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.
Bo Nix doesn’t even attempt this pass a month ago. He’s seeing the field so well now. Absolute Dime pic.twitter.com/DJQI91Xy5u
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.
Florida finally secured a win against a ranked opponent on Saturday, beating the LSU Tigers in Gainesville behind DJ Lagway and a strong defense.
The Florida Gators needed a pick-me-up win after getting thumped by Texas a week ago, and true freshman [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] answered the call by leading the Orange and Blue to a 27-16 victory over the No. 22 LSU Tigers Saturday afternoon.
The offense is far more dangerous with Lagway under center than Aidan Warner or Graham Mertz, and LSU’s defense couldn’t stop the Gators from scoring despite being on the field for just 18 minutes and change.
Florida scored five times — three touchdowns and two field goals — punting just four times and running out the clock at the end of each half. The Gators outplayed the Tigers while running half the amount of plays. If there were ever a win to back up Scott Stricklin’s vote of confidence in Billy Napier, this was it.
Florida still had bad moments throughout the afternoon. LSU converted on third and fourth down seemingly at will, but the Gators’ defense came up big over and over to keep the Tigers off the board. Seven sacks is the big stat of the day, but a depleted secondary also deserves some credit.
Anything is possible with Lagway
What a difference a week makes, huh?
Florida looked at its worst last week against Texas a week ago with third-stringer Aidan Warner leading the offense. The Longhorns took advantage of the quarterback’s lack of experience and shut down the Gators all afternoon.
But the minute DJ Lagway was cleared to play, the odds changed significantly in Florida’s favor. Lagway is explosive, both on the ground and in the air. Even with a bum leg, Lagway’s mobility in the pocket kept plays alive and forced the defense to respect the passing game all night.
He connected with Elijhah Badger six times on 10 targets for 131 yards and a touchdown, opening things up for the running backs late in the game. Florida only ran the ball 14 times, but a late 55-yard touchdown sealed the game. That doesn’t happen if the defense isn’t worried about Lagway launching a deep ball, and it came right after a 19-yard connection with tight end Hayden Hansen.
Napier might still need to hire an offensive coordinator this offseason, but he knows how to call the right plays for [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag].
The path to bowl eligibility seems clear now. All Florida has to do is beat Florida State in the season final two weeks from now. But could the Gators finish things on a winning streak by upsetting Ole Miss next week, too? Don’t say no with Lagway at the helm.
Sack attack
Coming into this matchup, many expected Garrett Nussmeier to carve up a depleted Florida secondary. Nussmeier found some success throughout the game, completing 27 of 47 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown, but Florida’s pass rush kept him scrambling.
The Gators ended the contest with seven sacks — two from Shemar James, and one from Caleb Banks, George Gumbs Jr., Kamran James, Tyreak Sapp and TJ Searcy. The two biggest came from James and Sapp on LSU’s final drive. James knocked Nussmeier out for a play, and Sapp forced the Tigers out of field goal position in a moment where a kick-and-recovery plan was still viable.
Napier hasn’t stopped talking about culture since he stepped on campus, and this kind of effort is why it’s so important. Plenty of teams would have given up after giving up nearly 50 and falling to a 4-5 record; not to mention the injury wave that has plagued Florida’s defense. But not this group. These guys play for Napier and the name across their chest.
The future is bright for Florida’s defense moving forward, regardless of what happens against Ole Miss next week.
Smack kept Florida in it
Florida trailed LSU for fewer than three minutes this week, and major kudos go to kicker Trey Smack for keeping the game within range with a 55-yarder in the third quarter to knot things back up at 13 points apiece. The defense followed up that kick with a turnover that led to a touchdown and then held LSU to a field goal on the next drive.
Earlier in the game, Smack drilled a 49-yarder, which won’t get the nod for being a 50-plus make but is basically the same as a 50-yard field goal. Special teams have been the one constant for Florida this year, and it’s important to acknowledge when they make a difference.
Everyone laughed when Billy Napier dubbed them the game-changers unit, but that’s exactly the role Smack and Co. played for Florida in this win. Give them their flowers.
Up next for the Gators
The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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Instant reactions to Florida’s major upset of the LSU Tigers in Good, Bad and Ugly format.
