Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - BRONCOS SQUAD SHOW: Bo Nix SHINES as Broncos handle Packers

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

The Denver Broncos shut up the haters with their 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers. The Broncos were under dogs heading into the game, but came out with the win. Bo Nix pushed the Broncos to victory with 300+ passing yards and touchdown passes. It was arguably the best game of Bo Nix' career. The defense struggled in the first-half of the game, but picked up the slack in the second half. With the New England Patriots loss, the Broncos are in sole possession of the the #1 seed in the AFC. The Broncos also became the first team to clinch a playoff birth in the AFC. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rocket Money Take control of your finances and cancel your unwanted subscriptions with Rocket Money. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDON today. Aura Frames For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting https://AuraFrames.com to get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames - named #1 by Wirecutter - by using promo code LOCKEDON at checkout. FanDuel If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit FanDuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. PrizePicks Download the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm an I'm a little Piro. And what will the haters and the naysayers say about the Denver Broncos now? I'm Cody Rourke. Bo Nicks's mother thought that they were going to win. And you know what? She was right. I'm Sarah Bedinger. Toyota Thon belongs to Bo Nix, baby.

Move aside, Jordan Love. And I'm Nick Ferguson. Late night pit fight. Let's get into it. All that more on tonight's locked on Broncos. Broncos Squad Show. Let's get into it, folks. From the South Stans, it's the Broncos squad, everything Denver Broncos every week, covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Mile High City, the way only the Locked-on podcast network can. Gear up and squad up. The Broncos squad show starts now.

It is your Locked-on Broncos squad show right here on your Locked on Broncos YouTube channel and audio feed. I'm sure. I usually say I hope everyone's doing good in Broncos country, but I'm pretty damn sure everyone in Broncos is feeling great here this evening as the Denver Broncos take down the Green Bay Packers to improve to 12 and 2. The windstreet continues. They own the one seed. They clinched the playoffs. Your final score here this afternoon and evening 34 to 26. And ladies and gentlemen, tonight's episode is brought to you by our friends over at Fanduil. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, Visit fanduil.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. Cody, you and I were sitting next to each other in the press box today. So I want to end with you and your kind of intro here. Sarah, let's start with you, man, your initial reaction to what was, in my opinion,

the best game of the season for the Broncos. 100%. I mean, where do we want to start here? The offense coming through in a big way. The Broncos doing what a lot of people said they couldn't do. I know Adam Rank had the Broncos winning because he picks them to win. every single week. But I mean, I'm listening to ESPN NFL network, all these guys out here. They're all saying the same thing. Vegas saying the same thing. Broncos, they're not going to beat

the Green Bay Packers, right? They're underdogs at home where they've won 11 straight games dating back to last season. Miss me with this bull crap about the Broncos, not being the best team in the NFL fellows. We've been talking about this. We've been given due respect to the Patriots, the Rams. Who cares about those guys? The Broncos. They're the best team in the league. They didn't blow a 21 point lead at home in this game. They didn't throw an interception on the first drive and struggle to beat an eight and five team. No, they took care of biz against a team that we said might represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Broncos are the best team in the NFL, baby. Let's talk about that. I love the passion. And I don't really disagree with much of it right now. I mean, it was a tremendous game for the Broncos, specifically the second half. Bo Nix and the offense were good for the full game, but I thought the defense really clamped up in the second half. half. Nick, talk to me, brother. Yeah, I led off with late night pitch fights, and that's exactly what it was,

a fight in the trenches. And coming into this game, the Broncos had only given up, you know, 17. When you think about it, let me back up for a second. You say, well, what has the Broncos defense done thus far? And they've had a lot of pressure kind of placed on them. And you look at, well, the number of sacks for the Broncos offense and Bowenix, 17 to Jordan Love and the Green Bay Pack. Packers, 18. The dam had to break. But when you look at it with the rubber meets the row, no sacks for the Denver Broncos. One turnover, and that was a fumble by RJ Harvey. Great hell of a play by Michael Parsons to force that turnover. But the Green Bay Packers sat three times. And the great thing, the crazy thing about it, those sacks didn't come into the second half

when the Broncos had that kind of 10-point swing because at one point before that PS2, interception, the Broncos were down by nine points. And I could not wait, guys. I jumped on my little Twitter thing and started hitting the numbers like, oh, the guyver is showing up again. And they showed up not once, but twice. So great game. 100% Cody.

We were having some words in the press box. It was fun. I'm feisty. Mic me up during the dang games. Honestly, because you guys, what's the name of the new locked on the subscribers? description thing that they're doing. The everyday are all access stuff. Yeah, honestly, that would be worth the price of admission alone if you can listen to Cody

mic'd up during these games. I'm telling you, folks, it is an absolute sight to see. But Cody, man, I mean, this team figured out a way to get the job done. You know, Green Bay looked sharp offensively early. The defense clamped down late and Bo Nick's was phenomenal. Yeah, he was looking. And I'll say this too, because like the defense in the first half, we were to say, what's going on? Like too many explosive plays. They had three plus passing plays, allowed at 25 plus yards. We know they've had. some miscommunication issues on the defensive side at times. And then sometimes, you know, a team can make a really good play.

For the concern that we had, I think for them in the first half, it disappeared on the second half entirely. And it really came after Pat Ser Tan's interception. I would say that right there kind of changed the tide of the whole game. And there was a negative play before that had happened on the series prior to defensively that kind of put things into question, right? Denver's trailing 23 to 14, down by 9 in the third quarter. a terrible pass interference call on Riley Moss,

which I mean, everyone in the press box was like, that was terrible. The replay they showed us clearly on the Jumbotron. It was like, what are these officials looking at? Then the next play, Josh Jacobs rushes in for a touchdown. And then we're like, all right, what's going to happen here? Their backs are against the wall. The defense from that point forward buckled down and it really started.

The snowball really began because of PS2's big interception. But Bo Nix and the offense, they were cooking all game long. He was on fire. He was filling it, and his decision-making was where it needed to be. I think we've all talked about this. I think people, Broncos country agrees, this is probably the best game of his career, and it was a big game.

100%. And we'll dedicate a whole segment to Bo Nix and the offense today, just because I think we have to. I mean, what they did today, I think is, you know, for the bo-levers out there, they were validated. For some of the skeptics, I'm not saying the haters, but people that were maybe on the fence about this Broncos team, I think they showed you in this game today

against one of the best teams in the NFC, just how dangerous they can be when they hit full throttle. And so I love to see it from Bo Nix and Cody. I completely agree with you, man. I thought that Pat Sertan interception, I saw Bo Nix after the game was like, we might need to get him out there on offense. One, just an absolutely unbelievable play from Pat Sertan,

but two, that really helped shift the momentum, I think, to the Broncos side, Nick. Yeah, it definitely did. And I'm sure if Jordan Love, when he goes back to watch it, it was somewhat of a moonball that hung too much, in the air. And if he leads Christian Watson a little to the right hash, he converts that, but he leaves a little short and allows PS2 to come back into the play and make a sensational play on the ball. And you guys are right. That's when things changed around for the team and

everyone's ears poked up. And it was like, yeah, I know where you're underdogs at home. We can win this freaking game. And that's where the table's turning. You can see where, you know, Alex Singleton, Drey Greenlaw, all those dudes were inspired on the defensive side of the ball to kind of stand up and make a stand. And the stand they did because, Cody, you're absolutely right. I mean, in that first half, I mean, Jordan Love was dishing. He was getting the ball out of his hands. The ball placement was ridiculous.

