Denver Broncos 28, Carolina Panthers 14: Three compelling takeaways

The week eight matchup between the Denver Broncos And Carolina Panthers brought back fond memories of the 2015 World Cup season. In Super Bowl 50, Denver won its third Lombardi Trophy, defeating Carolina 24-10.

Sean Payton's team entered Sunday's contest with a 1-2 home record before the Broncos earned a commanding 28-14 win over the Panthers. Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero returned to Denver along with ex-Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell in a game that was fairly one-sided despite the home team's slow start.

The second straight win gave the Broncos a 5-3 record and maintained their second place in the AFC West. The Broncos have won five of their last six games and remain one of the hottest teams in the NFL this season and into October.

While some might roll their eyes at the thought of a good win over a one-win team, it's important to note that 1-6 Cleveland Browns and 1-6 New England Patriots Everyone had unexpected victories on Sunday. The Broncos begin the month of November with a two-game road trip beginning with the Baltimore Ravens and closes against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 10.

What did we learn from the Broncos' fifth win of the season? As we look ahead to another winning Monday in Broncos Country, there are three encouraging takeaways from the Broncos' total taming of the Panthers.

For most of the season, Broncos Country complained about underperformance from the tight end position for more than a quarter of the regular season. Greg Dulcich has been healthy the past three weeks and Denver's offense entered this game without a single touchdown from a Broncos tight end. The CBS The telecast also reminded viewers that the Broncos' tight end room had the lowest receiving performance in the league prior to this game.

It took National Tight End Day to find the solution, as the Broncos bucked their confusing trend against the Panthers. Sophomore tight end Nate Adkins scored the first Broncos score of the game and the first of his career on a three-yard pass from Bo Nix in the second quarter.

About six minutes later, fifth-year veteran Adam Trautman caught a 19-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos their first lead of the game. Originally a third round pick of the New Orleans Saints In 2020, Payton traded to Trautman ahead of the 2023 season. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound tight end signed a two-year extension with the Broncos last offseason and was a viable option for their rookie QB against the Panthers.

In Payton's passing attack, Trautman was the team's second-leading receiver with four receptions for 85 yards. Lucas Krull was also active in the Broncos' tight end coming out party with two receptions for 18 yards. Even fullback Michael Burton got in on the action with a trick play for 28 yards.

Perhaps Payton heard the clamor for the Broncos to trade for a tight end, as Denver's offense dismissed the complaints, at least for this week. We hope for more production from this narrow space.

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The Broncos' offense is far from perfect, despite a complete loss to a lazy Panthers team that isn't progressing very quickly. But if fans wait for Nix to win a playoff game before admitting he's the franchise quarterback this team has been waiting for, they're sorely missing out on all the fun right now.

In his eighth NFL start, the No. 12 overall pick out of Oregon played his most confident and effective brand of football as the Broncos' starting QB. A sluggish and slow start led to an offensive fumble by wideout Lil'Jordan Humphrey on the first offensive series of the game, and the Broncos found themselves in a 7-0 hole midway through the first quarter.

Instead of panicking or playing hero ball selfishly, Nix leaned on his preparation and his teammates and led a furious comeback that later turned into a smash. The 24-year-old team captain hit 28 of 37 for 284 yards and three touchdowns. He faced 11 different receivers and even found a rhythm with Courtland Sutton, who led the game with eight receptions on 11 targets for 100 yards.

Nix's agility furthered his development as a dual-threat QB, allowing him to manipulate punt balls and score a one-yard touchdown on an impressive Drew Brees-esque goal-line dive in the second quarter. This was also the second game in a row that Nix did not turn the ball over.

The Broncos' offense finished the day with 400 total yards and dominated time of possession for about eight minutes. Denver was equally impressive in the red zone, going 4 of 5 (80%) and went 3 of 3 in goal-to-go scenarios.

We all know the Broncos' quarterback history, for better or worse. Denver has never been able to do that Draft a franchise quarterback. But these tropes could be part of the problem, considering the Broncos have had seven straight losing seasons. Short-term goals ultimately lead to achieving long-term goals, and that's exactly what Nix has brought and continues to bring to this Broncos offense.

By hook or by crook, Nix proves his worth and competitive spirit while embracing his responsibilities as the Broncos' starting quarterback. When the team loses, he takes all the blame, and when they win, he deflects all praise and congratulations to his teammates. The captain is popular with his coaches and teammates. Broncos Country continues to track its maturation in real time on a weekly basis.

It's time to give Nix a wholehearted welcome as the Broncos remain two games over .500 and are firmly in the hunt for postseason contention. Not to mention the fact that Nix's contribution to the team's 5-3 record is the team's best start since 2016, the last time Denver posted a winning season.

In this latest chapter of the Broncos-Panthers rivalry, it was Denver that once again dominated with an aggressive and relentless defense. Continuing his impressive campaign as one of the NFL's most elite defenses, Vance Joseph's latest victim was Carolina's former No. 1 overall draft pick.

Already labeled a bust by many fans and media members, second-year Young scored the first score of the game with an early six-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Legette. This would be the only time Carolina led in the game, and it was the first touchdown given up by Patrick Surtain II, returning from a concussion in Week 6.

“PS2” later got revenge by intercepting a pass from Young on fourth down in the third quarter while the Broncos were already leading 28-7. Ja'Quan McMillian later recorded the team's second interception in the Panthers' end zone late in the fourth quarter.

Young finished the game 24 of 37 for 224 passing yards and two touchdowns along with two interceptions. He was sacked twice and faced a Broncos pass rush with unforgiving pressure from the line of scrimmage.

Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto each earned a sack. It was Bonitto's sixth straight game with a sack, his first since Von Miller in 2018.

Joseph's defense allowed just one touchdown for most of the game before the Panthers scored with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Most of Carolina's possessions resulted in punts (four), turnovers on downs (two) and good old-fashioned turnovers (two).

Denver's defense limited the Panthers to just 69 rushing yards and remained a threat on third down. Carolina shot 5-14 (36%) on third down and was even worse on fourth down (1-4).

The attitude, pride and cohesion of this Broncos defense grows stronger every week, lending credence to the theory that this defensive prowess is as durable as it is dangerous.

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