Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos, Bo Nix Clinch NFL Playoff Spot After Dominant Performance vs. Chiefs

Starting point is 00:00:00 The drought is officially over. The Denver Broncos are heading back to the postseason for the first time in nine years. It didn't matter if it was Patrick Mahomes or the Kansas City Chief starters or their backups. The Broncos, they came out on a mission. Their playoff bound. We'll break it all down here on today's brand new episode, Lock on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:31 Hey, hey, hey, Braco's country. What's happening? and welcome in to another episode, Locked-on Broncos, your daily. Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, where you know it is your team every day. Thank you so much to everyone in Broncos Country. All the everydayers out there who tune in and make us your first listen of the day every single day for all the objective Broncos news, content coverage analysis,

Starting point is 00:00:52 and more that you get every single day all year long. I'm Cody Roark, Broncos reporter from Ohio Sports. joined as always by Sarah Bedinger, site expert, predominantly orange.com. Sokey in, Broncos Country. The Denver Broncos are heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. After a dominant win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18, the mission was set out in front of them by Broncos head coach Sean Payton, take care of business.

Starting point is 00:01:18 That's exactly what we did. And here's what you're going to get on today's episode of the show. We're going to handle our game balls at the end of the show here to highlight the Broncos dominant performance against Casey on Sunday. We'll also talk about how Bow Nicks capped off one of the more impressive rookie seasons that we've seen from a quarterback in quite some time. He also made a little bit of history, but we're going to open things up with the biggest story of the day.

Starting point is 00:01:40 That ticket that DeBronco's been searching for to the playoffs, it has officially been punched. They are heading to the postseason against Buffalo next Sunday. But how did they get there, Sarah, my friend, can't wait to break it down on today's episode show, brought to our friends over there at LinkedIn. Jobs. They help you find the qualified can, so you want to talk to faster.

Starting point is 00:01:57 Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash lockdown NFL. Terms and conditions apply. I tell you what, in terms of conditions, well, for the Broncos, they just punched a ticket to the postseason for the first time in a long time. And really since the inception of lockdown Broncos, Sarah, we've never had anything like this. We never had a chance to do a lockdown Broncos playoff push. Here we are.

Starting point is 00:02:18 Impressive win by them on Sunday. 38 to nothing, the Denver Broncos came through. I know there was a lot of worry from Broncos country coming into this game. Like, man, are, were they going to be able to beat Kansas City's backups? says Carson Wentz going to be playing for a contract and go out there and have a big game somehow against a defense that had been struggling to be fair to anybody that was maybe questioning going into this game. But you know what the Denver Broncos did what they have done against bad teams all season long. I mean, the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the NFL record wise. But their backups were playing out there.

Starting point is 00:02:52 So what does a good team do against a team that's playing their backups? Or you go out and get your ninth win by nine or more points. And this one, I mean, a 38 point shut out by the Denver Broncos. And it was a complete just drubbing of the Kansas City Chiefs from the very start. The Broncos took the opening kickoff, Cody. And they did exactly what you and I talked about in the pregame episode on Friday's show, where we talked about, hey, put the pedal to the metal from the very beginning of this game. Don't give any hope of a Carson Wentz legacy game.

Starting point is 00:03:23 We don't need a Carson Steel legacy game. We don't need the Nico Remigio game. We don't need any of that bull crap. We need to go out there and take our playoff spot. And that's exactly what the Denver Broncos did. It was so satisfying. It was a complete victory. We almost had a little, here's a little bit of this for you.

Starting point is 00:03:40 Oh, you want one of those? Okay, it was like a full color palette of all the things we would order for Denver Broncos victory. I absolutely love it. And we're soaking it in Broncos country. Absolutely. And you should. Look, I felt like the energy in the stadium, just walking into the stadium today, it was freezing. by the way, but there was just fans were out there full on tailgating, partying, exciting.

Starting point is 00:04:03 And then it was the most full I've seen in the stadium in terms of right at kickoff. Like usually some people fill into their seats shortly after kickoff happens. It was full from the onset. So Broncos country brought the heat in this game on a day where it was chilly. And for the Denver Broncos, their offense was red hot. I mean, we talk about 479 total yards of offense, all led by Broncos quarterback, Bow Nix, really taking command. And Sarah, as you mentioned it, like Denver.