But it just seems as though the Broncos have done this from a defensive stand all season long. It's like maybe that first half or those first couple of plays, they're trying to make their way. They're trying to fill it out. and Van Jones is trying to fill out the other play caller. And then once they get into a rhythm, he's like, now I know what to dial up, now I know what to do. That's a great thing I love about this defense. And it's one of the reasons I continue to call them McGuver

because they continue to show up when you need them the most and what they remind me of. Hold on, fellas. I don't know if you heard me say this before. Think about that 2015 team. Every time you needed someone to make a play on the defense, someone stepped up and made a play. I think the only sketchy part about this game,

I mean, outside of the defense in the first half is like Sean Payton going for it on those two fourth down situations of points. Thankfully, it didn't come back to bite him in the rear end. I could understand that on the first one, I'm like Cody and I were sitting next to each other in the press box. Like, just keep the field goal. Like just punt. Like, why put the game in harm's way?

Thankfully, it didn't come back to bite him in the rear end as we alluded to. But yeah, the PS2 interception. I mean, Dre Greenlaw, like Cody and I like yelled almost in the press box when he laid out Josh Jacobs over the middle of the field at one point in this game. That was a vicious hit. But Sear, I completely agree with Nick, man. I think that last drive for Green Bay, too, of course, down eight points. It's a one possession game.

You know, sack, sack, pressure, pressure. I mean, this Denver Broncos defense rallied to the occasion. They definitely did. And we were texting back and forth about that during the game, weren't we? It was like the Broncos defense. I love to make baseball analogies, right? It's like the defense started off over three with three strikeouts, a couple of them.

They were caught looking up there at the plate. And then, you know, all of a sudden you get an RBI double, the passer 10 interception, right? That helps your offense score some points. And then you hit a little single there with a sack here, a sack there. I mean, they got back into the game, essentially, right? And they figured out, hey, this is our identity. This is what we do best.

They started to fluster Jordan Love, who apparently doesn't get flustered against the blitz. Apparently he's this otherworldly maniacal, surgical quarterback when he's blitz or when you're playing man coverage. The guy can't get, I mean, this is all the stuff that I was hearing all leading up to the game. Jordan Love, he just crushes man coverage. Jordan Love crushes against the blitz. Maybe he does, but late in this game on the Broncos defense absolutely had to have it. You finally, you shifted the confidence, right? There was zero confidence in the first five or six drives from this Packers defense where they're scoring every single time they have the ball. And it completely flipped to where at the end of the game, I was sitting there.

I think my heart rate went down underneath 120 for the first time in the game when the Packers had the ball because I was like, man, this defense is going to come through and they did. And so what we saw was a complete shift in, hey, this is who we are. This is what we do. And they actually started to do it there in the second half. Yeah, Jordan Love, I mean, as Nick alluded to, like the ball placement on some of his passes in the first half was like unbelievable.

He's legit. Yeah, dude. I mean, I was like in all, because I've been kind of like a Jordan Love skeptic myself. Like I'm not afraid to say that. Like it's the first time I got to see him play in real life. I was blown away in the first half. I really was. And I mean, like like as Nick alluded to, me, the ball placement was on point. The route running was solid from the Packers as well. But he barely completes 50% of his passes when it's all sudden done. 24 for 40, 276 passing are to touchdown. And those two interceptions as we alluded to, Pat Sertan and then Riley Moss getting his first pick of the year. And let's just address. I know we kind of.

on it earlier, that is like the weakest defensive pass interference call I've ever seen in my life. Like if I'm just being, it was like at first, like when I'm watching it, you know, from my vantage point in the press box, I'm like, did he grab him? Did he not grab him right? And then I see the replay. And Nick, I want you to give me your opinion on this because you obviously played defense in the NFL and whatnot. Like, what is Riley Moss supposed to do in that situation? I mean, his head was turned around. Like, it seemed like he played the ball as good as he could have. He played it as well as he played it. And I took a journey down into the stance to just kind of sit amongst the fans and have the conversation.

And I'm sitting amongst Packers fans and Broncos fans. And the argument that's ensuing is over this particular play. So I have the video on my phone and I'm talking to another Broncos fan about the particular play trying to explain and just kind of bring down the ruckus in the crowd as to what happened. So when you look at it, Riley did turn around. But he did have his left hand grabbing. I think that was Dobbs, his right hand. couldn't get his hand up.

Now, I said, well, that call was somewhat tickey-tacking. We could call it what it is. But at the same time, it's subjective. It's on the ref whether he's going to make that call or not. And, oh, by the way, when you look at Raleigh's resume coming into the game, they already know, the officials know, and you bet Matt LaFleur probably told the officials, hey, watch 21. Anytime we go deep, watch him on the holding.

So, you know, Riley was just penalized by everything. everything that's happened as far as the season. But once again, I'll look at it and I say this objective. You can say it's tiki-tacky, but they call it, and you can't really grab the arm of the receiver. So that's, you guys smell that? Smell that BS. That's cooking. Nick's cooking up some BS over there.

Come on. Have Riley's back here. We got to have Riley back on this one. Hold on for a second. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told the Broncos fan in the crowd. I'm looking at it very objectively. I'm looking at it. the same way the officials are going to look at it.

I'm not going to look at it from a fan standpoint because that's what you're going to say. But I'm telling you, the referees based on the fact of Riley has a resume. He has priors. So it didn't help out his situation. I'm not saying I like it, but I'm just keeping it a buck. I will say, Pastor Tan has one less PI call. He does than Riley. And they don't, I mean, once again, I just think like for Riley in that situation, here's the problem that I have.

I thought Riley had a great, like, mic drop moment in the locker room, said ball don't lie. Obviously, with his interception, the guy who is closest to Riley on that route right there on that sideline, signals incomplete, doesn't even think that there's a flag. It's the guy in the back end that threw it. And that bothers me about the consistency of the NFL because that guy didn't have the best angle. The guy next to them had the best angle and signaled it was incomplete. So once again, I felt like this is a prejudice call against Riley Moss, at least on this situation here. Well, I'm going to push back on that just a little because I spent some time to hanging out with some officials.

