Tag: Broncos news

Bo Nix makes more Broncos history with AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod

Bo Nix is the first rookie quarterback in Broncos history to win AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week following his impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, the NFL announced Wednesday.

Nix is the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to win the award, yet another accomplishment added to his growing list of accolades.

Nix went 28-of-33 (84.8%) passing for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers in a 38-6 win over the Falcons on Sunday. It was a historic performance as Nix became the first rookie QB in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards and four touchdowns with a completion rate above 80%.

The last Broncos quarterback to win this award was Trevor Siemian in 2016. Denver’s last player to win it was wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in 2022. Nix is the tenth rookie in franchise history to take home the honors.

Earlier this season, Denver kicker Wil Lutz (special teams), cornerback Pat Surtain (defense) and linebacker Cody Barton (defense) received Player of the Week recognition.

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Third suspect arrested after Josh Reynolds shooting

A third person has been arrested in connection to the Josh Reynolds shooting.

A third suspect has been arrested in connection to the Josh Reynolds shooting from October, according to a report from The Denver Post‘s Shelly Bradbury.

Dirk Lisica-Lange, 31, was arrested last week “on suspicion of attempting to influence a public servant, a low-level felony,” according to Bradbury.

Last month, Luis Mendoza, 35, and Burr Charlesworth, 42, were arrested and their charges included six counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Reynolds and two companions were shot after leaving a club in the Denver area on Oct. 18. They were followed by suspects who fired “at least 30 rounds” into the vehicle carrying Reynolds and two others.

It was a “coordinated, organized” attack, the Denver District Attorney’s Office said in court this week, according to Bradbury.

Reynolds, 29, is a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos. He was already on injured reserve with a finger injury when the shooting happened, and the team described his wounds as minor. The receiver is eligible to return from IR and could be back on the 53-man roster later this week.

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Report: Jets tried to trade a WR to Broncos this spring

The Jets offered Allen Lazard and a “Day 2 draft pick” to the Broncos for Jerry Jeudy, but Woody Johnson nixed the deal, per The Athletic.

Before the Denver Broncos agreed to trade wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns this spring, they received a better offer (in terms of draft picks) from another AFC team.

Former New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas — who was fired this week — offered the Broncos a “Day 2 draft pick” and wide receiver Allen Lazard in exchange for Jeudy, according to a report from Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

The second day of the draft features the second and third rounds, so that would have been better compensation for Jeudy than what the Broncos ended up getting from the Browns (fifth- and sixth-round picks).

The Jets deal was vetoed by New York co-owner Woody Johnson, according to the Rosenblatt and Russini report.

Getting a higher draft pick for Jeudy would have been nice, but Denver also would have inherited Lazard’s contract. The receiver, turning 29 next month, is scheduled to have base salaries of $11 million in 2025 and 2026.

After Johnson nixed the trade, the Broncos later traded Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele in the NFL draft. Those receivers will have team-friendly contracts over the next four years with the highest cap hit among them being Franklin’s $1.4 million charge in 2027.

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Woody Johnson wanted to bench Aaron Rodgers after Broncos beat Jets

After an ugly loss to the Broncos in Week 4, Jets co-owner Woody Johnson suggested benching quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The New York Jets had a meltdown following their 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4.

Following that loss, Jets co-owner Woody Johnson wanted to bench veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who struggled against the Broncos’ defense.

One day after the loss, Johnson held a meeting with team brass and “suggested to the coaches that they bench Aaron Rodgers in favor of Tyrod Taylor because he felt Rodgers’ performance was holding the team back,” according to a report from The Athletic‘s Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini. The report has since been confirmed by ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio. Jets coaches and general manager Joe Douglas talked Johnson out of it.

Two months later, Douglas has been fired. New York is 3-8 and it would take a near-miracle to reach the playoffs this season. Rodgers has completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,442 yards with 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions through 11 games this fall.

It appears that the Jets never bounced back from that Broncos game.

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2 ex-Broncos players fail to advance in Hall of Fame voting

The Broncos will not have any players added to the Hall of Fame in the 2025 class.