Starting point is 00:04:27 They scored a touchdown on their first three drives of the game and really was orchestrated by, hey, some good balance running by Jaliel McLaughlin, Adrick Estimate, Javante Williams, getting involved a little bit. Bo Nix using his legs and his arm. And then you find a way at this point, like Denver goes up and it's like, all right, now you got this comfortable 14 nothing lead. It's like, all right, don't get too complacent. You go into halftime with a lead as well. Will Lutz obviously tying, you know, I think the regular season record by Jason Elym for most field goals made in. a year. And then all of a sudden, it's like, all right, hey, Denver's got the momentum in this game. And what do they do? They come out in the second half. They force the chiefs to go three and out,

Starting point is 00:05:05 to punt the football away. It was just an utter dominating performance here by Denver. I think one thing that stands out when you look at the total net yards for Kansas City, 98 on the day for Carson Wenton at offense, one of nine for them on third down. And Denver completely dominated the time of possession, 41, 49 to 18 minutes, two KCs. This is what I wanted the Broncos to see, sir. You and I talked about this because, look, we all knew it. The Nair is going in. We're watching the Bengals and the Steelers on Saturday night and we're like,

Starting point is 00:05:36 okay, hopefully the Bengals lose. And, you know, they go on. They put a dominating performance on the Steelers. The Steelers collapse a little bit late after they made it interesting. And then all of a sudden, it's like, all right, you have to win. Like, that was it's do or die. Sunday's game was if the Broncos lose, they wouldn't make the playoff. So you know what?

Starting point is 00:05:52 I love the focus that this team had. And I said it all week long, there was this calm focus to them, because the one thing you didn't want to have happened, them coming to this week too tight, and then that backfire on them against Casey's backups. But we're seeing a lot of conversation. Oh, they played the backups. Sarah, the mission is to win the game.

Starting point is 00:06:09 The mission is to get to the postseason by any means. It didn't matter who's in front of the Broncos. They secured the 10th win of the season. And now they're going to the postseason, my friend. And I'm excited because look, we get to bring Broncos country along with us. This is exciting times here. It's the best. I mean, I just, it's hard to put into,

Starting point is 00:06:27 words even a little bit because for so much of my life, Cody, and I know for yours as well, like the Denver Broncos didn't have playoff droughts. There was like, hey, if you miss the playoffs one year, you better be back or somebody's losing jobs. Heads will roll with this organization if you don't win. And that was a, it wasn't just a tradition. I mean, this is one of the most winningest franchises in all of professional sports from 1983 to the day Peyton Manning left the organization in 2016, right? So this is not a situation to where Broncos fans are just like, man, this is we don't know what losing is like. We've never known it. And so now to be back in the playoffs, where we all belong, it feels right. It's awesome. It's so exciting to get to go up against

Starting point is 00:07:14 the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. I don't know, Cody. I'm kind of feeling like the Broncos playing with some house money here because as the seventh seat in the playoffs, you've won 10 games. You've discovered your franchise quarterback. You've vastly improved over the last two seasons. You've done all of this with $89 million in dead money, just $53 million alone from Russell Wilson's contract. And you're going to Buffalo playing in the 11 a.m. mountain time window on Sunday afternoon. We'll talk more about that as the week goes along. But man, it's so exciting for this team to be back and to be in these discussions, to even be part of the graphics.

Starting point is 00:07:52 like on, you know, the, here's the playoff schedule to see the Broncos on there. Like, it just feels so good to be back. It was nostalgic having Jim Nance calling the game for those that watch on TV and weren't at the stadium. I mean, it was just like when, when Peyton was still playing. And the last time the Broncos, quite frankly, were relevant. And now here we are again, we're back in business. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:08:15 And look, here, here's one thing I'll say, like Tony Romo was walking by, you know, we were going to go into the locker room post game here. Tony Romo was walking by. He was talking with Jim Nance as they were walking out, and he was saying to Jim, you can overhear it. I was eavesdropping there. He said, I think Denver could be a team that shocked some people and surprises Buffalo here, which, look, that'll set the table for the rest of the week here. But very interesting here, Tony Romo, say that here.

Starting point is 00:08:38 But Broncos cornerback, Rodley Moss, had a lot to say, look, the expectations early on the year, we've highlighted it. People said Denver's going to not win more than five games. They were going to win one game. They're going to win less than five. They won 10 games. Here's a Broncos cornerback, Riley Moss. had to say post game we caught up with him.