And if you're in that position right there next to Riley, there's only so much you see. You see the back of the receiver and you see Riley and his right, his left shoulder. That back judge, his angle, he's able to see a little more. So once again, I say the call is tiki tacky. It was subjective. Maybe I'll say they shouldn't have called it, but based on Riley's priors, And when the ball was thrown, it's like you're going to make that call, whether you think it's right or not.

I hate it. I hate it. There's a reason they're heading towards a lockout because these dudes can't get, like basic calls right throughout the course of a game anyways. I don't know. Okay. Are you a fan in that particular case where that type of play should be reviewed by the people in the box?

I mean, they've already, they've already tried this. And once again, the NFL's like, oh, we tried it. But I think in today's NFL, Nick, you know this is what. With all the technology the league has and how it evolves every year, the fact that they got someone in the box who sees everything and gets instant access to a quick replay before anybody else's, there's no reason in my opinion, they can't say, hey, that's actually not the right call. Let's get it down right on the field. The NFL is so worried about stopping games longer, but also at the same time,

there's good teams out there this season, not just Denver, that have been impacted by poor officiating. And it's, it's egregious to the point. And I understand there is human error in the game. You have a solution that can help take it out of their hands, though, which I think they need to find a way to use more. Wait, wait, really quickly, I think I have a solution for that the lead can actually use. Before DB's going to fill, they stick their hands in Cheetos, right?

So that way, if they touch the guy, the fingers on them, right? Right. The fingerprints, you can't, you can't protest the fingerprints, right? So dip your hands in Cheetos, and if you touch them, then we know. I mean, timing, right? It's all about the timing. You know this. You've got to get in phase in today's game.

That's the thing. I think that a lot of officials think that DBs do not have a right to the football, the way that receivers do. And the game is officiated that way, which is complete and utter BS, as Sarah was saying. Gross call. The jury rest. This man. I'm not saying the beef wasn't cooking.

I'm not saying that. I totally agree with you. But in the eyes of the officials, they feel based on priors. Yeah. They're going to make a subjective. Basic is giving out free surgeries to officials that want free LASIC. That's the thing. Take advantage of it.

I want to be an official so I can get it. Yeah, you know, it was one of the lower points of the game. But I think, thankfully, you know, the Broncos won this game, right? And Bo Nix was incredible. This defense stepped up late. That's really all that matters. And it was nice to see Riley get a little bit of redemption there with the interception at the end of the game. So I wanted to get that one out of the way.

because I think the rest of the way, we're relatively positive with respect to this Denver Broncos team as they take care of business today against the remade Packers, 34 to 26 to improved to 12 and 2. Okay, let's hit our first break. When we come back, we'll continue along with the conversation. Let's talk about Mr. Bo Nix. I think it was personally the best game of his career.

I think you saw a legitimate field general out there. I think it's time to strip away this game manager label that's been thrown on them throughout the first handful of games throughout the course of his career. So we'll hit a quick break. We'll come back, do just that. right here on your locked on Barranco's squad show. Back in this moment, folks. All right, you guys, real quick,

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Terms and conditions do apply. I hope my mom isn't listening because I actually think I might get this. for her for Christmas. I think it's a pretty good gift idea. So be sure to check out our friends over at ORAF frames and let them know that lockdown Broncos sent Joe. All right. Welcome on back into your locked on Broncos squad show. Enelopeiro, Cody Wors, Sarah Bedinger and Nick Ferguson reacting to the Denver Broncos statement victory on Sunday afternoon into the evening over the Green Bay Packers. What is going on over there?

I was just thinking, I was just thinking, you know, these squad shows, shows after games. We usually do like a movie analogy. And I was just thinking of one. I was thinking dodge ball is going to be the one. But I have the line pop into my head and it just, yeah. Okay. Well, I'll let you save it for when the time is right. No, man, I think, you know, we got to talk about Bo Nicks here because as I mentioned before the break, I thought it was the best game of his career, 23 for 34, 302 passing yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, a quarterback rating of 134.7. And I think arguably the most important note from this no sacks taken from Bo Knicks. You guys saw that comparison. I think Mike Cliss put it out

on social media of Bo Nix and Russell Wilson in like their first 30 games. And like Russell Wilson had like three times the amount of sacks despite like the rest of the stats actually being relatively close. So I think that paints a pretty valid picture. Cody, I'll start with you, man. What a game from Bo. Yeah, 100%. I mean, you talked about the fact that zero sacks in this game. You know, like you said, if you could dodge a wrench, you could dodge a ball. If you could dodge Michael Parsons, stay in your feet. You live to see another day here. I just feel like what we saw what him do with his legs at times. Not only did it keep drives going, but man, he made some big plays in the scramble drill to guys like Troy Franklin, Cortland Sutton, Little Jordan Humphrey.

On one in particular, the one of Little Jordan was great because Bo's rolling out to his right. Micah Parsons is chasing him. Both sidessteps goes back the other way. I mean, I just felt like the feel that Bo had of using his legs, which, what has Broncos country been asking him to do more? necessarily like in the run game, but there's times where Bow's legs can help him become even more of a weapon going forward. And I think we saw that in the past game here. His off platform throws, I mean, he can throw rolling to his left, sidearm. I mean, it was incredible. This was, I think just Bo's most complete game that we've seen. I think his best throw of the day, though, was the touchdown to Troy Franklin. I mean, the window that he had there in between three or four

different defenders. And Troy being able to focus and haul that in, man, that was huge. Yeah, no, was massive. And I know we talked about Pat Sertans in reception as kind of changing the momentum, which I definitely think it did. But the Broncos midway through the third quarter find themselves down 23 to 14. And I believe that's the same drive that you just kind of alluded to, Cody, where he kind of juked out Micah threw across his body. You saw like an absolutely optimal mix of using the legs, getting outside of the pocket and pinpoint accuracy. And that's the drive that finished with the fade route to Cortland Sutton in the end zone. I thought that was a beautiful play. And I just thought that sequence and that drive was ultimately what, not that the

offense needed to get kicked into gear, but like they took it up a notch from moving forward from that drive on. A lot to like from Bow's game tonight, sir. You know what I'm glad about is that we're not talking about drops on this show. Right. We're not talking about missed opportunities. We're talking about the receivers capitalizing on all these plays, the balls that were thrown their direction. They made plays on the ball. Cortland Sutton leading the team and receiving yards, Troy Franklin coming through. There was even a point where Troy, I think it was Tony Romo was like, Troy Franklin just got such strong hands at the catch point.

I think everybody, everybody in Broncos country threw up their yellow card at that point was like, that's it. You got one more, Tony, one more wrong call on this game. And we're going to absolutely hit you with a red card. But Troy showed up in this game big time on scramble drill, on the touchdown that you talked about. Marvin Mims, we finally got some more involvement from him. Bo was spreading the ball around.