Former Denver Broncos defensive linemen Neil Smith and Simeon Rice are not among the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. So the Broncos will not be represented by any players in next year’s class.

Smith, 58, spent the first nine years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Broncos in 1997. He won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver and then finished his career with the San Diego Chargers.

Smith totaled 625 tackles, 104.5 sacks, 30 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries and four interceptions during his 13-year career.

Rice, 50, played five years with the Arizona Cardinals and then had a six-year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl XXXVII with the Bucs. He spent part of his final year in the NFL with the Broncos in 2007.

Rice recorded 483 tackles, 122 sacks, 43 pass breakups, 28 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and five interceptions during his 12-year career.

Former coaches Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves were previously named coach semifinalists for the 2025 class in October. The selection committee voted on a coach finalist yesterday, but the result is not expected to be announced until December.

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan
  2. Coach Dan Reeves

The list of modern-era player semifinalists will be trimmed down to a finalists list later this fall. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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NFL makes ‘Monday Night Football’ flex decision for Week 13

The NFL has opted to keep the Broncos-Browns game as the ‘Monday Night Football’ matchup in Week 13. No flex.

The NFL has made a decision on the Monday Night Football matchup for Week 13.

The Denver Broncos (6-5) hosting the Cleveland Browns (2-8) will remain the MNF game after the league opted not to flex it out of the prime-time window. Denver will host Cleveland on Monday, Dec. 2.

The game will be nationally televised on ESPN beginning at 6:15 p.m. MT and available to stream on fuboTV (try it free). Unfortunately, there’s no ManningCast scheduled for the Broncos-Browns game.

First things first, Denver will go on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) in a Sunday afternoon game on Nov. 24. After that, the Broncos will play on MNF before a bye in Week 14.

If Denver is going to make the NFL playoffs this season, beating the next two winnable games on the schedule will be key. The Broncos will have four games remaining after the bye, including a big road game against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) in Week 17. If both teams are still in the playoff hunt, the Broncos-Bengals game will be a candidate to get flexed into a nationally-televised window.

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Take that, Craig Carton: Broncos hit the over on 2024 wins

This summer, Craig Carton said the Broncos’ over/under win line should be 2.5. They just hit the over on the actual line of 5.5 wins.

Oddsmakers had low expectations for the Denver Broncos going into the 2024 NFL season, setting their over/under win total at 5.5 this spring.

NFL experts — Craig Carton among them — also had low expectations.

“The Broncos are going to stink,” Carton said in August. “There’s no talent on that team … I’m looking at the Denver Broncos going, that over/under should be 2.5! Where are the wins coming from?”

Eleven weeks into the season, the Broncos secured their sixth win with a convincing 38-6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. With six games remaining on the schedule, Denver should finish well above the “over” line in 2024.

This, of course, is no surprise to Broncos coach Sean Payton.

In an offseason interview with Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune, Payton was told about the team’s 5.5 over/under win line for the 2024 campaign.

“I love being the underdog. The next time I only win six games in a season will be the first,” Payton said in August.

Payton has never finished with fewer than seven wins in a season, a streak Denver will aim to continue when the Broncos go on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) in Week 12.

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5 takeaways from Broncos’ 38-6 win over Falcons on Sunday

The Denver Broncos took care of business against the Atlanta Falcons with a 38-6 win on Sunday. Here are the key takeaways from the win.

The Denver Broncos (6-5) took care of business against the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) on Sunday afternoon with a convincing 38-6 victory at home. Here are five quick takeaways from the win.

1. Alex Forsyth bounced back: After not holding up in protection on the team’s crucial blocked field goal last week, Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth was moved from the “tight end” position to the “wing” spot for Denver’s kicks against the Falcons. The switch — and Forsyth’s resilience — paid off as kicker Wil Lutz went 6-of-6 on his kicks against Atlanta.

2. Perhaps Audric Estime isn’t the new RB1: After the rookie dominated the backfield touches last week, we assumed Audric Estime might be the Broncos’ new starting running back going forward. Instead, Javonte Williams was back to leading the team in carries (nine) and rushing yards (59) on Sunday. Jaleel McLaughlin (4/19) and Estime (6/16) mixed in. Denver’s staff seems poised to take a “hot hand” approach for the RB rotation.