Starting point is 00:08:54 Yeah, you know, I think you've got to spend some time and, you know, be proud of what the work you put in, you know. You know, we weren't expected to do this. You know, it was five and a half, I think was the line and we hit 10. And we all believed it the entire year. That's why we worked hard. And, you know, like Coach said in our breakdown, like a young and hungry team is dangerous and things.

Starting point is 00:09:15 I want to continue to, you know, light this momentum. I heard that Riley Moss was kind of messing with Cortland Sutton being like, look, I don't know what you guys are talking about. It's only my second year with the team, and here I am in the playoffs. Like, it's only taking me two years to get here. I don't know what's wrong with you guys, but love seeing that and the mentality from this team, being underdogs all year, one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, now playing for a chance to go upset the Buffalo Bills. Yeah, we heard from Sean Payton early on the year where he called this team young and hungry.

Starting point is 00:09:44 That was the message that Riley Moss also resonated. And several other players did as well, here's what Riley had to say on this part. Kind of from the jump, and, you know, that's this type of team we have. Like, we just have a bunch of guys who are goody and don't really care about the outside noise and just put their head down and work. And, you know, that's the most exciting thing for me and for our team is being able to see it come to fruition. It was this week late. And it's come to fruition. Here it is.

Starting point is 00:10:06 Here we sit amidst the Broncos now being in the playoffs as a team that was completely counted out. Worst roster in the NFL. Nobody had any expectation. I mean, Bo Nix. I can't believe you would take this. quarterback, 12th overall, six quarterback in the draft. I mean, Cody, I can't wait to break down more about the implications of this game and the details of which, you know, we saw Bo Nix specifically leading this young team.

Starting point is 00:10:33 And I think he's the one really ultimately to kind of tease our next segment here that's given this franchise reason for hope that they can do something in the playoffs. He's the keys to the kingdom here for the Broncos. He's their franchise quarterback that has been established here. What was it that Bonix did in Sunday's game that helped him cap off what is a historic season, not only for the franchise, but also in the same category in NFL history. We'll break that down and how much more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to our friends over there at LinkedIn in jobs

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Starting point is 00:11:55 That's LinkedIn.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free terms and conditions apply. Today's show is also brought to you by our friends over there at Rocket Money. And did Rocket Money help you find any subscriptions that you forgot about or that you were paying for twice? That definitely happened to me. And I had a few subscriptions that I didn't even know that I had that I was still paying for. And Rocket Money, they made it so easy to track them all down. and to cancel them. It's like having a personal assistant for your finances. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending,

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Starting point is 00:13:01 Broncos rookie quarterback, Bo Nix made some franchise history and joined some elite company in the process of the Broncos shutting out the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular season finale. Broncos country for playoff bound this year. Thanks so much for rocking with us here. You know your boys, Cody and Sarah got you locked on Broncos every single day. And for you every dayers out there, we appreciate you so much. And now we can officially say thank you for rocking with us during the preseason, during the regular season, during the off season.

Starting point is 00:13:30 And now, hopefully, the postseason, you'll join us every day this week as we prep for the Broncos facing off against the Buffalo Bills. Hit subscribe so you don't miss a single episode of the show. And we're sure to be talking a lot of Bo Nicks on the podcast this week. Cody. Obviously, we're going to talk a lot about Bo on today's episode. Our whole segment here devoted to Bo Nix, capping off a fantastic rookie season in which I think if I want to go back at some point, I'll dig through the archives and look at our predictions. Maybe some of our pie in the sky hopes and predictions for what Bo Nix could do as a rookie because he's been better

Starting point is 00:14:10 than I think anybody with the highest, loftiest expectations could have possibly imagined. Yeah, I mean, look, I'm very curious too. So when you do that digging, make sure you find a couple of clips. I think we did an episode in the offseason about maybe stats for ball. Like what could we see from bowl realistically as a rookie? I think he's exceeded every expectation, Sarah. And look, I think it's an amazing thing to see considering how he started the year. Right.