He was finding guys in Scramble Drill. He was working within the offense. Yeah, I don't think the haters are going to like the passing chart from next gen stats all that much when that finally drops. Yeah, I don't know what the haters are really going to be able to say after this game, but you mentioned it a good mix of different receivers here this afternoon. Quarman, Sutton leading the way, seven receptions for 113 yards at a touchdown. Trey Franklin, six for 85, little Jordan Humphrey, three for 42 in a touchdown. How about Michael Bandy getting the score?

scoring started. He only had the one reception, but it was for a touchdown and 20 yards as well. Marvin Mims, four for 29, right? The list goes on and on. Evan Ingram only had one catch, but it was a big one that helped get the Broncos deeper into the red zone as well. I mean, Nick, we've been waiting for Cortland Sutton. You saw Cortland Sutton today. Love it. Yeah, I definitely love it. And hopefully this changes the narrative about Bo. And what I mean by that, he is taking a lot of slings and arrows from some here in a local market. but also from the national standpoint and mostly, believe it or not, from guys who were backup quarterbacks at that,

backup quarterbacks raiding this guy, talking about how he loves to bail on plays and escape. And I said it on social media. I'll say it here again. Well, one of the better things about Bo Neck is his mobility. And when we look at the fact that they didn't take any sacks this game and the team is only giving up, you know, 17 sacks for number one in the league, you know why that happens.

I know pro football focus would just focus on the offensive line and say, how great those guys are. Don't get me wrong. They do a great job. But the reason they have not giving up a significant amount of sacks is because number 10, his ability to move inside the pocket and throw with different arm angles. I can tell you from a defensive standpoint, having a quarterback that can throw the ball from a different amount of arm angles, it makes it so tough for you.

because you think you have him corral, and then he Patrick Mahomes, the damn thing. That is what we're seeing unfold in front of our eyes. Bo is now embracing that. And for the love of God, please, Sean Peyton, please don't put him in the box because this is who this kid is. Yeah, I think it's well said, man. And it's interesting because, like, this is what we've been waiting for.

And, like, I'm not afraid to admit it. Like, I was not on the same page fully with Cody and Steve. there last week after the Raiders when I know they dominated time of possession, you know, this, that, the other. But I think what you saw tonight is not only the Broncos rising to the occasion, but showing up and showing out to a certain extent and kind of putting the defense on their back in particular in the first half to kind of keep this game close and then not blow it open, but you felt like midway through the fourth quarter like Cody and I turned to

ourselves were like, they're going to win this game. Like I didn't really feel like it was in doubt outside of the two fourth, fourth down play calls from Sean Payton. But I think Bo Nix, you know, he is just leveled up totally this season. sir he really is uh i feel like the guy you guys have seen the the video clip that's going around social media for the past couple years it's the groom who's facing you know he's facing away from his bride and his best buddy his best man is right there by him and he turns around and he sees his bride and he just instantly breaks down in tears that's me when i watch bow nicks play football you

know what i'm saying that's me i'm turning around i see oh my gosh my team has a freaking quarterback baby. And that was my favorite Nick Ferguson segment ever. I think this is the most like, I think this has got to be the highest point right now. I think Bo Nix has had great games. I think Bo Nix quickly proved a lot of people wrong, people who have been clinging on to their stupid little scouting reports like it's their firstborn child. And they've been clinging to all these things that they thought were true about Bo Nix based on what he did at Oregon. I just watched a clip the other day where he was compared. This is a, not a joke. By ESPN's,

one of their top draft guys, he was compared coming out of Oregon to Matt Corral when he was coming out of Ole Miss. It's absolutely ridiculous what these people said about him, that they can't admit they were wrong, and every possible opportunity

that they have, they're like, oh, yeah, there's no way he's going to get past the Packers. There's no way they're going to get past the Chiefs. There's no way he's going to be able to beat this defense. There's no way against Houston on the road. Absolutely not. So you know what, guys? Like, hey, just go back to that video clip of the guy who turns around and sees his wife.

And every time you see that, you think of me when Bo Nix takes the field. That's me. But I'm turning around and seeing my guy take the field number 10. He's that dude. Yeah. No, I, he's playing like it. I mean, that's why I started the show with the way that I did. Like, what could the haters possibly say right now?

I mean, it's undeniable. An 11-game win streak, clinched the playoffs. like I mean what more would you want this is what I was waiting for because I was one of those guys that I think was kind of on the fence with the Broncos not in a negative or a bad way or anything like that I was just trying to keep it a buck and that's why I was so pumped up for this game I got there like two hours early I also had to do some stuff for work but I was like wanting to sit my seat ready to go because this was the game we talked about it extensively on Tuesday that I was like we're going to learn a lot about this Broncos team based on how they play and what they showed me today is you know Sean Payton said a lot of big words before the season about, you know, this is a team that can go out and win a championship. I wasn't so sure. He thinks Bo Nick's going to be a top five quarterback. I wasn't so sure. But what we saw today against a Green Bay Packer team with a really, really good defense

and Jordan loved playing as well as he did in the first half, that is what I was waiting for myself, Nick. Yeah, I just want to say, say, you need some tissue, man. I'm here for you. If you need a bro hug, man, I'm here for you, man. You know what? It was great to see the team go out and play the way they did. And I know they played the Raiders last week, and I told you guys,

hey, that wasn't a dominating performance. That was a performance of efficiency because we hadn't seen it all season long. And I felt as though the Raiders game was the perfect warm-up for this game playing against the Packers to build that confidence. And they just stepped right into it. Like a new pair of shoes, they just stepped in it. It was really comfortable to see them move the ball down the field to show that level of confidence. I was proud to see it.

And I know I told you guys, what we haven't seen a, dominating performance from this team. I'm still going to say this wasn't a dominating performance, but I will tell you, this team is getting to a point where they're rounding into form where you can now look for them to have another dominating performance because before you start using that D word, not Denver Broncos or defense, the word dominate, you have to do it with multiple games. So they got a Jacksonville Jaguar team that's coming in here.

We've got Trevor Lawrence playing well. and Travis E.TN. If they can book in and play back-to-back games like that, fellas, next week when we join on, you will have me use the word dominate. I thought you were going to go. You said the D word there.

I was like, well, there's five Ds, especially if we're going with the Dodgew Islanders, dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. And Denver Broncos are throwing another one in there. Yeah, I love it. Cody's been marinating that one for five hours. Yeah, he's been sitting on that one. He brought it up to me like, you know,

like three minutes into the game. So I was happy he was able to sneak that in. Come on now. I will say this. The moving of the goalposts that we constantly see from the analytics nerds that don't understand football in a sense. You never understood that. I can't stand it.

