The best day of Bo Nix’s young career punched the Denver Broncos’ ticket to the playoffs with a 38-0 rout of the visiting Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.
It is the first time since their Super Bowl-winning 2015 season that the Broncos have reached the postseason. Denver clinched the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Nix completed his first 18 passes and was 26 of 29 for the game, setting a career high with 321 yards, and he also had four touchdown passes. He completed 89.7 percent of his passes to set a new Broncos’ single-game record, and the 18 straight completions were the most by a rookie in NFL history. Nix also led the Broncos with 47 rushing.
With the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs wrapped up, the Chiefs rested Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Chris Jones, Jawaan Taylor and George Karlaftis.
Courtland Sutton had five catches for a team-high 98 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos. Marvin Mims Jr. made five receptions for 51 yards and two touchdowns, and Devaughn Vele had four catches for 50 yards and a score for Denver, which closed the regular season at 10-7.
Nik Bonitto had two sacks for Denver, and Jonathon Cooper, Jordan Jackson and John Franklin-Myers added one apiece. The Broncos’ defense held the Chiefs (15-2) to five first downs and 98 total yards.
Carson Wentz was 10-of-17 passing for 98 yards for Kansas City.
The Broncos opened the game with a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive. A play-action pass play featured a fake handoff, fake reverse and screen pass from Nix to Mims for a 32-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
After its defense forced the Chiefs into a three-and-out, Nix engineered a 10-play, 85-yard scoring drive. The big play was a 47-yard completion where Nix rolled to his right and lofted a deep pass to Sutton. Two plays later, the same duo hooked up for a 10-yard touchdown and the Broncos led 14-0 with just under five minutes left in the first quarter.
Everything was going the Broncos’ way when Nix’s 10-yard pass ricocheted off the outstretched arm of Chiefs’ defensive back Keith Taylor and into the arms of a diving Vele for a 3-yard touchdown for a 21-0 cushion with 6:46 left in the second quarter.
Wil Lutz nailed a 33-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the second quarter to widen the lead to 24-0. It was the first time in 61 games that Kansas City went scoreless in the first half.
Late in the third quarter, Nix tossed a 7-yard touchdown to Mims for a 31-0 Broncos’ lead. Audric Estime added a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:11 left.
-Field Level Media
