The Denver Broncos are rolling offensively. It was an ugly, sluggish start to the season, but this team has hit its stride since Week 7, with one little bump in the road in Baltimore.
In Sunday's 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons , the Broncos achieved something offensively that hasn't been seen in Denver since the Peyton Manning heyday of yore. Week 11 marked Denver's second consecutive home game with at least 400 yards of offense.
It's the first time the Broncos have notched back-to-back 400-yard home games since 2014. Let that sink in.
2014 was Manning's last uber-prolific season before Father Time, and the Gary Kubiak offense torpedoed the Broncos' 'Star Wars' offense under the former five-time MVP. A foot injury was the primary culprit for Manning's statistical decline in 2015, which led to Brock Osweiler getting seven starts (5-2).
Everyone remembers 2013 for the all offensive records Manning and the Broncos set, but the following season was also very productive, even though it ended in a disappointing home playoff loss in the Divisional Round, ushering in the end of the John Fox era and the beginning of Kubiak's two-year reign.
The implications of this are strong for the 2024 Broncos under Sean Payton. And all it took was the Broncos finally drafting and developing their own franchise quarterback — no easy feat — as evidenced by the team's wanderings in the QB desert for the preceding eight years.
Nix still has a long way to go, obviously. He's only 11 games into his NFL career, but the omens are extremely promising. Nix started by becoming the first Broncos rookie quarterback since John Elway in 1983 to be named the opening-day starter. Nix earned the job by beating out two young veterans.
Since then, Nix has set many franchise and NFL statistical marks, and has forced his way into the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation, upsetting the oddsmakers. He was named Rookie of the Month of October, and followed that up by being named the NFL Rookie of the Week.
On the heels of his 300-yard, four-touchdown performance vs. the Falcons, Nix is in line for yet another weekly accolade, his sixth rookie nomination of the season. The Broncos have found their future franchise quarterback, and the future is now.
Nix has 2,275 passing yards and 14 touchdowns, tying Marlin Briscoe (1968) for the most passing scores by a rookie in franchise history. Nix also has 295 rushing yards and an additional for touchdowns, plus a receiving score. That gives him 19 total touchdowns, easily the most by an NFL rookie quarterback.
None of this mentions Denver's defense under Vance Joseph, which limited the fifth-ranked Falcons offense — with Kirk Cousins at the helm — to a woeful six-point output and just 226 total yards. The Broncos are a young team, yes, they're remarkably balanced and very well-coached.
Hats off to Payton, Nix, and the Broncos offense. Having anything in common — let alone statistical distinctions — with the 2014 Broncos under Manning is very happy development indeed.
The Broncos are finally fun to watch again. Rejoice. And at 6-5, they're cruising for a playoff berth — the first since Manning's 2015 Broncos.