It drives me nuts because their frequency vibration chart says that, well, it was a little bit louder and the temperature is 10 degrees colder on this side of the field. So that's why the Green Bay Packers really on paper won this game. That's what we hear these guys say. But also what drives me nuts in a sense is that you get these people and you get some of these locally here that chart everything and they fall in the same line as the acronym bros. And they're like, well, I'm happy to be proven wrong on this situation. No, shut up, Jimmy and go back to just doing what we're doing playing Dungeons and Dragons or something.

Leave the football talk to the people that understand it. It drives me nuts. That's why I call Cody a meathead. He doesn't like when I call him that. But my bad that I lift weights and eat protein and play football. You know, it's all a good fun. It's all good fun. Let's hit a quick break.

When we come back, let's continue along with this conversation. We can talk more offense, but let's also hone it on the defense a little bit. And I like Nick's thought about the dominant aspect of it. I've got some thoughts that I'll kind of go back and forth with on that as well. So we'll hit a quick break. Come back. Do just that right here on your Lacton Broncos Squad show. Well, this is perfect timing.

Fandle. Let me say this before I get into the reading. In what world of the Broncos home underdogs? I got a lot of respect for the Packers. I do. That line was crazy. Absolutely crazy. So congratulations to everybody that bet the Broncos here today. And I don't know what the live price was,

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And if you're not signed up with Fanduel, be sure to check him out and let him know that lockdown Broncos sent show. All right, welcome on back into your lockdown Broncos squad show. Cody always loves to grin when I come out of the commercial break. It makes me think he makes me think I did something wrong. No, no, no, you do a fantastic job. No, I just saw something that made me laugh. I missed it this week. Locked on Packers, I was Peter Buchowski,

kind of took a shot this week at Bo Nix that I'm just not seeing where he basically said, so Bo Nix is Broncos Russ with some better luck in defense. Got it. And everyone is roasting him in his tweets, which is such a lazy take, dude. And I think I was telling either you or some of the people in the press box, like I like to listen to a lot of national sports talk, just because I like to, you know, see what other people are thinking. it's crazy how overlooked the Broncos are continuously.

Like they're just, and I'm not trying to make this like a respect dynamic because we all know how we feel here locally, but it's like, you know, Sarah, like you were talking to open up the show. Like they're not talked about the same way that the Rams are. You know, and I understand the Rams are different and Pooka Nakua got hurt. I saw Devante Adams left the game with a hamstring injury, I believe as well. I'm so curious as to what the, like, if they don't lead with the Broncos tomorrow on the four-letter network, like what more does this team have to do to earn respect? I don't even know if winning the Super Bowl would do it, right?

I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I think they would be like, oh, you know what? So weren't the chief still the seventh best team on some power rankings as of last. I mean, it's crazy stuff. It's, it really is the way that it's kind of watered down what you actually see out there on the field. And I think that, yeah, they'll be, they'll be all the way up there, maybe they're going to be rising in the ranks. You think they're going to be one?

I mean, I think so. I have them at number one. Like I told you guys, I make my own power rankings every single week. I have never, not this season, not last. I've never had the Broncos at number one. So you can talk all you want about, I drink the orange Kool-Aid. I'm a fan.

I see things through an orange, orange lenses, whatnot. I've never put the Broncos at number one until now. And the reason being is because they are the best NFL team right now, situationally. They are the best in clutch situations. I think they've shown at times this season to have the best defense. I think, I don't know how many teams have scored more than 44 points.

It's probably happened a couple of times, but they've proven that they can score a ton of points. They've proven that they can win dog fights. They've proven they can win on the road. They've been dominant at home. They've got a return touchdown on special teams. They've got a number of game winning kicks. Their punter as pin guys inside the one. I mean, like the Broncos, I know it hasn't all happened in one game.

That'll be unprecedented. When it all happens in one game, it'll be the first time it happens. but I don't know that any other team has done all of that stuff better in vacuum situations. I think that's fair. It's either going to be the Broncos or the Rams at one. And we'll see how it comes out with the national pundits here tomorrow. I'd be remiss if I didn't say like there's a couple of takeaways. Sean Peyton after the game was talking about how in particular the Broncos wanted to go tempo

and how, you know, they sensed that the Green Bay Packers were guests. I mean, he told the story at his post game press conference of like he grabbed the offense at one point was like, look across the way, like, this team is gassed. And so, you know, the Broncos, to their credit, kept their foot on the gas, and you love to see that. I do think the Christian Watson injury and the Micah Parsons' injury made it a little bit difficult for the Green Bay Packers. And Michael Parsons, the indication is it appears he has a torn ACL. So thoughts and prayers out to him, no one wants to see anybody get injured. But Sarah, to your point, like schematically, like the Broncos come out of the game healthy, right? They're down

J.K. Dobbins. But like, you know, their receivers are healthy, Bose healthy. Defense, you know, you know, Brandon Jones and Justin Surnah got a little banged up today. We'll see what happens with them. But their core players are in a good spot at this point in the season coach. Yeah, look, and I think as well, too, it is so much of it is the circumstances kind of just spinning in a way where it's like you think that their backs are against the wall, which at times it is. Like being down 2314 after, you know, in the third quarter,

it's like against a very good team. I think everybody wanted to see how does this team respond? Passer 10 happens. Oh, Knicks happens twice there. And all of a sudden, Denver takes a lead. I think what? Going to the fourth, it was 27, 23. So Denver answered the call there and was able to score a handful of points.

And I just think it played into a favor where it's like, all right, hey, in close games or even if they're trailing, I even asked Alex Singleton after the game. So what is it like when you guys are giving up these plays in the first half or if you're giving a big plays, how do you guys figure out how to just lock in? Like what, what is it? What switch flips? And he says, look, he said, our coaches do a great job coaching us. but us as players, we got to go out there and we got to execute. And he says, so there's times we sat there in the huddle. We looked at each other and I said, guys, we got to stop the run here.

Like we got to get back and get pressure on the quarterback. We got to make sure our coverage is tight. And it's these things like these guys have a belief that even if they're down, they're never out, which I like that. You have to have that mentality. Whereas I think past Broncos teams that we have seen, the moment they get down, and this hasn't been the case in Sean Payton's been the coach. But in the prior years since Super Bowl 50, they get down.

It feels like the end of the. the world. Down 10, nothing feels like a death sentence. It doesn't feel that way anymore at this team. I think that speaks to their resiliency. Yeah, they're comfortable in the pressure cooker. And that's, I think, one of the best trace that an NFL team could have without a doubt. So we'll get back to the offense here in a little bit, but let's hone in on the defense, bit of a rough start to the game. But, you know, the two turnovers from Pat Sartan and Riley Moss, I thought Jaquan McMillan had himself a nice game as well, making some big plays, Drake Greenlaw laying down the thunder, Talado Hufonka, running all over the place.

