Winners and Losers from the Denver Broncos 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs

THE DENVER BRONCOS ARE PLAYOFF BOUND!

THE DENVER BRONCOS ARE POSTSEASON-BOUND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SUPER BOWL 50!!

With their shutout blowout victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos have clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2015. They will finish the year with a 10-7 record, a promising young quarterback, and one of the best defenses in the league.

Before looking forward to the playoffs, let us talk about this blowout victory. Here are your winners from the Broncos’ 38-0 victory over the Chiefs which clinched their spot in the postseason.

WINNER – Bo Nix

Yes, it was mostly against the Chiefs’ backups, but Bo Nix saved his best performance of the season for the regular season finale. He went 26 of 29 for 321 yards, and 4 touchdown passes while adding 47 yards rushing (which could have been more).

Nix was excellent in this game and carried his strong performance from the second half of the Bengals game into this one. Again, it was against a preseason roster, but still, he played great and I would rather him play great against lesser competition than struggle. Hopefully, he can carry this momentum into the Wildcard Round vs. the Bills.

WINNER – Sean Payton

Sean Payton took over a Franchise in shambles in 2023. They were coming off the disaster that was Nathaniel Hackett, had Russell Wilson freshly signed to a mega-contract, and was a team looking like an absolute dumpster fire.

In year one, he had the Broncos in the postseason mix and they finished with an 8-9 record. A nice first year for a rebuilding franchise. They then moved on from Wilson, ate a historic cap hit, and Payton hand-picked Bo Nix despite many analysts and mouth breathers criticizing this move. He led a roster that many called one of the worst in the league to 10 wins, a playoff berth, and proved he can scout quarterbacks better than most.

Sure, he has his issues with play-calling and clock management at times, but what coach doesn’t these days? He has turned this franchise around, changed the culture, and has the Broncos relevant once again.

WINNER – Marvin Mims

Has Marvin Mims become the Broncos top wide receiver?

He continued his second-half breakout by scoring two more touchdowns and totaling 5 receptions for 51 yards. The Pro Bowl returner has gone from a potential bust/return specialist to the Broncos’ big play threat on offense. They severely needed a playmaker like Mims and his development has been huge for them this year and likely beyond.

The Broncos will need him to come up big again next weekend vs. the Bills if they want to keep up with Josh Allen and the explosive Bills offense. Either way, Mims has proven he can be a big-play contributor for the Broncos this year and beyond.

WINNER – Broncos defense

I don’t care if they were playing against Carson Wentz and a bunch of Chiefs backups. They dominated and shut out a team in a must-win game with playoff hopes on the line.

Wentz was held to just 98 yards passing, they held their rush game to under 30 yards, had 5 sacks, and built up their confidence after a tough stretch of games against Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow. Now, they need this type of performance against Josh Allen if they want to shock the world and upset the Bills.

WINNER – Courtland Sutton

Sutton topped 1,000 yards on the season, caught another touchdown pass, and collected a $500,000 bonus by surpassing the 82 receiving yards he needed to do entering this game.

A pretty solid day for the Broncos’ longtime receiver who will play in the first playoffs of his career.

Sutton has been huge for the Broncos once again this season and we’ll need his highlight-reel ability once again next weekend vs. the Bills. He made the catch of the year last time he was in Buffalo so hopefully, we see more of that this next time around.

WINNER – Broncos Country

It has been a long wait but the Broncos are finally back in the playoffs. They finally have their quarterback of the future and are where they belong. They are in the playoffs and relevant once again.

We have suffered through some hard times, multiple coaches, multiple quarterbacks, draft busts, band-aid veterans, losing seasons, and just looking like an embarrassing franchise.

Those days are over with and brighter days are coming, but for now, let’s enjoy this. The Broncos were not supposed to be here and now they’re playing with house money. They have nothing to lose and have the opportunity to shock the world.

Other Winners and Losers

• PS2 – WINNER: I have not featured him on here as much as I should, but he was incredible this year and is a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year
• Devaughn Vele – WINNER: He made an excellent touchdown catch off multiple deflections. The promising rookie will be counted on to make some plays in the playoffs.
• Nik Bonitto – WINNER: He had two sacks on the afternoon and raised his total to 13.5 sacks and should be considered for Defensive Player of the Year
• Javonte Williams – WINNER: He finished the day with 8 touches for 78 yards and 50 of that came as a receiver.
• Audric Estime – WINNER: Rushed for his second touchdown on the year late in the game.