Florida football earned its fifth win of the 2024 campaign against the LSU Tigers inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, evening up the all-time series with its long-time Southeastern Conference rival at 34-34-3 since 1937.
It also gave the Gators an outside chance at making a bowl game after missing last year’s postseason — but first, they face the Ole Miss Rebels and in-state rival Florida State Seminoles. What is important is that Billy Napier’s boys earned maybe the biggest win of the head coach’s career, even though his job has been declared safe.
The Gators Wire staff assembled after the game to offer their respective takes in a good bad and ugly format. Here is what we had to offer below.
DJ Lagway performed well in his return
James Gilbert/Getty Images
GOOD: DJ Lagway performed well in his return after missing last week’s game against Texas due to a left hamstring injury, Lagway returned to action this afternoon against the Tigers and had a solid outing for Florida. Although not at 100%, Lagway did what Florida needed him to do: limit the turnovers and keep control of the offense.
The freshman threw for 226 yards and a touchdown. It’s clear that the Gators offense really excels with Lagway in at quarterback. He’s one of the few guys who can single-handedly change a game.
BAD: Rush defense. The Gators had their struggles against an LSU offense that averaged 114 total rushing yards per game coming into this matchup. A lot of it has to do with poor tackling by the Gators’ defenders as well as a lack of disruption from Florida’s defensive line.
Tigers freshman running back Caden Durham led the team, running for 91 yards on 20 carries. LSU ended up with 127 total rushing yards.
Ugly: Third down defense. Florida was really struggling to get off the field today against LSU. It felt as if every third down was converted by the Tigers no matter how much distance there was to get the first down. LSU was 13-for-24 on third downs and some of these third-and-long situations were run plays because of the Gators’ inability to stop LSU’s ground game early on.
Luckily, toward the game’s end, Florida’s defense locked in and didn’t allow as many third-down conversions. — Aidan Gallardo
The sky’s the limit with DJ under center
James Gilbert/Getty Images
GOOD: Lagway being under center changes so much for this program. LSU’s defense couldn’t commit to stopping the run and loading the box like Texas did a week ago, and that doesn’t just show up in the passing stats.
On Florida’s final offensive drive, Lagway stepped up in the pocket and hit Hayden Hansen for a big gain, which set up a 55-yard touchdown from Jadan Baugh immediately after. The defense wasn’t ready for it, and that’s because they had to worry about Lagway.
The sky’s the limit with this kid under center, and this is the kind of win that makes recruits want to sign with Florida.
BAD: I don’t think the run game was actually bad, but Baugh did struggle before breaking off the big score in the fourth quarter. His first five carries produced just 10 yards, and that’s including an 11-yard gain. Not great stuff from the true freshman, but some blame goes to the offensive line too.
A couple of holding and false start calls also hurt the offense, but penalties are part of the game. you expect it from guys like freshman Aidan Mizell and even Lagway on a delay of game, but the flags from veterans Austin Barber and Jake Slaughter feel avoidable.
UGLY: Florida’s defense played very well today, but things routinely fell apart on third and fourth down. LSU converted 13 times on third down with a conversion rate over 50%, and they converted twice on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
The Gators are banged up, but this felt more like an issue of effort rather than depth. That’s not to say the players weren’t trying, but rather that they spent more energy trying to get to third down than putting an end to a drive. Football is a tough game, and long drives kill.
LSU had possession of the ball for nearly 42 minutes, and at least a dozen of those came after some sort of late-down conversion. — David Rosenberg
What could be better than a victory for Florida?
James Gilbert/Getty Images)
GOOD: What could be better than a victory for the Orange and Blue? With the win, Florida has a legitimate chance at earning a postseason berth. Sure, they still need one more win, but with Ole Miss and FSU on the slate, it seems like the possibility is extremely strong.
Such a result would justify Scott Stricklin’s vote of confidence in Napier when he guaranteed that the head coach would return in 2025. And let us be honest — this is the best possible outcome Gators fans could ask for.
BAD: I was expecting more from the ground game coming in, given LSUs struggles recently but despite the return of Montell Johnson Jr. the unit still only finished with 113 yards on the ground.
It is hard to say much more after a key win for Napier and Co. that could result in an extra game this December.
