The Broncos come into Week 9 with momentum and a half-game lead in the AFC West after their 28-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and the matchup with the Carolina Panthers could put Jonah Coleman front and center.
Denver didn’t exactly dominate Kansas City on offense, but it found a way to finish. The Broncos also won the penalty battle in a big way, as the Chiefs were flagged 11 times for 105 yards.
That discipline issue came back to haunt Kansas City on the final snap. A false start by offensive tackle Jaylon Moore pushed the Chiefs back from fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line to the 6, and then Patrick Mahomes dropped back and was sacked by Malcolm Roach to end it.
Stopping the run has been a major part of Denver’s success against Kansas City this season, and that showed again in Week 8. The Chiefs also lost to the Seattle Seahawks, with Kenneth Walker III held to just 69 yards or less on the ground, 36 against his former team.
Bo Nix continues to give the Broncos exactly what they need when the game tightens up. He may not be in the MVP conversation, and his numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he keeps finding ways to deliver late. That clutch edge matters, especially for an offense that looked lost last year against the New England Patriots without him.
Against Carolina, Nix may not be asked to do much through the air. The Panthers have struggled to stop the run, and that should give him chances to use his legs if needed. More than that, it opens the door for Jonah Coleman to keep building on what he’s already done.
The fourth-round pick has put together three solid performances since coming off injured reserve, and this could be the game where his role grows even more. At 23, Coleman gets a strong opportunity to make a bigger statement against a Panthers defense that ranks 30th in rushing yards allowed per game at 140.7.
In Other News...
Broncos Win Over Jaguars Suddenly Carries Massive AFC Stakes
Denvers early-season win over Jacksonville looked like a solid September result at the time, but it has taken on a much bigger meaning as both teams have settled into the race for the top of their respective divisions. The Broncos sit at 6-2 and already own the head-to-head edge over a Jaguars team that has played well enough since then to keep the matchup relevant far beyond Week 2.
If both clubs keep winning and finish as division champions, that result could become a major piece of the AFC playoff picture, especially when seeding and tiebreakers start to matter. It is the kind of game that can quietly shape January, and for Denver, it now looks less like an early-season checkpoint and more like a result that could pay off in a much bigger way later on. [Read more 🡒]
Courtland Sutton Could Be The Key To Denvers Next Red Zone Jump
The Broncos have been good enough near the goal line to sit 10th in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage, but the conversation around their offense still keeps circling back to the same question: who is the clear go-to target when space gets tight? Courtland Sutton keeps coming up as the most natural answer. His size gives Denver a different kind of threat inside the 20, and his growing comfort with Bo Nix makes him an obvious candidate to handle more of those high-leverage looks.
Suttons overall production has dipped this season, which is part of why the discussion matters in the first place. Even so, recent games have hinted that he could be headed for a bigger role as the Broncos look for a steadier red zone identity. If Denver is going to turn a solid scoring rate into something more reliable, Sutton may be the piece that helps make that jump. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Defense Is Becoming The Reason This Team Keeps Winning
Through eight games, the Broncos have built their recent surge on a defense that keeps making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. Denver has been especially disruptive up front, piling up pressure at a rate that has turned the pass rush into a weekly problem for offenses trying to protect the pocket and extend plays.
That edge has mattered even more against mobile quarterbacks, where the Broncos have still found ways to close space and finish the job. It was a major factor in the win over Kansas City, a game that showed how quickly Denvers defense can swing the momentum when it starts winning on the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]