Instant reaction: Broncos shutout Chiefs to punch their ticket to the postseason

The Denver Broncos took care of business and routed the Kansas City Chiefs in a 38-0 shutout. They are playoff bound for the first time since 2015.

The Denver Broncos had one final game to punch their ticket to the playoffs. With everything on the line, the team rose to the occasion and obliterated the Kansas City Chiefs in an epic 38-0 shutout. Here are some instant reactions from this afternoon’s game.

Your beloved Denver Broncos are playoff bound for the first time since Super Bowl 50

It has been a long eight years, Broncos Country. But guess what? One of the darkest chapters in team history is over—a new one has officially begun. Your beloved Broncos are finally back to playing postseason football after a near decade drought!

A huge tip of the cap to the coaches, players, and ownership for quickly turning things around over the past two seasons. This is a gargantuan achievement especially when you consider the dead cap money and multiple years of missed draft capital due to the Russell Wilson trade.

After securing the seventh seed with today’s victory, the Broncos will face the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round next weekend. Get your popcorn ready, folks!

Bo Nix etches himself into the history books with top-tier rookie campaign

Quarterback Bo Nix was already on pace for a Top 10 season for a rookie quarterback in NFL history. With today’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, he finished better than anyone could have imagined before their 2024 campaign started. I’m honestly probably a few highlights short, but here is a list of accomplishments.

Nix became the fifth player ever to throw for 25 touchdowns and 3,500 passing yards in their first season. Additionally, he now holds the mark for the most touchdown passes for a rookie quarterback at home in a season with 19. Even better? He carved his way into the Top 3 all-time with total touchdowns as a rookie with 34, ranking only behind Justin Herbert’s 36 in 2020 and Cam Newton’s 35 in 2011.

In the first half of today’s game, Nix was 18-of-19 for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns. And yes—he did complete eighteen passes in a row. He added 47 yards rushing on 7 carries and finished the game going 26-of-29 for 321 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Friends, the future looks incredibly bright with Nix at the helm. What a season for the rookie!

Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. take flight in Broncos’ big victory

Entering today’s game, Courtland Sutton hadn’t surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark since his Pro-Bowl season in 2019. The longtime veteran needed just 27 yards to reach that plateau today. With a $500,000 performance bonus on the line, he easily achieved that feat early on in the first quarter. Sutton had a big impact this afternoon and finished the game with 5 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.

His counterpart, two-time Pro-Bowler Marvin Mims Jr. had 5 receptions for 51 yards two touchdowns in today’s game. That’s back-to-back weeks with multiple scores for Marvelous Marvin. The second-year player from Oklahoma has really turned up the heat down the stretch and has proven himself as a dynamic offensive threat and special teams’ weapon.

If the Broncos are going to embark on a postseason run, they are certainly going to need both Sutton and Mims to perform at a high level.

Broncos’ defense finishes with franchise best 62 sacks in regular season

One of the reasons the Broncos were able to make the playoffs this season was the top-notch play by their defense. Sure, they had some issues the past month, but they were on a tear against the Chiefs’ backups.

The best part about their efforts this afternoon and season? Their fearsome pass rush. They are the only team in the NFL this year with a half dozen players having more than five sacks. Both Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper finished the season with double digit sacks.

When it was all said and done, the defense achieved 62 sacks for their 2024 campaign. That’s an impeccable amount. That total surpasses the vaunted 2015 championship defense which was headlined by Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware and future Hall of Famer Von Miller.