UGLY: As we have seen in the past, the yellow flag was probably Florida’s bigger opponent than the team opposite of them on the field. Florida was penalized seven times for 55 yards, but it was more about the context of those mistakes that made it ugly.
Nonetheless, the Gators overcame those shortcomings to seize victory from the jaws of defeat. — Adam Dubbin
Up next for the Gators
The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Walter Clayton Jr. takes the Florida State rivalry personally and his 25 points helped the Gators come out on top against the Seminoles on Friday night.
Florida took down rival Florida State on the hardwood Friday night, 87-74, in a game that could have been a 20-point blowout but stayed within range until a pair of dagger threes in the final minutes.
[autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. led all scorers with 25 points, followed by [autotag]Alijah Martin[/autotag] with 17 and [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] with 12 for Florida. Seminoles star Jamir Watkins scored 19, and three other Florida State players reached double figures.
The biggest difference between the two squads was the physicality Florida played with, made evident by an 18-rebound differential at the final buzzer. [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] missed his first double-double of the season by three points, but he dominated the boards all night.
Despite the 13-point margin on the scoreboard, Florida did not play its best basketball. The Gators turned the ball over 19 times, giving the Seminoles 16 points off turnovers. [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] set a goal of 12 or fewer ahead of the game, and Florida made this game closer than it needed to be by exceeding that total.
Still, a win is a win, especially when it comes against Florida State — even though the Seminoles haven’t won this matchup since the 2020 season.
The Gators move to 4-0 on the season with a chance to close out the first month of the season undefeated. Florida A&M, Southern Illinois and Wake Forest remain on the schedule.
Walter Clayton Jr. likes playing Florida State
Clayton dropped 19 against Florida State last year and didn’t hold back when discussing his feelings on the Seminoles in the post-game press conference. He followed that performance up with a 25-point outburst, most of which (12) came during the bookends of the game.
A shoot-first guard, Clayton can take over games when he needs to for Florida. The Gators have several scoring options, but Clayton can stroke it from deep and drive the lane when the defense gives it to him. He’s also 12-of-13 this year from the free-throw line, which means there’s no way to stop him from scoring without forcing a turnover.
Against Grambling State and Jacksonville, Clayton seemed more focused on distributing the ball rather than scoring. Tonight, he wanted to outplay Watkins and lead his team to a convincing victory. His team-high plus-minus of 15 confirms he was the X-factor in this win.
Another dominant night on the boards
Florida State has some big bodies down low, and they play defense better than other teams Florida has seen this year. But the Seminoles were no match for the Gators on the boards.
Florida’s 47 rebounds against FSU are the most so far this season, surpassing the 45 grabbed against Grambling State at the beginning of the week. Condon is the biggest contributor, securing 11 defensive rebounds and one offensive. He simply out-physicals the other big bodies in the paint, and those 12 boards came over just 28 minutes.
Not to be forgotten is [autotag]Thomas Haugh[/autotag], who had five defensive rebounds and four offensive for a total of nine over 20 minutes off the bench. It’s a luxury for Todd Golden to be able to rotate these two in and out, and there’s really no need for them to see the floor at the same time except for the fact that they are best friends.
[autotag]Rueben Chinyelu[/autotag] matched his season-high with six rebounds (three defensive, three offensive), and all three starting guards — Clayton, Martin and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] — added five apiece to the team total. When you get that kind of production on the glass from your starting five, it’s pretty easy to find a path to victory.
Too many turnovers
The scary about wins like this for Florida is that the Gators aren’t playing their best basketball. Clayton, Condon and Chinyelu all turned the ball over four times, and Martin added three more. Urban Klavzar traveled on his first touch of the season, and Denzel Aberdeen threw the ball to waste a possession.
And the Gators still won by 13 points.
There’s no doubt that the turnover margin needs to be cleaned up, but there’s reason to be excited about a team that can overcome a 19-8 differential with relative ease.
Richard was the only starter without a turnover tonight and it’s because he’s not a primary ball handler. Clayton’s trying a little too hard to prove he can dish the rock, and Martin is the second option. With Klavzar in the mix, it might be wise to let him take the ball up more, but he only played five minutes tonight. Aberdeen is another option at the point.
