Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos entered the 2025 campaign saddled with Mile High expectations.
After three weeks, Denver found itself with a 1-2 record following two straight losses by a combined four points.
Nix and Co. bounced back in a big way Monday night, rolling over the Cincinnati Bengals in a 28-3 blowout with the second-season quarterback totaling three touchdowns and his offense going off for 512 yards.
"There's always gonna be noise," Nix said of the scuttlebutt emanating from a 29-28 Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and a 23-20 Week 3 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers. "I'm sure after this win people are gonna have a lot they want to see us fix or whatever, so there's always noise. There's always ways to improve, just it's a little bit better of a feeling when you win the game watching it again and fixing those mistakes because you know you won. The last few weeks have stunk because you lose the game and you know there's so much that you miss, so many opportunities that you had, so it's a lot better on the winning side."
Nix turned the volume up Monday, throwing for a career-best 326 yards on 29-of-42 passing with two touchdowns and an interception, while adding a 6-yard TD run for the Broncos' first points.
Nix's touchdown run with 17 seconds left on the first quarter clock came after the Bengals took a 3-0 lead and began a 28-point scoring run for the Broncos.
Following a Marvin Mims Jr. 16-yard scoring run, Nix hit Courtland Sutton for a 20-yard touchdown just before halftime and wrapped up the dominant night with a 12-yard TD to RJ Harvey -- the rookie running back's first NFL score.
The game was essentially over at halftime thanks to a Bengals penalty, some Broncos quick thinking and some Sutton acrobatics.
With 17 seconds to play in the first half, Nix hit Sutton for an 8-yard gain and Denver was in hurry-up mode, but an offsides penalty was called on the Bengals. It was declined, but the penalty briefly interrupted the Broncos' business at hand. They quickly recovered.
The ensuing Sutton TD was likely the highlight of the night, with Nix gunning it to his top target in between two defenders. Sutton went airborne to corral it and landed hard on his back in the end zone. He was slow getting up, but he had six to show for it.
"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."