Nick, what do you think changed in the second half? Was it a motivational speech? Did they look themselves in the mirror? Did the altitude start to affect Green Bay, as Sean Payton alluded to? What did you see from the defense that changed in the second half? Execution. That's all it is. It is when you put in the place to make a play, that's what you have to do.

And what we saw in the first half, they were not making plays. And it wasn't just because the guys on Demer Broncos defense just kind of like the skill set in the football. Q, I mean, you got to tip your cap to Jordan Love and Mantle Flore in the plays that he were dialing up. And sometimes the Broncos defenders were right there at the throat of Joy and Love. He stared down those 300-pound pass rushers and he delivered passes. I mean, Bass Joseph said it all week. When you think about Joy and Love and how he's improved since that Phillies game and also

how tall he is. So he can see over the tall demons of linemen to still make those tight window throws. And that's all it was, man. they were making throws. Like if we were to go back to the Kansas City game and say all those deep shots that Patrick Holmes attempted that did not land home, imagine if they did. And that was kind of the day for Joy and Love. Like he dropped the Mepheon Dye to Josh Jacobs in the corner of the end zone.

Yeah. And Drake Greenlaw, because the Broncos defense, especially from the linebacker standpoint, they've had problems all season long covering running backs out. the backfield. That doesn't mean he's going to stop. They're going to see more of it, but he was in phase with him. As a defensive coach, there's nothing you can tell a green law in that situation. But maybe, you know what?

Maybe try to rip it out. But at that point, Josh Jacobs, strong hands, I mean, to catch the ball, have both feet in bounds and still ain't going to it falling out of bounds. That's what the first half was like for Joe Lundner, the Packers. And oh, by the way, it looked. like early on, it was going to be a route because the package were moving the ball down the field, but the Broncos defense just kept slamming the door on them time and time again. So I don't know if to make Dodgeball reference, well, if you want to call that a wrench,

they definitely threw a wrench in their program. Yeah, I love it. That's a good one. You know, Drey Greenlaw and Alex Singleton, co-leaders in total tackles here this afternoon, both had eight. Drey Greenlaw had five solos, Alex Singleton, with four as well. and yeah, I mean, that was just a sick catch by Josh Jacobs, man. And he's been a Bronco killer his entire career, although this is the first game he's lost when facing the Denver Broncos.

And I understand the Broncos were down and out when he was playing him with the Raiders and all that kind of stuff as well. But it is worth noting there too. But I think, you know, what really kind of stood out to me in the second half, it was really the final drive of the game, Sarah. Like when the lights were the brightest, and again, it's a one possession game like Jonathan Cooper and Nick Benito and, you know, Dandrea Tillman, you know, all these guys like, they were just getting after Jordan love and sealed the deal once again late in the game. Yeah, it was great to see everybody getting involved, right? And it's like I mentioned earlier, like I don't even wear my Apple Watch during the games anymore because I'm sick of seeing. Hey, your heart rate is spiking over this and that and the other.

I consider taking a rest or something like that, you know. So I don't, during the game, it was up. It's up high. I can feel it. I can feel a blood boiling a little bit. But like I said, late in this game, the confidence level shifted in what the defense was doing. It was just,

it's just like this sixth sense that you have when you just know that the defense is going to come through, that the defense is going to make a play. And they did, right? And it just felt like it was going to happen. Like it felt like the inevitable, okay, you're watching, you know, whatever it may be. And you're like, oh, yeah, he's going to, he's going to make this shot or he's going to hit this one out of the park. Or you just know it's going to happen.

And that's what it felt like, the Broncos, defense became inevitable late in this game. The pass rush turned it up. The coverage execution, like Nick said, it was on point. Even with PJ Locke in the game for the injured Brandon Jones, which is an underrated wrinkle that got thrown in. So to me, it was just that kind of sixth sense confidence level for this defense in the second half that everything shifted after those first five or six drives in the game for the Packers.

Yeah, though, 100%. And again, you tip your cap of Jordan Love. I mean, he came out slinging. And, you know, one of my keys to victory for the Broncos is I thought the defense needed to come out and make life miserable for him. They were still able to win the game in spite of that. And I think that just kind of speaks to the backbone this team has, Cody. Yeah. And look, they got some tone setters.

Drey Greenlaw certainly sets a tone every time he plays. I think Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper do the same thing. I'm going to give a shout out here to Talenoa Hufanga. Early on in this game, it was a short-yarded situation. It was a toss to the left side. Hufanga destroys the tight end and Josh Jacobs for a three-yard loss. Just the things that this guy does in key situations, and she's like the Broncos, you need a spark.

Like if the energy is low, he's the energizer bunny. He gets that spark going. I loved what we saw from Hufanga. Sarah, love that you brought up PJ Locke. I thought he played a hell of a game stepping in, considering where Denver was at defensively coming out of half. I think the concern is that obviously Brandon Jones was ruled out pretty quickly with a peck injury, and that's not necessarily a good sign.

We'll have you updated this week on the show when we find out more. But for PJ to step in, I was talking with Andrew Mason after the game. And we were both talking like, that's why you brought PJ back because of his previous experience as a start of a man. Not only does he impact special teams in a positive way, this guy has starting experience defensively. He came in. I thought he played really well. I thought the defense played a lot better than it in the first half, especially when he was at safety. Yeah, no, I'm with you.

I don't really have any much more to add from that. And I think, you know, as Nick kind of alluded to, or restarted this conversation, is they just figured out a way to execute, you know, when they needed to late in this game. And so at the end of the day, man, you got to love where the Broncos are at. And after this final commercial break, let's kind of take a state of the NFL with where the Broncos stand. Of course, they clinch a playoff spot tonight,

but they also find themselves in firm control of the one seat. Jacksonville coming up next. So that'll be a tough test. But the Patriots losing today really, really helps out this Denver Broncos team. So we'll hit our final break, a quick one. Come back to you just add right here on. your locked on Broncos squad show. All right, well, come on back into the program.

