“It was an interesting situation there at the end because we had a good plan and then they got the penalty,” Nix said. “That kind of threw us off a little bit as far as if the clock was gonna continue to run, and after that it was down to I think 13 seconds, so you’ve got to really hurry. That and 12 (seconds) is about as low as you want to go to catch the ball in bounds and clock it. So, we decided to get a play to the end zone, and with the personnel we had out there we just had to make it work. It was impressive to see the guys kind of make it work. It wasn’t what [Sean Payton] I think imagined or planned, but it worked out in our favor.”
Said Broncos head coach Sean Payton: “That was certainly a big play at the end of the half. A huge play.”
Sutton had five receptions for a game-high 81 yards, but Nix was diplomatic with dispensing the ball. Nine Broncos caught passes on Monday, as Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, Harvey and Evan Engram each garnered at least four catches.
“I thought I had good vision today,” Nix said. “I thought I did a good job of seeing things. We had a good plan and I was really clued into what I needed to see. The guys just get open. We do a good job of playing a lot of guys, keeping guys fresh, and each guy is gonna have a chance to get the ball and make an explosive [play]. You never know who will find the football. It’s just good to spread the ball around because you’re not gonna get defenses that can hone in on one person.”
In an AFC West that boasts three playoff squads from the 2024 season — the Kansas City Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos — things are interesting after Week 4. The Chargers were dealt their first loss and sit at 3-1, while the Chiefs and Broncos are riding lopsided victories into Week 5 and sitting at 2-2.
The plan is to enjoy Monday night’s triumph before moving forward in a short week to prepare for the reigning Super Bowl champions, the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, on Sunday.
It’s a daunting matchup, but after a pair of heartbreaking setbacks, the Broncos are now riding high following a blowout victory. There’s plenty of season left, but Denver is rounding into form and finding itself before another big game.
“Obviously, early in the season, all 31 other teams are really working to figure out who they are,” Payton said. “We’re no different. But certainly it was a step in the right direction. I would say that there were a lot of things we were able to do tonight that can hopefully carry over. Now, we change quickly to a team that just finished winning the Super Bowl, so we’ll enjoy this one and then get back to work tomorrow.”