Broncos offense shines, as Bo Nix gets everyone involved

The Denver Broncos beat down the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 38-6 in front of their home crowd. We haven’t seen the Broncos look this good in quite some time, and it’s a game where they can build confidence for the final six games of the regular season.

The Broncos are pushing for a playoff spot, but they’ve got to keep winning to secure a spot in the postseason. Broncos head coach Sean Payton liked his team’s effort on Sunday.

“Just a few comments. Obviously a hard-fought game, a good win. I thought we had a really good week of preparation. That’s a thing that I was really most proud of and excited about was obviously the response coming off of a tough loss. I thought we had a real good week. We felt like there were a few keys to winning this game. Our defense did a really good job. These guys rush the ball very well. They’ve been averaging, I think, 140 yards a game, and it becomes more difficult when you’re in one of those games. I thought that was important, and then certainly the takeaways. We had a lot more explosives. There were just a number of things that we’re going to like when we watch the tape. Certainly there will be some things that we need to clean up, but most importantly is coming back after last week’s loss,” Payton said.

Here are three observations from the Broncos win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.

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Broncos Put Chiefs Loss Far Behind Them

Good teams will respond after losses, and that’s what the Broncos did in Week 11 after the heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. Instead of being down and out, the Broncos fought back with a vengeance.

During the week of practice, the players seemed to be quietly confident in the locker room. Nobody was saying it, but it seemed like they were ticked off with the way the Chiefs game went. The Falcons were the next team up, and the Broncos took their frustrations out on them.

Payton appreciated the fight his team had after such a disappointing loss. They won’t get too high with the highs, just like they didn’t get too low with the lows coming off back-to-back losses.

“I think it started early in the week. It still gets back to the players and the make-up. It gets back to the things we keep talking about: the grit, the toughness. This is a team that [is] different from a year ago and kind of has that. Their response was really good,” Payton said.

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Bo Nix Spreads the Ball Around…Again

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix likes to spread the ball around. He’s a super computer when it comes to processing information, and that’s why Nix can make full field reads when attacking a defense with his arm.

On Sunday, Nix had the best game of his career with over 300 yards passing and four passing touchdowns. He did that by spreading the ball around to 10 different receivers. Sure, wide receiver Courtland Sutton is his favorite target on a weekly basis but Nix regularly finds others to throw to.

In Week 11, rookie Devaughn Vele was the guy behind Sutton who caught Nix’s eye the most. Vele is a big-bodied receiver with the ability to make difficult catches. He catches most everything thrown his way, but on Sunday Vele was able to do something with the ball after the catch.

“I think part of what was holding Devaughn Vele back was us. In other words, [WR] Josh [Reynolds] was getting a lot of reps. It’s sometimes just giving the player more opportunities. I think one of the things he does well for someone who’s six-four, he’s low cut. He has these like 32-inch inseams and a long torso. So when he comes out of his breaks, you don’t feel a leggy player. You feel a sudden player, and that’s a good trait for a tall receiver. Then the other things is he has extremely strong hands in traffic. He just keeps improving, but part of that is he’s getting more opportunities,” Payton said.

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Broncos Secondary Plays Well vs. Kirk Cousins

The Broncos defense shut down the Falcons passing game, and they got after veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins early and often. The Falcons offense has a ton of weapons for Cousins, so this was a great challenge the Broncos handled with ease. Cousins is dangerous as a passer, but he is not much of a runner and the Broncos pass rush took advantage.

It’s all about rushing the quarterback and covering on the back end. Without starting safety Brandon Jones, the Broncos used Devon Key in his place. While Key had struggled earlier this year as a spot starter, he played with more confidence against the Falcons. The Broncos made sure to slow down the Falcons rushing attack, then they suffocated the Falcons when they went back to pass.

They need to get healthy and stay healthy to make a playoff run, but it’s nice to see that backup players can gain more confidence with more playing experience.

“I think overall well. There were a few mix ups early on. Our guys were all working to get healthy, Brandon (Jones) included. I think that overall it was a good team win. We played really well defensively, and we played well in the kicking game. We had some good return numbers. We felt like we’d have a chance in this game to have some return opportunities. Overall it was a good team win.” Payton said.

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