AP Cody Rourke, Sarah Bettinger, and Nick Ferguson reacting to the Denver Broncos 34 to 26 win over the Green Bay Packers. Denver now at 12 and 2, 7 and 0 at home. I believe they're the only team in the NFL right now that is undefeated at home. And that might continue into the playoffs, right? They got to take down Jacksonville. We'll see what that charger game means for the final regular season. of the year. But I think, like, win aside, we saw the Patriots lose early. They blew a 21

zip lead. I was busy, like, running around doing stuff before the game. I'm like, oh, my gosh, like, no one's going to win this game. What the heck's going on? Josh Allen delivers and helps out the Denver Broncos by coming back from that 21 point deficit. And with the Broncos win, guys, they now have a game lead on the Patriots for that one seat. And, you know, like I've said, every single time we do this show, like, my water was shaking on the table. Like, I could hear and feel the fans through the glass in the press box. And Nick, it just makes me think, you know, this one seat, if it really does come to fruition,

this team is going to be a damn tough out at home. Yeah, it is. And you guys were sitting inside. Once again, I was sitting outside and it was loud as hell. And I want to piggyback off of what Sayers said because he mentioned it not once but twice when he mentioned an idea of a sense, a sixth sense. So, yeah, teams coming into Broncos country,

I see dead people. So you're going to see dead people a lot based on how this team is actually playing because there's a certain level of confidence. And this is what I've been looking for all season long. And the reason why I put that much pressure on this team because I play for this team. I know what it's like to play under that certain amount of pressure. And getting back to where Mr. B and Mike Shanahan set that barge ever so high for the first time we can say in what, nine, 10 years. Now we're talking about the Denver Broncos,

no matter what they're saying nationally, but locally, this is the team now to beat. Yeah, no, I completely agree with you. And, Sarah, like you've been,

again, where you started your show, about them being the best team of the NFL, you know, the first team of the AFC to clinch a playoff spot. I think the Rams, like,

won, like, 30 seconds before triple zeros for the Broncos. So they essentially simultaneously became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. and I'm just pumped, dude. Like I know that's not the most professional thing to say, but it's like I was sitting there in that press box,

you know, doing the post game stuff and in the locker room. And I just came away from that. You know, we heard Garrett Bowles, you know, after the game as well talking about, you know,

how this team is just fueled with self-belief. I just can't wait to see where this season goes because right now it just seems like everything's on the table. I think we can finally acknowledge that last year, things may have been given to the Denver Broncos a little bit. They earned their 10 wins. But late in the season, kind of had a little collapse going there against the Bengals, against the Chargers, had to play against Kansas City's backups in the final game, which put a little bit of an asterisk next to those 10 wins.

And then, of course, you get blown out in the playoffs. This year, they went in and took the bull by the horns, as Cody said. And that is a metaphor. But that actually happened, though, this season. That actually happened for the Denver Broncos, right? So they took what was given to them last year. And this year, they absolutely took over. And that's just what happened.

That's why it's exciting. That's what we're seeing from this team. And not only did they clinch a playoff spot, but I believe, boys, that the magic number for the AFC West is now one. I think they only got to win one more game, right? So you win one more game, you win the AFC West. And that is a crazy spot to be in. More wins than I think that 2015 team won 12 games that season.

So you have an opportunity here to surpass their win total. I believe this is the longest win streak. franchise history at 11 games. So crazy to think that even the Peyton teams didn't do this. I don't think. I think that Broncos posted that statistic. So to me, you look at this and it's a difference of two seasons, right? Last year, we kind of, you know, we made sure we had a date to the dance, right? And this year, it's like everybody's asking us. You know what I'm saying? Everybody's like, hey, you're the team. You're that team. You're the one that everybody want. Like, you're the team out there right now. So I think for the Broncos, that's why it is.

exciting. I don't think it's unprofessional. All of our jobs are more fun when the team's winning, right? I mean, that's just the reality. Like, we get to have fun covering a team that's good. And it's a nice change of pace for the last 10 years. Yeah, no, it definitely is. And I believe I'm not 100% sure. I think the 98 LA team had a 13 game winning streak. I'm not 100% sure, but it's definitely one of if not the longest win. Does that include the playoffs? It might. It might. I thought I saw something about that after the game as well. But, Point being, I mean, this team is on a role. The last time the Broncos lost a game, it was like 85 degrees sunny and September.

Like, it has been so long since we've seen this Denver Broncos team get knocked off their pedestal. I know we had a pretty spirited conversation on Tuesday about like, would have lost be the worst thing for this Denver Broncos team? And I think, you know, I'm excited for this Jacksonville game now because Jacksonville is a team that's on fire. The Broncos once again be tested. But Cody, the ultimate Christmas gift that the Broncos can give to Broncos country is, Assuming they beat Jacksonville, not only can they clinch the division, but I believe they clinch the one seed if they beat Jacksonville and then beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas. Yeah, I mean, that would be huge. And look, I'm going to take a page out of the players book here.

You know, I'm not going to look ahead to Christmas Day just yet, right? I think after watching what Jacksonville did, obviously, this afternoon, they're very impressive at almost every level offensively. Look, Trevor Lawrence is playing good. There's times where you can get after him. Travis Eatheen's playing good. good, the receivers are playing really well, the defense is, you know, able to get stops and create takeaways. This is going to be a big game this week here for the Broncos. But to your point about, like, you know, professionalism, like here's the thing, like, here in local media, this is why

I think the narrative has to change a little bit, right? Because everyone tunes into the national media shows, but yet they never talk about your favorite team. That's why I think local, I think what we have here at this show is very important because we are local. We are there every day. We see the players. We're in the locker rooms. We talk. to these guys, but we also were there around the fans as well. I think that's super important because why would you want to just be like, okay, hey, okay, they're winning games, but just be negative after a win. Like when the Broncos are winning, guess what?

It makes my job easier. It makes Sarah's job easier. Yours. Knicks, like we have so much fun because we get to share the excitement with the fan base and bring them a little bit closer than where they're at. So for me, stop listening to the national show. Stay locked in here locally. But this is such a big game this week here for Denver.

And certainly I think you can always get in these scenarios early on in the week where it's like, all right, the Broncos win this game. If the Chargers lose this, that, and the other. You're looking at all these different scenarios. You want to control your own destiny. Win and continue at this point, right? Because, hey, play Jacksonville. It's going to be a tough physical game.

Now you've got to go play the Kansas City Chief. So unfortunately, we know Patrick Mahomes is done for the year, torn ACL, brutal loss for them. Obviously, hopefully he's going to be okay down the line. but I can't focus too far ahead. You got to focus on what's in front. And right now it's a 24-hour rule. Enjoy the win against the Packers. And it's moving on time for Jacksonville.

Yeah, Cortland Sutton said as much at his locker after the game as well. And yeah, it's a massive game coming against Jacksonville. We'll dive into that on Tuesday squad show as well. But as we begin to wind down here on the program, let's do some game balls, right? I mean, it was a thrilling victory for this Broncos team. Again, your final score here this evening, 34 to 26. Nick, I'll start with you. Where are you going with your game ball?

I'm going to give my game ball. to the entire defensive coaching staff and the players themselves. They had the Broncos defense had five QB hits in the first half. They finished the game with 15 QB hits. They got the two interceptions, one for Pat's for Tan, one for Riley Moss. And they finished today with three sacks on Joy and Love. So that's who I'm giving my game ball too, because we all know this. For this team to continue moving this train down the playoff tracks,

they're going to need that defense to continue to slam the door on opponents so they get my game ball. It's part of the reason why, you know, when we did our little whiteboard during the by week, we're talking about who has the most pressure out of them. That's why I said, Vince Joseph. And like in the first half of the game, I actually turned to Cody. And I was like, this is exactly why I said what I said, because I'm like, not that I thought the sky was falling or anything like that, but with as good as Jordan Love was playing and the defense looking a bit, you know, whacked out at the time. I was like, they got to pick this thing up because even as Sarah alluded to, you know, the Charger game last year,

the Bengal game last year having to earn that playoff spot against Kansas City. Not that it was going to be the same situation. They had 11 wins entering into this game, but I was like, this Broncos team needs to clamp down because they have a real opportunity at the one seat and everything else that comes with it.

