Winners and losers in Broncos’ 26-21 win over Panthers

It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but the Broncos have perfected winning in ugly, sloppy games, and did it again today on the road against the Panthers. After an eventful 4th quarter, the Broncos, with the help of a timely strip-sack from Nik Bonitto, pulled out the win and improved to 7-2 on the year.

The offense played well at times, but left points on the field due to sloppy play. Key defensive plays from Devon Key and Nik Bonitto were game-changers and a big reason why the Broncos won this game.

Once again, it was a sloppy match, but we have several big winners from this match with a few losers mixed in. So with that said, here are my winners and losers from the Denver Broncos’ 26-21 win over the Carolina Panthers.

WINNER – Nik Bonitto, shoulder bag

The defense and pass rush weren’t great for most of the game, more on that later, but once again the Broncos defense and pass rush were big when it mattered most. After a near fumble on a toss play set the Broncos offense back, they got the ball to the Panthers with enough time to lead a game-winning drive.

After a 21-yard pass on the first play, things looked dire for the Broncos, but Bonitto called the play with what ended up being the game-ending strip-sack.

This is the second week in a row where the Broncos defense needed some magic late in the game to win the game, and the defense came through. They struggled throughout (again, more on that later), but came through in the biggest moment and won that game for the Broncos.

WINNER – Wild INT from Devon Key into the end zone

The Panthers led by a point and were on the verge of taking an 8-point lead after driving down the field against the helpless Broncos defense. Instead of throwing for the first down, Bryce Young threw a pass into the end zone that fell incomplete. They would run another play, or so we thought, that would end in a run filled game by the Broncos.

However, the referees felt that Broncos head coach Sean Payton threw the challenge flag before the snap, as it appeared that reserve safety Devon Key made an incredible INT on the deflection.

It looked like he caught it, and they ruled that he was the one who made the interception.

A revolutionary and dynamic INT by Key.

This took points away from the Panthers and completely changed the outcome of this game. It looked like they were about to go up by 8 points and continue their dominance over the Broncos defense.

The Broncos would take a 19-14 lead on a Jonah Coleman touchdown, then a 26-14 lead after a Pat Bryant touchdown. The Panthers were able to get close late, but this play completely changed the outcome for the Broncos.

This was not a well-played game by the Broncos. Sure, they made big plays throughout, but they left points on the field on offense, and the defense made mistakes throughout and allowed the Panthers to go up and down the field on multiple occasions.

Nix’s INT in the red zone while leading 10-0 sparked the Panthers’ comeback, and later his questionable throw to Jonah Coleman led to a fumble, which they recovered, but completely derailed the drive and allowed the Panthers to get the ball back.

On defense, they had missed tackles, no pass rushes for most of the game and allowed several long third/fourth plays to get a first down. Backbreaking conversions that kept the Panthers in this game.

In the end, they won the game, and that’s all that matters, but they kept the Panthers in this game and almost gave them a good chance to win this game.

LOSER – Broncos defense (apart from the two turnovers)

For a second straight week, the Broncos defense played poorly for most of the game. The pass rush was nonexistent; the Panthers were able to move the ball consistently, had no answer for Darren Waller and allowed conversions on 3rd-and-17 and 4th-and-18, which is unacceptable.

Once again, they made key plays to win this game, but the Panthers offense had their number for most of the game.

Bryce Young had a good game with 276 yards and 3 touchdowns; Hubbard had 4.9 yards per carry; Waller had 90 yards and a touchdown, and they had missed tackles throughout.

Injuries to Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufange who were inactive and cornerback Riley Moss who left with a concussion likely contributed to the secondary’s woes, but it still wasn’t a great performance. Joseph calling soft zone coverage on those 3rd and 4th long plays led to two wide open receivers.

In the end, they won the game, but I was hoping for a better performance from the defense.

WINNER – Welcome back, Pat Bryant

Pat Bryant was activated off injured reserve this weekend and had a huge impact in this game. His 26-yard touchdown run ended up being the difference in this game and he showed how he can be a difference maker for this team in the second half of the season.

He finished the game with 4 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown, which led the team. With Waddle leaving the game due to injury, they needed him to step up, and he did.

LOSER – Broncos OL Interior

The interior of the Broncos offensive line, particularly Ben Powers and Luke Wattenberg, struggled at times today. On multiple occasions, they allowed an unblocked defender in the backfield to blow up a run.

The running game wasn’t great today, but that’s more on the offensive line than the runners in my opinion.

WINNER – 4th quarter Bo Nix

I thought Bo played a good game today. Probably his best passer all season. However, the mistakes clouded what appeared to be a good game from Nix.

The interception, which he rarely threw, was not great. He was fooled by the defender, who he thought was going to take RB JK Dobbins, but instead drifted past Courtland Sutton and led to the easy pick. They were on track to make it a 17-0 game, or at least 13-0, but that turnover sparked the Panthers’ comeback.

Then, late in the 4th quarter, Nix had a bad throw to RB Jonah Coleman, causing them to lose over 10 yards on the play. It wasn’t a turnover, and I don’t know whose fault it was (I didn’t look closely), but still, you can’t have that in such an important moment.

Still, Nix led the Broncos to 13 points in the 4th quarter, including the touchdown pass to Pat Bryant to give him another comeback in the 4th quarter. I’ve seen some encouraging things, but the sloppy play obscures what was good play from Nix.

Thank goodness for the bye week because the Denver Broncos are banged up.

Talanoa Hufanga – Inactive

Jaylen Waddle – Left the game with a concussion

Riley Moss – Left the game with a concussion

Eyioma Uwazurike – Placed on short-term IR

Now the BYE will not impact IR players since it does not count in all 4 games, but it does give everyone an extra week to heal and rest. Fortunately, Waddle and Moss will have two weeks to recover from the concussions they suffered, and hopefully Jones and Hufanga will be back after the bye week.

Other notable winners and losers