Starting point is 00:14:37 And the regular season is like, welcome to the NFL, Bo Nix. You're going to have zero touchdowns. You're going to have four interceptions. You're going to play the Seahawks week one on the road. You're going to play the Steelers then after that. And really, the narrative after those two games, there were a lot of Broncos fans ready to jump off of the Boe Nix wagon at that point. And it's just like, hey, be patient. He's a rookie.

Starting point is 00:14:56 Let him grow. Let's see what he does. Thank goodness. The organization didn't listen to the noise after two weeks and said, hey, we're going to let Bow grow and we're going to do things to maybe help him. And we're going to put some pieces around him. to design some things up. But I think for Bo, as tough as he looked in the first couple of games, for him to flip that switch and look from then to now, Sarah, he looks like an entirely different

Starting point is 00:15:20 quarterback and it's not close. So if you would have told me, okay, in weeks one and two, he's going to be 0 for four in terms of touchdowns to interceptions. The Bronco is going to start off 0 and 2. Denver's going to finish the season 10 and 7, and Bo Nix is going to make a little bit of history in terms of where he's at, I would have said you're crazy. But what is that history? Well, Sarah, you know, he had two touchdown passes in the first quarter and that had tied him with Baker Mayfield for the most passing touchdowns by a rookie in NFL history. Justin Herbert obviously held that with 31 passing touchdowns his rookie year, but then Bo Necks through two more. So he surpassed Baker Mayfield, making NFL history for the second most passing touchdowns by a rookie

Starting point is 00:16:01 in NFL history. And Bo finishes just two touchdowns. touchdown shy in the regular season of tying that feet that Justin Herber set back when he was a rookie. So two Oregon quarterbacks at the top of the pecking order here. I mean, that right there, I'm so blown away by what Bow has been able to achieve. It's been awesome. And those are such great numbers to see him up there in rare air with those guys, because you and I talked before the season. I know we mentioned this, that there's not many quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era that have thrown for more than 20 touchdown passes. That's a very short list. of guys. So for Bo to now be second all time among rookie quarterbacks with his 29 touchdown

Starting point is 00:16:40 passes, absolutely huge. And the broadcast crew, Jim Nance, Tony Romo came through with a nice note, Cody, that I actually, this is off script for us right now. I just remembered it off the top of my head. Bo Nix has more passing touchdowns at home than any rookie quarterback in NFL history. So shout out to the mile high magic for Bo Nix, I suppose, this year. More home passing touchdowns than any rookie quarterback ever. and he made some Broncos franchise history as well, completing 89.7% of his passes. That is a single game record for Bo Nix, not John Elway, not Peyton Manning, not Jake Plummer, not Trevor Simeon, anybody, and nobody, now Jay Cutler, no nobody,

Starting point is 00:17:23 through for that high of a completion rate. Just incredible stuff from the rookie, Cody. He's playing well beyond what you would expect of a rookie at this point. Man, I tell you what, too. At one point, Broncos country, he was 18 of 18 passing at this point. And he could have been 19 of 19 with another touchdown. He missed Giovante Williams right before halftime. I know it was a little no-huddle hurry up.

Starting point is 00:17:48 But really, I mean, for him on the day to only miss three passes, to go 26 of 29, 321, four touchdowns. And once again, Sarah, using his legs, seven rushing attempts in totality for 47 yards. And man, he had one of the coolest plays of the day that unfortunately got called back. I mean, he turned on the wheels against the chief, saw Giovante Williams and then pitched it to him. They called an illegal forward pass. I always feel like those are tough, especially when it's sideways. Like if it's going to the angle, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:18:18 But it was a penalty. I think it impacted like five yards there. All right, you're going to live with that. Denver ends up settling for a field goal. But just overall efficiency command of the offensive huddle. I mean, we talk about overall production. I mean, the third down offense for Denver today was incredible. It was 10 of 14 on the day.

Starting point is 00:18:36 That's very efficient. And look, Bo Nix also finding a way to get his guy, Cortland Sutton, an extra $500,000 incentive surpassing over 82 yards receiving in this game. Had a 47-yard bomb. And then he had a 32-yard dime down the right sideline. But, man, Bo was dishing and diming. And he had a great throw to Devon Valle down the left side in between two defenders. Bo can make these NFL throws.