3. Bo Nix has arrived: What a performance! Nix went 28-of-33 passing (84.8%) despite multiple drops from his receivers. Nix also posted career highs in passing yards (307) and passing touchdowns (four) before being replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter when the game was decided. Nix has shown incredible improvement from earlier this season and the Broncos appear to have found their new franchise quarterback.

4. Sean Payton swept NFC South: Following the 38-6 win over the Falcons, Denver is now 4-0 against coach Sean Payton’s old division. Earlier this year, the Broncos beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26-7), New Orleans Saints (33-10) and Carolina Panthers (28-14).

5. Broncos hit the over: Eleven games into the 2024 season, Denver has hit the over on their over/under line of 5.5 wins established by oddsmakers before the season. The Broncos now have six victories under their belt with six games remaining this fall. Up next is a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) in Week 12.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix continues making NFL history

Bo Nix continues to break many Broncos franchise records and he’s breaking several NFL records along the way.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix made history again in the team’s 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.

Nix became only the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to record at least 200 passing yards and two touchdown passes in four straight home games. The other quarterback to accomplish such a feat? Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, who did so with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998.

In his last four home games against the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers and Falcons, Nix has thrown for a combined 1,013 yards and 11 passing touchdowns against just one interception. He has also rushed for two scores in those contests.

After going 28-of-33 passing for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions (145.0 rating) against the Falcons, Nix joined C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans in 2023) as one of just two rookie QBs in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a passer rating of at least 140 in a single game.

Nix’s 84.4% completion rate is the third-best by a rookie QB in NFL history (minimum 30 attempts) and the second-best by a quarterback (of any experience) in Broncos history.

Nix became the first rookie QB in NFL history to complete at least 80% of his passes while totaling at least 300 yards and four passing touchdowns in a game.

Nix now has 14 touchdown passes this fall, which ties Marlin Briscoe (1968) for the most touchdown passes by a rookie QB in franchise history. That record will undoubtedly belong to Nix soon.

Nix leads all rookie quarterbacks this year with 18 total touchdowns (14 passing, four rushing) and is second in passing yards (2,275).

Nix has already set multiple franchise and NFL historical marks this fall. He’ll look to continue his impressive rookie campaign when Denver goes on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) in Week 12.

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Bo Nix makes NFL history as Broncos cruise past Falcons in 38-6 win

Broncos QB Bo Nix matched a Peyton Manning stat in a convincing 38-6 win over the Falcons on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos (6-5) cruised past the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) in a convincing 38-6 victory at home on Sunday afternoon.

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix made history in the win by throwing for at least 200 yards and two touchdowns in four straight home games. Nix is just the second rookie player in NFL history to accomplish such a feat, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (1998).

Nix finished the day 28-of-33 passing for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions before Jarrett Stidham took over in the fourth quarter.

On the game’s opening series, Nix led a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end/fullback Nate Adkins to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Falcons matched that score with a 41-yard Younghoe Koo field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3.

In the second quarter, Denver running back Javonte Williams was met by Atlanta safety Justin Simmons at the five-yard line on a 14-yard run. Williams kept his legs moving and teammates pushed him into the end zone for a touchdown to make it 14-3. After that, Koo converted a 51-yard field goal to draw the Falcons within a score, 14-6.

The Broncos never looked back from there as Nix led a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard screen pass to receiver Marvin Mims, who scored to make it 21-6.

In the third quarter, Denver went 45 yards on 10 plays and Nix threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to receiver Troy Franklin to extend the lead to 28-6. On the next drive, Broncos linebacker Cody Barton intercepted a pass from Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins, but the turnover did not lead to any points.

Denver kicker Wil Lutz added a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 31-6. Nix later threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey to extend the lead to 38-6, which held as the final score.

Up next for Denver is a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12. The Broncos previously beat Las Vegas 34-18 at home in Week 5.

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