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The Saints got the “interim coach bump” in Week 10, and that was the biggest takeaway from their win according to Bleacher Report:
Bleacher Report’s staff gives their biggest takeaway from each team every week. Their biggest takeaway for the New Orleans Saints is that the coaching change gave the team a spark. New Orleans fired Dennis Allen after nearly three seasons as head coach and replaced him with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
There were many changes throughout the week that seemed like small moves, but when they’re all compiled together it begins to resemble a culture reset. There was an immediate and different aura around this team and it translated to the field on Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons. There was more energy, and for the first time in a long time the Saints had game breaking plays.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling had two long receptions from Derek Carr. The deep shot was once the most deadly trait of the offense, but it’s been absent since Rashid Shaheed suffered a season-ending injury.
John Ridgeway blocked Younghoe Koo’s field goal before halftime. There were just plays you didn’t see happening before. Large changes, like interim coaches, are known for sparking change in their first game but continuing that momentum is the difficult part. Only time will tell if Rizzi can keep performances high.
The sky is not falling. Here are five quick takeaways from the Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.
The Denver Broncos fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 16-14 on Sunday after their last-second field goal attempt was blocked. Here are five quick takeaways from the loss.
1. Audric Estime in, Javonte Williams out: Hopefully fantasy football managers listened when coach Sean Payton hinted last week that Estime would be more involved in the second half of the season. Estime dominated the team’s backfield on Sunday with 14 carries for 53 yards. Jaleel McLaughlin mixed in with two carries for 12 yards and even wide receiver Marvin Mims got three carries for 17 yards. Williams only received one carry (for one yard) and just two targets as a receiver out of the backfield. Estime might be the new RB1 going forward.
2. Bad officiating did not cost Denver the game: Yes, there were some questionable calls on Sunday, but the Broncos can’t blame the officials for the loss (more on that in a moment). KC’s formation on the field goal block was legal, and Denver squandered opportunities to win the game in the second half. Blame for the loss falls on the Broncos, not the referee.
3. Denver’s offense disappeared in the second half: After taking a 14-10 lead into halftime, the Broncos’ offense proved to be mostly ineffective until the final drive of the game. Denver’s defense continued to hold up, allowing just two field goals, but the offense didn’t do its part.
4. Alex Forsyth cost the Broncos the game: Listen, this is not a green light to harass players on social media, which is never acceptable. But there’s accountability in professional sports, and players are spotlighted for mistakes (in a professional manner). The Chiefs identified Forsyth as a weak link on kicks earlier in the game, noting that he was too light on his toes and susceptible to a bull rush. KC exploited that on the final play of the game and drove Forsyth back to block the field goal attempt. Forsyth accepted blame after the game, and he’ll probably never make that mistake again.
5. Denver is oh-so-close: After the game, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix said, “I feel like we’re right there, just have to get over that hump.” He’s right. The good news is that Denver just went toe-to-toe with the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team, the defending Super Bowl champions. The bad news is that the Broncos weren’t able to complete the game. “It really played out exactly how we wanted it to, like exactly with the ball, the clock, in complete control of everything,” Payton said. “We just couldn’t finish it.” If the Broncos get over the hump that Nix referenced, they will be a legitimate playoff contender this fall. And they’ll see KC again when the Chiefs visit Empower Field at Mile High in Week 18. Denver was knocked down on Sunday, but the Broncos weren’t knocked out. There’s a lot of football left to play.
The Broncos lost to the Ravens on the road in Week 9. Here are five takeaways from the defeat.
The Denver Broncos (5-4) lost to the Baltimore Ravens (6-3) 41-10 in Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season on Sunday afternoon. Here are five quick takeaways from the defeat.
1. P.J. Locke has been missed: Locke has missed the team’s last two games with a thumb injury and there’s been a noticeable dropoff to Devon Key. Locke himself could be a candidate to lose his starting job in 2025, but he’s certainly better than the depth options behind him. The Broncos will undoubtedly hope the safety is ready to return next week.
2. Courtland Sutton can’t do it all at WR: Sutton hauled in seven receptions for 122 yards on Sunday. No other wide receiver posted more than two catches and quarterback Bo Nix was Denver’s only player to catch a touchdwon pass on Sunday. The Broncos lack playmakers at the position and the WRs behind Sutton (ahem, Lil’Jordah Humphrey) are hurting more than they’re helping. Josh Reynolds (finger) is eligible to return from injured reserve next week and the offense could really use him.
