It’s not about how you start; it’s about how you finish. If Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos didn’t know that before, they do now.
Week 13 gave NFL fans a neck-and-neck contest between the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns. Although the final score ended in two-possession fashion, this was a duel that could’ve just as easily gone either way.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix tossed one touchdown and a pair of interceptions, ending his day with 294 passing yards. Nix completed 18 of his 35 pass-attempts, standing one incompletion shy of a 50% completion percentage.
On the other side, although Jameis Winston tossed three interceptions, he recorded four passing touchdowns en route to a 497-yard day. Winston led the Browns to 152 more total yards that Denver, in addition to nine more first downs.
And yet, it was the Broncos who came out victorious—by more than one score, at that. How did they do it?
By doing everything right when it mattered most.
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos outlast Cleveland in Week 13
It wasn’t looking good for the Broncos when Nix launched his second interception of the game in the fourth quarter. To make matters worse, Jameis Winston capitalized by leading his team downfield for six, giving Cleveland a 32-31 lead with less than nine minutes left in the ball game.
All momentum belonged to the Browns heading down the final stretch.
That momentum was short-lived, however. In a time where Denver had to buckle down if they wanted to pick up a win, the Broncos were at their best. That includes their rookie quarterback.
With the ball back in his hands, Nix helped pick up 50 yards – 44 through the air with an extra six on the ground – in effort to get his team into scoring position to take back the lead. Although Denver didn’t capitalize on their red zone trip, it was enough to set up a 27-yard chip-shot that gave the Broncos a 34-32 lead.
Winston, now looking to get Cleveland back ahead, managed to get a first down on a play that set the Browns up at their own 42. That marked the end of his comeback effort, however.
Ja’Quan McMillan made sure of that.
McMillan, a third-year cornerback out of East Carolina, took a pass from Winston the other way as he scored a game-sealing pick-six. Prior to Week 13’s contest, McMillan had allowed 75% of passes his way to be completed while surrendering two touchdowns. His 97.9 quarterback rating when targeted stood as the highest on the team at his position.
Yet, when it mattered most, McMillan answered the call.
As did linebacker Cody Barton, who intercepted Winston on the following drive to officially end the contest. With a 120.4 quarterback rating allowed on passes his way, no Broncos defender had a worse mark in the category than Barton. That didn’t matter, though; not with all chips being on the table.
Barton was at his best when it mattered most, just as McMillan and Nix were.
How Sean Payton’s squad got it done
Outside of playing their best when everything was on the line, the Broncos’ Week 13 win can be traced back to their work in the trenches.
Defensively, Denver held the Browns to their third-lowest rushing total of the season (77). As a collective, Cleveland was only able to muster up 3.5 yards on average each time they ran the football.
On the other side, the Broncos held reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to zero sacks throughout. Outside of one tackle in the backfield, Garrett wasn’t able to do much of anything against Denver.
Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise; not with Garett Bolles manning down the left tackle spot.
Heading into the week, only two tackles league-wide were given a higher grade in pass-protection than Bolles via Pro Football Focus. With only one sack allowed on the year, the former All-Pro was given a pass-block grade of 89.4.
Expect that number to keep rising after a phenomenal performance against Cleveland.
Heading into Week 13, the Broncos’ offensive line ranked second via PFF’s weekly O-line rankings. Monday proved that quite accurate.
*Top Photo: Kirby Lee/ Imagn Images
AFC West, Denver Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix Emerging As ORotY Candidate