The Denver Broncos improved to 9-5 on Sunday with a 31-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Here are five quick takeaways from the win.
1. The ground game continues to struggle: Before exiting the game with a quad injury, Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin rushed seven times for 21 yards. Javonte Williams was even worse, rushing six times for 15 yards. Denver quarterback Bo Nix ended up leading the team with 23 rushing yards despite losing two yards on kneel-downs to secure the win. The Broncos have to get more from their backfield down the stretch.
2. Injuries are piling up: The two most notable injuries for Denver are those to cornerbacks Pat Surtain (ankle) and Riley Moss (knee), but those aren’t the injuries to monitor this week. McLaughlin (quad) and defensive lineman D.J. Jones (finger) are also ailing, and guard Quinn Meinerz (shoulder) also left Sunday’s game before later returning. Playing on a short week, the Broncos’ medical staff will do its best to get the team’s banged-up players ready to go by Thursday.
3. Nik Bonitto for Defensive Player of the Year: Surtain has a case as well, but voters have demonstrated in the past that they love sacks. Bonitto now has 11.5 sacks on the year plus a 71-yard pick-six and a 50-yard fumble-six. Bonitto is now the first player to record at least 10 sacks and two defensive touchdowns in the same season since J.J. Watt in 2014. Watt won DPOY that season.
CASA BONITTO!!!!#ProBowlVote + @nikkkkbonitto pic.twitter.com/F3PgKZ0dry
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 16, 2024
4. Bo Nix was resilient: The rookie certainly didn’t have a great game, throwing three interceptions. Nix, as usual, never hung his head. The quarterback bounced back and ended the day with three touchdown passes and four scoring drives. There will be plenty to learn from following Sunday’s game, but winning an ugly game is nothing to scoff at. Nix is working through his rookie growing pains and the QB is still trending in the right direction despite the turnovers against Indy.
5. The Broncos are legit: Denver has clinched its first winning season since 2016 and with a win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football, the Broncos can clinch a playoff berth in Week 16. Sean Payton has the club just one victory away from their first postseason appearance since Denver won Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. With a play-making defense, the Broncos are the kind of team that could make some unexpected noise in the playoffs.
After facing the Chargers in Week 16, the Broncos will go on the road to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 before closing out the regular season at home against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18.
