well for the Broncos.
Troy Franklin has been hit and miss this season, but he seems to be in the Broncos’ biggest games. He had multiple catches against the Chiefs, including the game-winning pass. Tonight, he caught six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown in arguably one of the best games of his young career against the Packers.
Winner – Playoff berth
Winner – Sean Payton
The Denver Broncos are 12-2, on an 11-game winning streak, secure the AFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and the Broncos are on their way to glory once again.
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After Super Bowl 50, we went through basically a decade of darkness. Hell, even Payton lost by 70 points in his first year, Russell Wilson, and that heartbreaking loss on Christmas Eve. Two seasons later, the Broncos are the best team in the NFL, a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and they’re just getting started.
You may not like him. You may not like some of his decisions or plays, but Payton has dragged this team out of the gutter and back to being relevant again/
Thank you, Sean Payton.
Other noteworthy winners and losers
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Winner – RB RJ Harvey: The stat line may not look amazing, but Harvey was the Broncos’ running back and held his own against a tough Green Bay Packers defense.
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Winner – WR Marvin Mims Jr.: He may not have the same flashy stat line as some of his teammates, but he’s coming back from injury and looking good when involved in the offense. He’s an All-Pro 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 up and down the field quickly. Glad they turned it around but it was a rough start
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Loser – TE Evan Engram: Even during one of the Broncos’ best offensive performances of the season, they couldn’t get Evan Engram in the game. He had just one catch for 12 yards and looked like an afterthought at times.
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Losers – Tough Things: timeout, not punting on fourth down late in the fourth quarter and denying possession of the ball before Josh Jacobs’ touchdown catch. Bad things happen, but they deserve attention.