3. Bo Nix is still trending up: It certainly wasn’t a great game from Nix, but the blame for his interception falls on Humphrey. Nix finished the day 19-of-33 passing for 223 yards with one turnover and one touchdown catch. He’s getting little help on offense, but the rookie QB continues to show fight. Nix still has some rookie growing pains to get through, but he has the right makeup to have success in the NFL.
4. The Broncos aren’t true playoff contenders yet: Denver’s 5-3 record going into Week 9 might have been a bit of fool’s gold. Mathematically, the Broncos could obviously still squeak into the playoffs this season as a Wild Card seed, but Sunday’s game demonstrated where Denver stacks up against true contenders in the AFC. The Broncos have a young, inexperienced team that’s lacking in depth due in part to the team’s limited salary cap space. All things considered, a 5-4 record is a respectable mark at this point in the season. But Denver’s more pretender than contender at the moment.
5. Expect a quiet NFL trade deadline: It wouldn’t make sense for the Broncos to trade away future draft capital with a splash move at the deadline. Denver’s not one player away from making a run, anyway. It also wouldn’t make sense to part with a player like Sutton — their best WR — when Nix is developing. The Broncos might stand pat at Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Up next for Denver is a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Florida football was on its way to an upset victory over Georgia, and then disaster struck as DJ Lagway went down with an injury. The rest of the game was a slog.
Everything was going so well, and then suddenly it wasn’t.
The Florida Gators must have done something to anger the football gods, or perhaps Kirby Smart made a deal with the devil. The Orange and Blue took a 13-6 lead into the half, but all Gator Nation could feel was angst as third-string quarterback Aidan Warner took over for an injured [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag].
Things went exactly as expected without half the starting lineup on the field in the second half. Florida struggled to create any offense outside of one touchdown drive led by running back Ja’Kobi Jackson, and the defense tired after getting minimal time to breathe.
Florida went three-and-out four times with Warner at the helm, and a two-play drive ended with an interception to secure a Georgia victory. Injuries turned that seven-point lead at the half into a 34-20 loss for the Gators.
Save for some impressive work from the defense, there’s very little to be happy about for those in Gator Nation. The only other silver lining would be finding out that Lagway isn’t done for the season. Napier called his hamstring injury significant at the half, though.
Too many injuries
Losing Lagway would have made the injuries a hot topic following this game regardless of what happened after, but the third quarter was riddled with stoppages as players struggled to get up from the field.
Florida lost its top corner Devin Moore as well and saw three other defensive backs — Jordan Castell, Sharif Denson and Dijon Johnson — deal with injuries on a single drive. It wasn’t just the Gators who got hurt. Georgia dealt with a handful of injuries as well, including Trevor Etienne, who didn’t play after halftime.
The Orange and Blue also came into this game down its starter at quarterback (Graham Mertz), running back (Montrell Johnson Jr.), wide receiver (Eugene Wilson III) and cornerback (Jason Marshall Jr.). Oh, what could have been.
Botched field goal erases all hope of a win
Maybe there was some hope that Florida could pull off the win after taking a 7-point lead into halftime, but Georgia’s defense played with a different energy after the break.
They attacked Aidan Warner, knowing that he was ill-prepared to lead an SEC offense, and then disaster struck. With a chance to go back up by three points, Florida long snapper Rocco Underwood botched the snap on a 51-yard field goal, sending the ball bouncing past hold Jeremy Crawshaw and kicker Trey Smack.
After a brief scramble for the ball, Georgia recovered nearly 30 yards closer to the end zone than a missed field goal would have put them. The mishap could not have come at a worse time.
Georgia scored immediately after the turnover, putting the game firmly in the hands of the Bulldogs. Yes, Florida tied it up briefly, but Georgia piled on after that.
The defense is real
Holding Georgia to six points in the first half was everything Florida’s defense needed to do, but the momentum shift in the second half was too much to overcome.
Still, there’s no longer a question of whether Florida’s defense is legit or not. The pass rush and secondary forced three interceptions in the first half and had Carson Beck looking uncomfortable all night.