So like that game ball as well. Sarah, where you're going? I'm giving a game ball to Michael Bandy, right? I mean, longtime listeners of Lock on Broncos know that I have been all over Michael Bandy in terms of being like, in the off season, why is this guy still on the team, right? What are the Broncos doing here?

What is Sean Payton seeing this guy? He's been on the team for three years. They've had injury issues at wide receiver. He almost never plays until this year. And he gets that action against Houston and he drops the punt. And then once again, everybody's like, why is this guy on the team? Like, what is going on? So I have to admit, I've been as hard, if not harder on Michael Bandy than anybody else out there

that talks about the Broncos, mainly because we do talk about the Broncos literally every single day. So you have to talk about all the guys on the team. But I will say Michael Bandy getting the scoring started off in this game on a third downplay, no less. I mean, big time stuff from him and a great moment for him to get his first NFL touchdown. I love that. I love that. Cody? I'm going to give a game ball to Bo Nix here, four touchdowns on the day.

And I think the fact that look, four different touchdown passes to four different receivers, seven passes completed. I mean, he had more than seven pass completed. But passes completed seven different receivers. The distribution was great. It was where it needed to be in this game. A week after he connected with 11 different past catching options, it was nice to see that.

But just his command of the offense, his decision making, his ball placement. And I would just say just the competitive nature there to put the Broncos in positions where there were times where he evaded pressure. He put the game essentially into his hands, made the right decision, made the right plays, and that's why the Broncos, they won this game.

They're also 12 and 2. Bo Nix, he's going to get my game ball. Yeah, I was going to say, you know, Bo has to get a game ball. I would have given it to him if you did not, Cody. And so to kind of spice it up here a little bit, I'll give it to Cortland Sutton, man. I think, you know, the seven receptions for 113 yards,

the touchdown reception was a beauty, had that reception down the sideline as well, that Matt LaFleur for some reason decided to challenge. I had literally no idea as to why he decided to do. that, but help burn a time out that ultimately helped the Broncos in this game late. But I just thought Cortland was the ultimate safety blanket for Bo Nix today. I mean, again, that touchdown reception down the sideline over the middle. Like, I think you saw a lot of different strengths, you know, played from Cortland Sutton today.

And look, Troy Franklin, I thought had an awesome game. That touchdown was absolute butter. Little Jordan Humphrey, you know, a guy that they had to bring back, you know, to kind of fill a void at the wide receiver room. He had himself a good game. So I could give it to all of the wide receivers if I wanted to. but I thought Cortland Sutton today really, really set the tone for the Broncos on offense, Nick. Yeah, he definitely did.

And last week, we saw Corlin Sutton get 10 targets. Before that, we watched his target start to dwindle. A lot of those targets went to Troy Franklin, but it's great to see Corley Sutton get more involved. And to me, when you have a wide receiver one like that, you got to get him involved. And a couple of plays that Corley made today, normally we don't really see or. Corlin make those types of plays, and we know him to be one of those guys who is able to create space off the line. And Valentine, it was basically my bloody Valentine because he was put into me grinding. Because Corlin Sutton put him to work.

And Cody, you know this, and I'll put the video up later. When you're playing man to man, the one thing you can't do, you can't stab and open up your hips and just kind of, hey, run into the end. end zone. But that's exactly what Valentine did multiple times for Colin Sutton. And Coeurles Sutton and Bo Nix took advantage of it. Yeah, no, 100%. I think it's well said. And, you know, we'll see how far this Denver Broncos team can go, fellas. I really think all options, everything's on the table right now. We're talking AFC West. We're talking one seat. We're talking home playoff games. We're talking Super Bowl. And if they play like they did today, the rest of the way, man, they are going to be a tough out, especially if they get that one

the seeds. So, okay, before we get out of here, Cody, any closing thoughts? No, look, this was a great win. Great way to kind of go into the week. Another victory Monday for Broncos country. And, you know, there's a lot of stuff that we'll be talking about this week here on Locked on. Broncos looking forward to getting together back again on the squad show, seeing how the rest of the AFC is kind of shaping out this week. We'll go through scenarios. This was just, it was a great, great place. Great day, great Sunday football. This was clearly the best game of the week. And in my opinion, it should have been a Sunday night football game.

but I understand CBS wanted to protect this one, so it didn't get flexed into prime time. Yeah, I love it. Sarah. The Denver Broncos might be a bunch of average Joe's to the analytics pros, but they're better than you, and we know it. Love it. Nick, any closing thoughts?

Anything you want to get off the chest? Yeah, I'm so excited about tonight's win. I might go eat a donut. No, I'm not. I'm not going to do that to my body. Do it. You're better than me. Lamar's, baby.

I'm going to go and have somewhat of a sweet treat to kind of celebrate this. And bitch I shout out to everyone in Broncos country. They cheer their behinds off and the team is going to need them with a home full advantage, which we're hoping to get throughout the playoffs. Yeah, no, I'm with you. My dinner tonight is going to be a bag of crack pepper potato chips. I don't think I'm going to have time to go get anything. But honestly, I had a couple chicken sandwiches.

They had some awesome churros in the press box today as well. I had a few of those. The food was elite today. I'll say that. They absolutely don't. Oh my. Yeah, they cleaned up today. I'll end with this because I think you guys said everything that needs to be said about the Broncos.

I just love December football, man. Like December football is the absolute best. And I know it was, you know, some was shining. It was beautiful today in Broncos country. Like seeing the bangles freezing their rear ends off. It's like minus 10 in Chicago. Like this is a sports fan and it's a football fan. Like this is like October baseball, right?

This is like April and May basketball, you know, and playoff hockey and whatnot. We're getting into the meat and the best part of the NFL season. And for Broncos country, It was a thrilling, thrilling afternoon and evening as the Denver Broncos shut up the haters and take down the Green Bay Packers. So love to see it. As Cody alluded to, we will be back on Tuesday with another episode of your locked on Bronco squad show. So on your way out the door, make sure to hit that like button, smash that subscribe button. If you're watching on YouTube, that we guys never, ever miss an episode.

And for all of our audio listeners and podcast form, really appreciate you guys as well. Broncos getting the job done, clinching a playoff spot and shutting up the haters with their win over the Green Bay Packers. for us tonight, folks. Enjoy your victory Monday. Talk to you guys on Tuesday. Craming it up your cream hole in the flu.