Even before the doors opened, the fake smoke told the real story.
The Broncos locker room was wildly joyous late Sunday afternoon, shouts and laughter reverberating off the walls in Club Dub as the smoke machine, strobe lighting and music created quite the scene.
The Kansas City Chiefs turned the Broncos into reluctant organ donors, ripping out their hearts. And the Broncos rebounded like Dennis Rodman against the Atlanta Falcons.
Yeah, this team is different. And it is time to believe it.
For starters, the Broncos have their franchise quarterback in Bo Nix and they are going to the playoffs. The last time we said that around here Peyton Manning was under center and the No Fly Zone — guests at Sunday’s game — was making Cam Newton miserable.
The Broncos are back. The players know it. And they showed it.
One play encapsulated why a 6-5 record this season feels significantly better than 6-5 last season. All the talk about grit, toughness and selective amnesia coalesced into an unforgettable run. On second-and-4 from the 14-yard line with 7:03 remaining in the first half, Javonte Williams took the handoff and burst left.
He found a hole — Atlanta’s defense has more than Life Savers — and raced toward the end zone before colliding with safety Justin Simmons at the 5-yard line. If this team was not invested, if this team did not care, if this team was still burnt over the latest K.C. barbecue, how do you explain what happened next?
Williams leaned on Simmons — “It was a stalemate,” he admitted — and was joined by Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, Devaughn Vele, Quinn Meinerz, Ben Powers, Mike McGlinchey and Courtland Sutton. Did I miss anyone?
The touchdown shoved the Broncos ahead 14-3. Any doubt that this is Sean Payton’s team, his guys, was answered at this moment.
“That’s a culture play right there. That’s what culture is. You can’t draw up plays like that. It’s organic. You can say that you have the right culture, but it is what the guys do,” explained defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, who played for Payton on the Saints. “When our offensive line got behind Javonte, it just turnt everybody up.”
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The Broncos spent the previous six days telling us they were invested. But it rolls eyes without a deposit. Then comes a snapshot that demands playing to the whistle, and requires uncommon effort.
The Broncos’ fight or flight included both.
“My feet were no longer on the ground and I was still moving,” Williams said. “I was in the air.”
The Broncos’ response to their season threatening to collapse was to plant the Falcons and their good friend Simmons into the turf. A Bronco for life, Simmons rallied his new teammates before kickoff by declaring, “I want to go to the postseason. That’s what this (bleep) means. In front of their home crowd, (Bleep)’ em.”
The Broncos dispatched Simmons with the kind of impersonal contempt that is totally welcome for a franchise that has been a welcome mat for muddy feet for far too long.
“Right when I saw it, I was was like, ‘Oh yeah, I am getting involved in this,’ ” said left guard Ben Powers, a smirk creasing his face. “Quinn and I watch film and judge others when they don’t get there. I was sprinting my tail off.”
Even better, this attitude is becoming a defining characteristic. When an Atlanta Falcons defender refused to let go of Nix’s legs after a third-quarter pass, Garett Bolles shoved him and provided a head butt for good measure. He drew an unnecessary roughness penalty, but this is the price of doing business. Just like Williams’ run, it sends a message: Don’t Screw With Us.
“I can’t get a penalty, right? I know that. But he wouldn’t get off him,” Bolles said. “And that’s our quarterback.”
About Nix. He delivered his best game, completing 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He is not just the Broncos’ franchise quarterback — I told you all that last week — he has a strong argument as the NFL’s top rookie quarterback, his stats nearly mirroring those of Washington’s Jayden Daniels.
“That is definitely not an overreaction,” ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano said. “It is something we are going to be talking about.”
The Williams run, the Bo Show, the nastiness, it proved Payton’s point. The Broncos are no longer pushovers. They can take a haymaker and punch back. It does not hurt that Payton remained on a John Wick revenge tour against the NFC South, outscoring Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina and Atlanta 88-23 in four wins.
“I could say something smart,” Payton said. “But I won’t.”
He did not have to. Sunday spoke volumes.
For once, it is easy to make sense of these Broncos, of their quarterback, of their gnarly defense. And if confused, just follow Williams’ path to the end zone with your feet off the ground and head in the clouds.
The Broncos are back. Get used to it.
“You look around and realize we finally have dawgs in here. We have developed that mentality and love for one another,” Bolles said. “We never wavered. We are a tight, tight team. Everybody wants to play for each other. And you combine that with a relentless attitude, it makes us hard to beat.”
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