Even Nate Frazier was limited to 70 yards on 17 carries once Etienne went down with his injury. Allowing 440-plus yards to a rival isn’t usually the sign of good defense, but it’s hard not to be impressed with Florida’s D keeping them in the game for all four quarters.
Shout out to true freshman Myles Graham for a third-down sack late in the game to keep it a one-score game.
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“You have to know when the ride’s over,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of wide receivers losing fumbles.
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was clearly upset after wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Lil’Jordan Humphrey both lost fumbles against the Carolina Panthers last week. In a radio interview, Payton went as far as suggesting the team could “find some other receivers” who won’t fumble.
After a few days to cool down, Payton was a little more cordial on Wednesday.
“L.J.’s [fumble], there’s a point at which the ride is over,” Payton said. “You have to know that. In other words, that extra two yards that you’re fighting for, I’m looking at 30 plays that I’ve got ready to call. So you have to know when the ride’s over.
“Courtland’s was a little different, catching it real close to the [goal line]. So each one can be different, but it’s just that understanding. These guys have forced fumbles at a high rate, and so that’s an important statistic as it relates to a game like this.”
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix defended both receivers this week.
“I thought both L.J. and Court, they were tough football plays,” Nix said. “They weren’t necessarily careless with the ball, those guys (on defense) made good plays. I’m not worried about those two. They’re veterans. They handled it really well this week.
“We know it’s important. We have to eliminate them and continue to win the turnover margin. When we do that, we’re successful. We just have to find ways to continue to do it. It has to be most important.”
Going up against a 5-3 Baltimore Ravens team this week, Denver’s offense can’t afford to put the ball on the ground.
“[Y]ou try to deal with it before you have that crisis moment,” Payton said of the fumbles. “Then we coach it, ‘How are you handling the ball in traffic? Not in traffic?’ Eventually, it has to become a habit. I think it’s coaching, it’s practice and it’s technique. It’s all of those things.”
The Broncos have 12 takeaways this season (tied for ninth-most) and 12 giveaways (five interceptions and seven fumbles, a league-high). The defense’s takeaways have been canceled out by the offense’s blunders, which will come back to hurt Denver against better teams.
After a point of emphasis on protecting the ball this week, Broncos receivers will undoubtedly have two hands on the ball in traffic on Sunday.
Here are five takeaways from the Broncos’ victory over the Panthers on Sunday.
The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 28-14 at home in Week 8. Here are five quick takeaways from the victory.
1. Courtland Sutton gets rewarded: Sutton was a good sport after he drew zero targets in the team’s last game. He followed that up with his first 100-yard performance since 2022 with eight catches for 100 yards on Sunday. He also completed a pass, keeping his 100% completion rate alive (3-of-3).
2. Nik Bonitto’s sack streak continues: With one sack against Bryce Young, Bonitto has now recorded a sack in six straight games. He’s the first Bronco to accomplish that feat since Von Miller in 2018. The team’s all-time record is held by Simon Fletcher (ten straight games). He might not catch Denver’s all-time record, Bonitto does have the longest active streak in the NFL.
3. Nobody will feel sorry for Jaycee Horn: CBS cameras caught Horn chirping at Broncos coach Sean Payton after the game for attempting to run up the score. This is Horn’s fourth season in the NFL. Having that kind of reaction to a professional football team running a fake field goal and trick play in the fourth quarter won’t draw him any sympathy. This is the Big Time.
4. Bo Nix continues to trend up: Yes, it was against a struggling defense, but that was exactly the kind of performance we wanted to see from Nix. The rookie quarterback went 28-of-37 passing for 284 yards with three touchdown passes and no turnovers, good for a 124.2 passer rating. Nix also rushed for a touchdown and he’s the team’s first QB since John Elway (1996) to have multiple games with at least two passing touchdowns and a rushing score in in the same season.
5. The real test is yet to come: The Broncos took care of business against the Panthers, as they were expected to. Now the team has back-to-back road games on deck against the Baltimore Ravens (5-3) and Kansas City Chiefs (7-0). Denver can’t lose two fumbles and get away with it against AFC contenders like they did against the lowly Panthers. Sunday was a good team win, but the Broncos have work to do. We’ll find out a lot about this team over the next two weeks.
