Stat line: 25 for 36, 216 passing yards; nine carries, 47 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Highlight: Nix’s first drive of the game was a thing of beauty. It was a strong balance of the offensive line delivering solid pass protection and Nix making plays with his arm. He completed a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton before a 31-yard completion to Josh Reynolds. After Nix’s 11-yard pass to running back Javonte Williams, he scrambled three yards for a touchdown to complete a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead.
Lowlight: There weren’t many poor plays from Nix after two weeks full of them. However, there was an instance in the first quarter when Nix threw an incomplete pass to rookie Troy Franklin near the sideline. If Nix released the ball a half of a second earlier, he would’ve had a big gain.
Analysis: Nix was calm, cool and collected in his third start. He had control of the offense and he and head coach Sean Payton were in sync. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Nix’s performance was how unflappable he was facing pressure. There were two instances in the third quarter where Tampa Bay applied backside pressure but Nix managed to make a play. First, Nix felt a defender approaching before stepping into the pocket and completing an 8-yard pass to Williams. With 3:36 to go in the third, Nix escaped a potential sack before scrambling 22 yards down the field. Nix did a solid job at getting the ball out of his hands quickly and not forcing throws. If Nix didn’t see anyone down field, he checked it down. There’s a lot of positives to take from Nix’s performance going into next week.
Unsung Hero
Denver’s offensive line: After the offensive line struggled for two weeks, the unit was solid without right tackle Mike McGlinchey on Sunday. They gave Nix enough time in the pocket to go through his progressions. And in the fourth quarter, they opened a path for running Tyler Badie to run down the field for a 43-yard gain, setting up a field goal to extend Denver’s lead to 26-7. Payton has been critical of the offensive line over the past two weeks. They answered the call against Tampa Bay.
Goat of the game
RB Javonte Williams: Williams had another rough game. In the second quarter, Williams fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Tampa Bay’s defense. The turnover shifted the momentum, as the Buccaneers’ offense scored to cut the deficit to 17-7. The Broncos, however, prevented Tampa Bay from scoring the rest of the game.
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