The Denver Broncos did it again.
In Week 5 against an undermanned Las Vegas Raiders team with plenty of issues both on and off the field, the Broncos dominated the Raiders 34-18, improving to 3-2 on the season.
In years past, if the Broncos found themselves with every reason to walk away victorious, they would too often fall short and drop games that quality franchises win. It seemed that could be the case again here, in Week 5, as the team dug an early 10-0 hole.
However, from there, they scored 34 straight and never looked back.
There were several key factors that we knew would influence the outcome, and the Broncos won the battle in each of those areas.
Limit the Las Vegas Raiders Passing Game
Before the game, we discussed how slowing down Brock Bowers would be key to winning the game without Davante Adams in the lineup.
That got blown up pretty quickly.
Bowers – on one of the first pass plays of the day for the Raiders – scored a 57-yard touchdown, en route to the 10-0 start that had the Broncos in an early hole.
As was the case for most other aspects of this game, the matchup between Bowers and the Denver Broncos defense was flipped on its head after a big play by Pat Surtain II. On the goal line with a chance for the Raiders to take a 17-3 lead, Minshew attempted a pass for Bowers that Surtain plucked out of the air and returned 100 yards the other way for the score.
In the first half, Bowers hauled in four passes on six targets for 66 yards as Las Vegas managed to keep the game close. When Denver was able to blow the game open in the second half, Bowers was limited to only 31 yards on another six targets.
Bowers was one of the keys to the game for both sides, and we saw what the game looked like with Bowers dominating early and what the Broncos were able to do to the Raiders’ offense once the team was able to lockdown the rookie tight end.
Bo Nix Proved His Week 3 Performance Was Not a One-Hit-Wonder
Following his poor outing against the Jets, many people, including those at this outlet, were worried about whether Nix’s performance against the Buccaneers was simply an outlier against a weak defense, and his baseline level of play is actually closer to what we saw in Weeks 1, 2 and 4.
Facing a Las Vegas Raiders defense that has not performed well this season, it was imperative that Nix put together a quality start and show some flashes of why he was a first-round pick.
While not a perfect performance, Nix certainly played a good game and showed flashes that the team can continue to build off of. Nix finished the game completing 19 of 27 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, adding another touchdown on the ground.
The numbers are strong, but the performance was a bit uneven with a mix of both good and bad.
Nix started off the game pretty poorly, struggling to push the ball downfield or even convert first downs. This led to the team being on the verge of an early 17-3 deficit before Surtain made the game-changing play.
Then, Nix and the offense snapped to life.
The rookie field general led the team into Raider territory for a field goal before the end of the first half, and, from there, the offense only continued to build as they entered the second half.
Accompanied by a strong running game and a season-best performance from Javonte Williams, Nix was able to complete passes in structure and put together an extremely strong second half.
He had three touchdowns across quarters three and four, and could’ve had a fourth if not for a pass falling through Troy Franklin’s fingertips.
The team and Broncos Country alike would love to see Nix perform as well in the first half as he has in the second, but it was encouraging nonetheless for Nix to put some more promising film on tape. Nix led the offense to a productive performance and, most importantly, a win.
This Is Not Your Same Old Denver Broncos.
Coming into the week, the Denver Broncos had every reason to win the game.
The Raiders are a bad team missing multiple key players, and the franchise was in the midst of dealing with the Davante Adams fiasco, while the Broncos were coming off of two straight wins.
For this exact reason, many within Broncos Country, including myself, had the feeling that this would be the type of trap game Denver loses too frequently. We’ve seen this story before, most recently with the team losing to the Patriots and Raiders last year with a path to the playoffs within reach.
Early on in the game, it seemed we were headed in that all too familiar direction.
The difference was that the team showed the capability to fight and rally back, to not only win but dominate in this type of game we are so used to seeing the franchise overlook and trip on.
Short term, this was a great win and the Broncos appear poised to be in playoff contention. Long term, it is another sign in a long list of reasons to believe that Sean Payton and his staff have this team on the right track.
The Denver Broncos have made one first-round pick and two top 60 picks across the past three drafts, and are currently paying Russell Wilson over $50 million this season to not play for them. The defense has one first-round pick on its entire depth chart.
All conventional wisdom pointed to the Broncos being one of the worst teams in football. Vegas oddsmakers had their over/under win total set at 5.5, and the consensus amongst most national analysts is the team would fall under that total.
And yet, the team currently sits at 3-2 and, it appears, will be a competitive team all year long.
While there are specific micro-decisions you can criticize Payton for, it is hard to not feel confident about the long-term outlook. The biggest area where we see his coaching shine through is the development of the young talent on the roster.
The best example of this is the secondary. Coming into the year, a secondary including Riley Moss, Brandon Jones, Ja’Quan McMillian, and P.J. Locke, with Devon Key and J.L. Skinner in reserve spots, would be questionable at best and downright bad at worst. With each player though, it seems the coaching staff has helped them realize their best possible outcome, and the secondary looks like one of the most impressive units in football.
We see this type of progress from young players all over the roster, whether it be from emerging rushers Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper, or getting good offensive line play even as the team finds itself down multiple linemen.
It feels like the Denver Broncos are finally getting the most out of every player on the team, and that is a testament to Payton and his staff.
