The Denver Broncos had their playoff destiny on a silver platter on Thursday night, and yet, the dish went crashing to the floor with food careening everywhere. A win and the Broncos were in the playoffs.
That's control. But to have such immediate success against the Los Angeles Chargers, with touchdown drives on all three of the Broncos' initial possessions, building an 11-point lead twice, this game was Denver's oyster, but they couldn't get it shucked.
Cliches and allegory aside, the Broncos had the Chargers dead to rights, and then... collapse. After a very impressive first-half performance, Bo Nix and the Broncos offense wilted in the second.
That dovetailed with the Broncos defense becoming a soft, gassed, incompetent version of itself, as Justin Herbert moved the Chargers at will with one scoring drive after another in the second half. The Broncos lost their lead and the game, falling 34-27.
However, Nix may be a rookie, but he's been around the block enough to know that it won't serve him or his team to dwell on what could have been. With two games left to go, the Broncos are in the same position they were entering SoFi Stadium: win one game and you're in.
“Well, the good thing is my role is going to be pretty simple because everybody in that locker room wants to already play next week," Nix said post-game. "I think at this point, we're all competitively frustrated and I think we're excited for this opportunity. We know this next one's the most important and we just want to, I think, go out next week and not feel this way again.”
To use Nix's verbiage, he was hankering to "flush" what happened on Thursday night as soon as possible and, to quote the great Bill Belichick, get "on to Cincinnati." The Broncos will take to the road again to face an explosive Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals offense.
The Bengals are only a six-win team, but Burrow and that talented offense make them a very tough out. At the rate the Broncos defense has been giving up yards and points, Nix had better be ready to lead an offensive resurgence in Cincy. Burrow is gonna get his.
It'll be crucial for the Broncos to establish and stick with the run game moving forward, especially in Cincy, where keeping Burrow on the sideline is a priority. Sean Payton had a great plan vs. the Chargers, and he implemented it successfully early, but the run game evaporated in the second half, as the Broncos couldn't stay on the field. Nix had an explanation for that.
“I just think we didn't have as good of first down success and then got in more third and longs," Nix said.
While that's part of the story — a lack of first-down rushing success — there was a lot more to it in the second half. One of the other key components was Nix's seeming temerity about pushing the ball past the sticks.
After throwing an uncharacteristic five interceptions in the previous two games, it's possible that Nix couldn't avoid what he was hoping to, becoming a bit gun-shy vs. the Chargers. He would finish 29-of-40 for 263 yards and two touchdowns, avoiding any turnovers, but the metrics reinforced how conservative he was being with the ball.
It was a bit of an overcorrection, but not one that he can't rebalance. Nix did have a few deeper shots, including one down the right sideline to Marvin Mims Jr. that should have been flagged for pass interference. But Nix wore the crown of the Checkdown King in Week 16.
Nix was right about one thing at the post-game podium: the Broncos beat themselves on Thursday night. That's not to take credit away from L.A. But it's true.
“Just frustrated," Nix said, "Fortunately, we got another part of the season. You’ve got to go out there and do it again. I mean we kind of found ways to almost beat ourselves tonight. We just had many opportunities and just didn't capitalize.”
Live and learn. The Broncos are still in prime position to achieve double-digit wins for the first time since 2015 and make the playoffs. For a team that was predicted to be below five wins and vying for a top-five draft pick, it's safe to say that Nix and company have defied expectations.
Considering the quantum leap forward the Broncos have taken with Nix in his rookie year, it's mind-boggling to imagine what the future holds. The Broncos were resource-strapped this past offseason due to the Russell Wilson contract, but 2025 will see the playing field leveled. Denver will have the resources to build the nest around Nix, who'll enter Year 2 battle-tested.
This league isn't about defying expectations. It's not about upsetting the oddsmakers. It's about winning — making the playoffs, and getting the chance to compete in the tournament, where anything can happen. And all those things are still on the table for the Broncos.
The good news is that the 24-year-old Nix is healthy entering these final two games. And he's strong as a bull, physically and mentally.
"Fortunately for me, I'm healthy going into Week 17 at this point in season," Nix said. "It's tough and it's a grind during the season. But we prepare off season for this and this is where you go out there and compete. This is the most important part of the season, the ending. So, [we've] got to find ways to win games and being healthy is a huge part of that.”
