Stat line: 19 for 27, 206 passing yards, two touchdowns; five carries, 13 yards and a TD
Highlight: Nix hit a different gear in the fourth quarter, leading two touchdown drives. Nix punctuated an 8-play, 58-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown. With under nine minutes to go in regulation, Nix completed a 24-yard pass near the sideline to wideout Courtland Sutton, then found Josh Reynolds in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard score.
Lowlight: The play of the game fell apart in the third quarter. With 1:46 left, Nix launched the ball into the end zone to a wide-open Franklin — who dropped the touchdown catch. The ball was slightly overthrown but it was a catchable pass that should’ve resulted in six points.
Analysis: Nix was efficient, completing 70% of his passes. At the same time, the play-calling Sunday was conservative until late in the game. The majority of Nix’s passes were behind the line of scrimmage. He hit wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey with a short pass that resulted in a 27-yard gain in the third quarter. A few plays later, his short completion to running back Jaleel McLaughlin resulted in a touchdown. After Nix’s sideline exchange with head coach Sean Payton, he played with fire — a pleasant sign from the rookie.
Unsung Hero
WR Marvin Mims Jr.: Denver’s second-year wideout made his presence felt on Sunday. He had a 17-yard carry in the first quarter. In the third, Mims returned a punt 38 yards into Raiders territory. Denver has been waiting for Mims to make an impact. The victory against the Raiders is a start.
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Goat of the game
Raiders: There were moments that seemed like Las Vegas tried to hand Denver the win. Minshew threw a bad pass in the end zone, resulting in Pat Surtain II’s pick-six to tie the game at 10 in the second quarter. Later in the second, Las Vegas made a questionable decision to punt the ball on fourth-and-2 at Denver’s 42-yard line instead of going for it. Raiders were flagged 10 times, including a leverage penalty that set up kicker Wil Lutz’s field goal to give the Broncos a 13-10 lead at halftime.
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