Starting point is 00:18:58 And I think if there's anybody now 18 weeks after the regular season, they're like, oh, yeah, Bo Nukes do do do do, do, do, check down merchant. You don't know ball, brother. Yeah, that's just well said. I mean, that's straight up. It is what it is at this point. I mean, he's literally had throws that are off the charts for the next gen passing charts, which we know Cody are going to be circulating.

Starting point is 00:19:19 He had that throw against, I believe it was the Bengals, the throw to Marvin Mims that was literally off the charts. And he's had a number of throws that have defied. I believe the other throw to Marvin Mims late in that game made the top 15 of the next gen stats unlikelyest plays so far this season. So I guess if people want to bag on the guy that's had, what, 34 total touchdowns this year? I mean, just too shy of Justin Herbert, all-time rookie record for a quarterback. I mean, it's just astounding what he's been able to do. I'm so grateful that we're getting to talk about Bo in this light.

Starting point is 00:19:54 Yeah. leading this team to the playoffs as having such a productive year, finishing the season strong, being the unquestioned franchise quarterback. Like that's off the discussion board for the entire off season. There's no better feeling than to know, like, man, we get to talk about this team making the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:20:12 We get to talk about this team having a quarterback. And we're not going to get too hurried into the offseason talk because there's still ball to be played. They're not done yet out there. But man, Bo Nix has a chance now to do something special. in the playoffs against a guy that Broncos country has been lamenting, not drafting now for seven straight years. Passing on Josh Allen in 2018,

Starting point is 00:20:34 the biggest regret of John Elway's career is what he said. John Elway said that. And so now here we go. The new franchise quarterback, it's an opportunity to go up against the one that could have been or the one that got away. And it's a great storyline. And Von Miller, former friend Von Miller,

Starting point is 00:20:52 who seems to be saving a lot in the tank. for maybe the post season. He had a dominant performance in back-to-back weeks for the bills. That'll be a big challenge here for the Broncos offense this upcoming week. But 89.7 completion percentage for Bo Nix, a Broncos franchise record in a single game, ridiculous numbers. And all of a sudden, you look at those Drew Brees comparisons. You're like, oh, okay, efficiency. Like it's death by 1,000 paper cuts. Love the growth that we have seen here from Bo Nix.

Starting point is 00:21:17 So we kind of gave you a little bit of a spoiler. Obviously, as we talked about Bo, he's obviously the recipient of a game ball as we handed out here. on Locked on Broncos. But Broncos country, we're going to hand out some other game balls, and we're also going to take you inside the Broncos locker room after the victory here on today's episode of the show. Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to you by friends over there at Fandu. And as you all know it, Fandu is America's number one sportsbook from big upsets to

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Starting point is 00:22:33 and bonus bets. That's Fandul.com. Make this playoff season unforgettable, Fandul an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. The fourth quarter action of lockdown Broncos is here. We're going to hand out our game balls and also take you behind the Broncos locker room here from some players after Sunday's big 38 to nothing defeat over the. Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos punching their ticket to the postseason. Thanks to all the everydayers in Broncos country who have been waiting for this moment to jump on the trainer to experience it with us.

Starting point is 00:23:05 This is our first time since doing the show since the inception of lockdown Broncos. Deborah hasn't been to the postseason, right? Now it was back in 2016 when the Lockdown Podcast Network got started up. I started in 2017. We've never covered a playoff team, but now that changes and that's going to change. The standard is set now going forward here. So Broncos Country, thanks for being a part of it. Sarah, let's get into our game balls here as we're going to hand them out here today.

Starting point is 00:23:29 We already gave one to Bo Nix, understandably so, for his dominant performance against the Kansas City cheese. Four touchdowns on the day. But who else came up big for the Broncos on Sunday? Who are you giving a game ball to? Let's start with wide receiver, Cortland Sutton here, who obviously was going into this game, a big storyline given the incentives that were on the line. I mean, $500,000 on the line if he could get to 80,000. yards receiving. Obviously, we just saw from the graphic five catches or 98 yards and a touchdown.

Starting point is 00:24:01 And look, Cody, I know court has made some tough catches all throughout the year. But this felt like one of those games to where, man, you could throw it up in his direction. He was going to come down with it. The touchdown that he had in the tight red zone, tough catch. The play that he made deep downfield, tough catch. And he was going after the football. So can we put 500K on the line? else's money, not mine, but let's put another 500K on the line here against the bills. Somebody put that up for him. Whoever, you know, who just got paid? Pat Sertan, he could spare 500K, I bet.

