The Denver Broncos had a measuring stick kind of matchup on Sunday when they took on the Baltimore Ravens. After Sean Payton and company had beaten up on a few bad teams, it was time to see how legitimate their playoff case was.
As it turns out, the Broncos aren't ready to compete with the best of the best in the AFC. The Ravens dominated them from start to finish on Sunday, blowing the game open in the second quarter and cruising to a 41-10 win to improve to 6-3 and get their season back on track after last week's stunning loss to the Cleveland Browns.
It was an ugly showing for the Broncos, whose league-best defense got carved up. On the other side, the offense couldn't generate much success apart from a fourth down touchdown catch by quarterback Bo Nix. After the game, Nix wasn't shy when sharing what went wrong for his squad on Sunday, per Zach Stevens of DNVR Sports.
“A lot of what-ifs in this game, but the face of the matter is we got our butts kicked,” Nix said postgame, per Stevens.
Nix later shared that he's not happy that the Broncos got back to losing ways on Sunday, especially in that fashion.
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“This is miserable,” Nix said, via Stevens. “It's no fun.”
Nix's final stat line is unspectacular but also not terrible: 19-for-33 with 223 yards and an interception to go with his receiving touchdown. He also ran for 36 yards on six carries. While he was still erratic from the pocket and his downfield accuracy was spotty, Nix's athleticism continues to be a huge weapon for the Broncos offense. His legs open up a new dimension for Denver, and his scrambling helped the Broncos pick up a few key first downs in the first half.
The Broncos will get another stiff test when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs, who currently have one of the best defenses in the NFL. If Nix and company want to get back in the win column, they have a lot of work to do before next Sunday.
