Broncos
Broncos QB Bo Nix said he has the utmost confidence in WR Courtland Sutton and trusted him in multiple big spots to deliver the win.
“It wasn’t like we just hit it for the first time in the game today,” Nix said, via Albert Breer. “We’ve thrown that throw, and I just feel comfortable throwing it to him. He gets space and separation, and I throw it up there to him, knowing he’s going to make a play on the ball. It makes me mad because the play before that on third-and-manageable, I missed him on a good flag route. But I just continue to go back to him, knowing he’s going to be available.”
Nix added that the home atmosphere elevated the team and helped propel them past the Packers.
“The crowd was electric,” Nix said. “It was a reason why the second half played out the way it did. They stayed in the game with us, and we were able to give them enough plays to spark that atmosphere. It was hostile tonight; it was tough for a team to come in. It felt like a playoff environment—loud. It wasn’t a fun place [for another team] to play. I think we’re building something. And we’re not just building something. I think we’re getting back to what is normal around here.”
- Broncos LB Nik Bonitto was fined $11,593 for pulling a player off the pile, and S Talanoa Hufanga was fined $11,593 for unnecessary roughness.
Broncos
Broncos TE Evan Engram highly praised Bo Nix, saying the second-year quarterback has proven he can quickly learn from his mistakes.
“You know when you have a gamer,” Engram said, via Dan Graziano of ESPN. “He’s a guy who’s going to go out there and make whatever play he needs to make, whether it’s with his arm, with his feet, whatever is needed in that moment. He obviously has tremendous confidence. He’s had games or moments he’s wanted back, but the coolest thing about him is, when he makes a bad play, instantly it’s like, ‘I’m going to get this fixed.’ So he has that confidence and that ability to make plays in the pocket with his arm, and he’s also able to correct things in a very quick period of time.”
Denver clinched a berth in the playoffs with their Week 15 win over the Packers. Engram said HC Sean Payton has been very intentional about their goals this season.
“Sean’s been very open and real about our goals,” Engram said. “So now it’s, ‘Let’s finish. Let’s not back in.’”
Chiefs
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said that QB Gardner Minshew was ready to step up in the wake of QB Patrick Mahomes’ injury and prove that he’s capable of being a starting-level quarterback. Reid added that Minshew had likely taken counsel from Mahomes for pointers.
“I’m sure they probably already talked. They’re friends, so I don’t know how much he’ll (Patrick Mahomes) be in the game plan,” Reid said, via Chiefs Wire. “He’s trying to get himself right right now. I know he would wish Gardner the best going into this.”
However, for the second straight week, Kansas City lost its quarterback to injury as Minshew exited the game with a torn ACL and was replaced by QB Chris Oladokun, who went on to throw his first career touchdown pass.
- Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco was fined $46,371 for use of the helmet, and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was fined $7,903 for a blindside block.
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