Starting point is 00:24:37 So go ahead and put it on the line for court. Let's get him some more incentives out there because, man, it was an inspired game from him. It felt like finally like you could trust when you throw the ball his direction, like he's going to go up and moss the guy. He's going to make sure he's the one coming down with that ball. Yeah, and it's going to be a big game, obviously, coming up this week against the bills. Last time they played, he had some really impressive catches, the most improbable catch in the NFL next-gen stats era in terms of getting the two feet in as the Broncos beat the bills on Monday night football last year. Can the Broncos replicate some of that magic now with Bow Nix at QB?

Starting point is 00:25:14 I like that pick. I think Cortland obviously deserves game ball. I'm going to give one to another Broncos receiver. I'm going to go with Marvin Mims here, Sarah, for his performance on Sunday. really his role has evolved so much five catches 51 yards two touchdowns for him on the day but the way that they're utilizing him i think speaks volumes right at the beginning of the season we're sitting here saying how come the broncos can't find a way to use Marvin mims and then Sean Peyton must listen to the show or more so said hey you know what we said in the off season we got

Starting point is 00:25:42 to find a way to get Marvin the ball how do we do it well then they started getting creative they're putting him in the backfield there's a running back they're using him in the slot they're using him outside obviously he's dynamic as a return option he's going to the pro bowl for the second consecutive year. He's going to be an all pro as a returner for the second consecutive year. It's like, wow, this guy's actually pretty special. He's got a skill set to him that hasn't fully been unlocked here. But now you're starting to see bits and pieces.

Starting point is 00:26:04 He's truly becoming the Joker here for Sean Payton. So he's going to get a game ball from me here for his five catches, 51 yards, two games in a row where he's had two receiving touchdowns, something to build off of there. But we had a chance to hear from Marvin, following the Broncos win inside the locker room, 30 to nothing against the chance. chiefs. I think the biggest thing about this team is that we're younger.

Starting point is 00:26:26 You know, as hungry as we are, we want to go anywhere and go get it. You know, we just battle so much this year. And we know, it was a lot of things that make the stop now. So honestly, just I wouldn't get a number of guys that are ready to go in the battle tested. They're ready to go. First step in the way else in a while, we have lots of fight with you. Plenty to fight for.

Starting point is 00:26:45 And Marvin has been such a key to the Denver Broncos in the second half of this season. I know you and I have kind of labeled that landmark as, the trade deadline where the Broncos, I don't know if we really expected them to go make a deal or if it was just wishful thinking based on the fact that, man, somebody's got to get somebody for Bonix out there. And then Marvin Mims started to step up right after the trade deadline. I mean, it was, I don't think it was any coincidence that the Broncos made a concerted effort at that particular point in time. And it's unlocked something in Mims. Like, early in the season, I think you and I could both tell. There was moments that just felt like he wasn't

Starting point is 00:27:22 confident out there or there was times that he had dropped passes. He was being accused of running the wrong routes by people who are analyzing film, things like that. And so it just felt like his confidence wasn't there. Now it feels like you can really trust him with the ball in his hands. That's exciting for the Denver Broncos going forward. And I think we've talked about this guy a number of times too, Cody, but the old Oklahoma duo is making their return on the game balls section of Lockdown Broncos.

Starting point is 00:27:51 We've got to give one more to Nick Bonif. right? Obviously, finishing the season strong, pair of sacks, get him up to 13 and a half sacks this season. I don't know that Nick's going to be in that defensive player of the year conversation at this point. He's probably in the top three of voting wise. Maybe what he did in this last game could push him up the board a little bit. I don't know. I mean, it's not going to be T.J. Watt. I know that.

Starting point is 00:28:15 Trey Hendrickson, is he the competition? What do you think about Nick Benito here? Do you think he made a strong enough case? I think right now, maybe if you even look at the betting lines, I'm sure it'll shift after this game, but like pass Sartan's the favorite right now to do it. So it very well may be locked up here for Sartan, but also Nick Benito, I think with the two sack performance, certainly is still back into because you look at also what he's doing. Like Trey Hendrickson, obviously for him to have the amount of sacks he's had incredible here for him.

