By Nick Kosmider, Vic Tafur, Tashan Reed and Chris Licata
The good times kept rolling for Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos on Sunday, securing a 29-19 win at Allegiant Stadium to improve to 7-5 and sweep their regular season series against the Las Vegas Raiders for the first time since 2014.
After trailing 13-9 at the half, Denver’s No. 3-ranked defense clamped down late as the Broncos posted 20 second-half points, highlighted by a pair of toe-tapping touchdown catches by Courtland Sutton, which accounted for both Nix’s touchdown passes in an efficient performance. Sunday marked the rookie’s third consecutive game with multiple touchdowns and no interceptions.
Now 2-9, Las Vegas has lost seven straight and will travel to Kansas City to take on the 10-1 Chiefs on Black Friday. They may need to do so without starting quarterback Gardner Minshew, who exited due to a left shoulder injury on the Raiders’ second-to-last drive. He was replaced by Desmond Ridder — who was strip-sacked on his second snap — and coach Antonio Pierce later said Minshew’s left shoulder “doesn’t look good.”
Gardner Minshew goes to the locker room with an injury.
The Broncos get to Desmond Ridder and recover the fumble. pic.twitter.com/LJ3bBnvnpS
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 25, 2024
Nix-Sutton connection continues to blossom
Sutton said this week that he “probably need a thesaurus” to accurately describe how excited he’s been to watch his rookie quarterback grow this season. “It just brings me joy to be able to be a part of it, be able to witness it and be part of his journey,” Sutton said of Nix.
The veteran wide receiver has played a huge role in Nix’s development. During the past five games he has caught 36 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns, including two in Sunday’s win. The Broncos began the day 1-of-6 on third down. They converted five of their next seven attempts, and Sutton was the target on four of those plays.
The pair has developed a clear trust that not only has helped vault Nix firmly into the Rookie of the Year race, but also has Sutton on pace for his first 1,000-yard season since 2019. — Nick Kosmider, Broncos staff writer
Nix to Sutton x2! The @Broncos extend their lead in Vegas.
📺: #DENvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/tF3ZT9MdwT— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
Minshew’s struggles continued
It’s been a brutal year for Minshew, and that only continued against the Broncos. He was incredibly inaccurate and completed just 59.5 percent of his passes. He not only missed badly on several throws downfield, but he was also well off-target on a handful of check downs.
Even when he had a clean pocket, Minshew had issues putting passes on the money. And, often times, he was the primary culprit when the Broncos did get pressure. He frequently held onto the ball too long and ran into pressure on multiple plays. He displayed a lack of feel, awareness and confidence.
The Raiders led 13-9 at halftime despite Minshew’s poor play, but he wound up swinging the game in the opposite direction in the third quarter. After the defense forced a quick three-and-out to start the period, Minshew threw a terrible interception that gave the Broncos excellent field position. They took advantage by scoring a touchdown and took a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the game.
The defense and special teams unit gave the Raiders every opportunity to beat the Broncos, but Minshew’s performance kept them from taking advantage. He’s already been benched three times this season, and it’s getting difficult to identify good reasons why the Raiders shouldn’t sit him for a fourth time after this one. — Tashan Reed, Raiders senior writer
Nik Bonitto reaches milestone with game-clinching strip sack
When Bonitto stripped the ball from Ridder late in the fourth quarter, the play sealed Denver’s win and gave Bonitto his 10th sack of the season. He became the first Broncos player since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in 2018 to record double-digit sacks in a season.
The Broncos were slow to get their pass rush going Sunday, but Bonitto’s pressure of Minshew on a second-and-long play early in the third quarter led to an interception by safety Brandon Jones that helped swing the game for Denver.
The Broncos, who entered the day with an NFL-leading 39 sacks, had five sacks Sunday, including back-to-back takedowns after the Raiders took over at their own 30-yard line, trailing by a touchdown, late in the third quarter. — Kosmider
Raiders’ running game shows some life
The Raiders finally found a running game Sunday — despite being without injured backs Alexander Mattison and Zamir White — but decided not to use it in a close game.
Tenth-year veteran Ameer Abdullah and practice-squad call-up Sincere McCormick averaged almost five yards a carry, but only combined to carry the ball 13 times. The Raiders, instead, leaned on the arm of Minshew, and it was off-target as usual. Despite Minshew’s shakiness, the Raiders managed to score a season-high 13 points in the first half. Hey … baby steps. Even with a four-point halftime lead, they only ran the ball five times in the third quarter (for 25 yards). — Vic Tafur, Raiders senior writer
Broncos dealing with pair of key injuries
A second straight season of relative good health has aided the Broncos in their push toward playoff contention, but they are now dealing with a pair of concerning injuries.
Zach Allen, who has been one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL this season, suffered a heel injury during practice Friday and was unable to play in Sunday’s game. It was the first game Allen has missed since signing with the Broncos as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season. He had played 90 percent of Denver’s defensive snaps entering Week 12 and was tied for second in the NFL with 52 quarterback pressures, according to TruMedia. It is not immediately clear whether the injury will keep Allen out past this week.
The Broncos also lost starting cornerback Riley Moss to a knee injury in the second quarter Sunday. Moss was attempting to help make a tackle when his knee appeared to get hit by Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. Moss, a 2023 third-round pick out of Iowa, has been a revelation at the outside cornerback spot opposite Patrick Surtain this season. He was replaced in the game by veteran Levi Wallace. — Kosmider
Required reading
(Photo: Ian Maule / Getty Images)
