The Denver Broncos are no longer being judged solely by wins and losses. Style points have become part of the equation, after the Broncos defied expectations to win 10 games and make the playoffs last year with a rookie quarterback.
Bo Nix turned in a historic rookie body of work, which only inflated expectations for Year 2. In the Broncos’ season-opener last week, Nix didn’t look great, and he gave the ball away three times.
Nobody at Broncos HQ is hitting the panic button, and neither should fans. The Broncos are just getting started, and remember: one of the hallmarks of a quality team is its ability to “win ugly.”
In other words, to emerge victorious despite losing the turnover battle. By the way, the Broncos were the only NFL team to pull that off in Week 1. The other eight teams that lost the turnover battle were winless in the standings last week.
As a rookie, Nix started off slow, really finding his footing in October. The Broncos need their quarterback to get off the lagwagon sooner rather than later, with games coming vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Philadelphia Eagles in Weeks 3, 4, and 5.
Nix could just be a slow starter, but something tells me he’ll at least curtail the turnovers this week on the road vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Nix has the chance to join an exclusive club of NFL quarterbacks in NFL history this week, and several other Broncos are on the brink of hitting some milestones at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Let’s examine what stats are in play and whether the odds of achieving them are in Denver’s favor.
The Broncos need a win to improve to 16-12 overall and 7-8 on the road in the all-time series versus the Colts.
Payton needs one victory to tie Bill Parcells and John Harbaugh for the 15th-most regular-season wins in NFL history. I like Payton’s chances.
Nix needs 24 completions to become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to reach 425 completions in his first 19 career games. Trust that Payton is aware of this and knows what it’ll take for Nix to reach it. What that means for Denver’s ground game remains to be seen.
Engram needs one reception to become the eighth-fastest tight end in NFL history to reach 500 career catches (110 games). He’s been a full participant in practice
the past two days, dealing with a calf injury, so he should hit this milestone in Indy.
Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) sacks Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Bonitto needs 1.0 sack to become the fifth Bronco in team history to reach 25.0 career sacks in his first four seasons. He notched a sack last week, and this Colts’ offensive line could be susceptible to his speed rush.
McGlinchey needs one more start to reach 100 starts in his career. The veteran right tackle entered the league as a San Francisco 49ers first-round pick in 2018.
Surtain needs one pass defensed to tie cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Chris Harris Jr. for the most pass breakups by a Bronco in his first 68 career games. We’ll see if Daniel Jones tests Surtain.
Sutton needs 49 receiving yards to tie wide receiver Haven Moses for the ninth-most receiving yards in team history. Nix will feed Sutton the rock. Sutton is also poised to become the ninth wide receiver in team history to play in 100 career games with the club.