Starting point is 00:28:43 Is it good enough to be defensive MVP? I'm not quite sure. I think this might be the year we see Sartan win it. But I think if the favorites and the lines had it at Passertan, T.J. Watt and Nick Benito, I now think it's Passertan, Nick Benito, T.J. Wad, based on production in the last handful of weeks, I'd say that's a very valid case. But as you mentioned, 13 and a half sacks. There was one where he just came free, wrapped up around Carson Wentz.

Starting point is 00:29:06 And it was like, oh, Carson had nowhere to go in that situation that he combined with one, obviously, with John Franklin Myers earlier on this game in the third quarter. Also, maybe a little shout out. We don't have it on our stats or our stats. also for game balls. But shout out to Jonathan Cooper, 10 and a half sacks on the year for him. He now hits double digits. And the Broncos have two starters at edge rusher that have amassed double digit sacks in the same season.

Starting point is 00:29:30 For the first time since 2018, when they had Bradley Chubb and Von Miller do it. Vance Joseph has a handful of guys. Obviously, Denver's going to finish with a comfortable lead this year in sacks. And obviously sets a franchise record, I think 63 total sacks in the season for Denver. incredible to see what they have done. But Nick Benito, the recipient of our other game ball. He's the other player we've got to catch up with in the locker room following the Broncos victory. It feels amazing.

Starting point is 00:29:57 And obviously this is something that we all win it. But I'm just happy for the guys, especially like in Darry Bowls and Cody's a son. You guys have been around for a while. I finally get in and go for them. I know they're happy as hell. So, I mean, it's a good feeling. Love it. The locker room is buzzing, Cody.

Starting point is 00:30:13 It's, it's, we've gone from having discussions. on the podcast about how you were in the locker room after games in which, I mean, you could just feel that you could cut the tension with a knife because it was so heavy in there. And now to see these guys just all smiles, they can't help but smile. They're talking about young and hungry. We're talking about playoffs. I mean, it's just such a different and welcomed different vibe for the entire locker room to be like this.

Starting point is 00:30:39 And a special shout out to head coach Sean Payton as well. We didn't make a graphic for him, but man, to turn around the franchise in this way requires great leadership from the top down. And Sean Payton is the culture changer. I know he's a polarizing coach, Cody, but the guy knows what he's doing out there. The Broncos trading first and second round picks for him. I mean, they've traded a lot to get him. And they brought him in and gave him a massive contract with undisclosed numbers that we know makes him probably one of the highest paid coaches in the NFL. And what he's done for this franchise is unmistakably turn it around.

Starting point is 00:31:19 And so I think he deserves a game ball as well for getting the Broncos to the playoffs in just year two of his coaching era in Denver. And for Denver to absorb the dead cap hit of Russell Wilson to manage and to be able to do this with the third youngest roster in the NFL is also very exciting because now it's like, all right, the Broncos have been able to do this with Bow Nix with this young roster that they currently have. what can they do when they load up? What can they do when they go and they spend big and free agency? What are they do when they go and they load up in the NFL draft? What is this going to do? Denver all of a sudden, Sarah, this win, them going to the playoffs, regardless of what happens in the postseason.

Starting point is 00:31:55 Denver now becomes a free agency destination, I think for a lot of players, especially when you look at the fact that Sean Payton will do whatever he can to get his players incentives. Cortland Sutton, I mean, not necessarily Will Lutz, but they try to get something for Michael Burton. Michael Burton, I don't think had any incentives on the line, but it's like, hey, let's reward our guys. let's try to get our guys in. That's the type of organization. And obviously, you're going to see a lot of these players in the locker room that

Starting point is 00:32:17 already there in Denver that have friends, you know, around the league that may be already saying like, hey, Denver seems interesting. Tell me about it. Sell me on it. Guarantee you that's happening there. So we'll see how things pan out here about Broncos country. Enjoy this win postseason bound.

Starting point is 00:32:31 Here's what you can expect on tomorrow's episode of the show. We're going to hear from Sean Payton in his Monday morning press conference. We'll react to that. And also any other news coming out of the Broncos win on. Sunday against Kansas City. The playoff matchup against Buffalo is set for Sunday, 1 o'clock Eastern time. That's 11 a.m. Mountain Time kickoff on CBS. You're going to have a whole week of playoff prep headed your way here on the Lockdown Broncos podcast, your team every day.

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