Tag: broncos depth chart

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver’s defense helped the Broncos deliver the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season and prevented them from handing the New York Jets their first win.

The jubilation that followed Denver’s comeback against the defending champions last week made for an enjoyable flight across the Atlantic to face the winless New York Jets in London, where they eked out a 13-11 win Sunday thanks to a defense that sacked mobile QB Justin Fields nine times.

Coming back to Colorado at 4-2 with a share of the AFC West lead made for an enjoyable return flight, too.

“It doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing,” coach Sean Payton said.

One has to go back to Oct. 19, 1969, to find a time the Broncos had more sacks. They had 10 that day against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Broncos limited the Jets to 2 of 15 on third downs, their league-leading fourth game this season in which they allowed two or fewer third-down conversions.

And the Jets finished with minus-10 yards passing.

“That’s pretty funny,” said league sacks leader Nik Bonitto, who was in on two takedowns of Fields.

The Broncos needed that kind of performance from their best unit because the offense sputtered once again, with Bo Nix throwing for 174 yards and J.K. Dobbins leading a scuffling ground game with 40 yards on 14 carries.

Asked about a defense having his back — one that collected nine sacks and surrendered just nine completions — Nix said: “It’s almost, you know, impossible what they did. It was impressive. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things where I don’t get to watch a whole lot of it. I wish I could. They’d be a fun defense to watch, probably an awful defense to play against. I know that kind of from practice. But they turned it on.”

Payton called it “a gritty performance by our defense,” and he was quick to add, “We’ll look at the film and there will be a number of things in the kicking game and offensively we want to clean up.”

In their victories over Philadelphia and New York on their extended road trip, the Broncos punted a whopping 14 times in 23 drives excluding kneel-downs. They had a seven-series stretch Sunday that produced six punts and a safety.

Winning ugly is still winning, though.

What’s working

Denver’s defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in three of the Broncos’ six games. OLB Jonathon Cooper’s two sacks gave him 28 for his career. That’s the most by any seventh-round draft choice in their first 70 NFL games since the league switched to a seven-round draft format in 1994.

What needs help

The offense is stuck in neutral way too often and special teams keeps allowing big play after big play like the 72-yard kickoff return in the first half.

Stock up

TE Evan Engram. After a slow start, Engram is working his way into Nix’s comfort zone. He has been targeted 19 times over the last three games with 13 receptions. Of his team-best five receptions Sunday, four resulted in a first down.

Stock down

LG Matt Peart was whistled for three infractions in his first start in place of Ben Powers, who will miss a couple of months with a torn chest muscle. After a false start, Peart’s holding call negated a 13-yard catch by Courtland Sutton, and another flag wiped out a 24-yard catch-and-run by Troy Franklin to the New York 19 on third-and-5, resulting in a punt.

“We’ll go back and look at the tape, but it wasn’t — listen, it wasn’t just him,” Payton said. “We had a number of errors that there will be a lot of us that want to clean some stuff up.”

Injuries

LB Garret Wallow was ruled out early in the fourth quarter with an unspecified injury.

Key stats

Justin Fields completed 9 of 17 passes for 45 yards. He lost 55 yards on the nine sacks, for a minus-10 net passing yards. That’s the fewest yards the Broncos have allowed in their franchise history and second fewest in the NFL since 1990.

Wil Lutz’s 57-yard field goal in the first quarter was his longest since joining the Broncos in 2023. Lutz has the two longest field goals in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium history, also making a 60-yard field goal in 2022 with the Saints.

Next steps

The Broncos face the well-rested New York Giants (2-4), who defeated the Eagles on Thursday night before getting the weekend off while the Broncos were overseas.

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DENVER — The Broncos leaned heavily on their defense Sunday, pulling off a gritty win over the Jets to improve to 4-2 on the season, and it’s undoubtedly the Talk of the Town.

“All’s well that ends well,” said Lionel Bienvenu. “If defense wins championships, then this team will be in the mix at the end of the season.”

Denver’s defense dominated with nine sacks and 11 quarterback hits, while the offense sputtered through penalties and inconsistent play.

“The defense really couldn’t have done any more today; they were phenomenal,” said Bradey King. “The offense had flashes, but then disappeared for quarters at a time.”

Tight end Evan Ingram led all receivers with five catches for 42 yards and was a rare offensive bright spot.

Head coach Sean Payton acknowledged the win wasn’t pretty, saying, “It doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing.”

Next up: the Broncos return home to face a red-hot Giants team led by rookies Ken Scadabo and Jaxson Dart. It’s a quick turnaround, with no bye after the London trip, but Denver has a chance to build serious momentum.

“The Giants have been fun, which you don’t usually say about them,” Bienvenu said. “It’s going to be a game to watch.”

Catch the full conversation every Sunday on Talk of the Town.

The Denver Broncos have left the thrill of a stunning victory far behind.

After all, their 21-17 win over the previously unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles was last week — and a continent away.

“Yes, we definitely have to get back honed in, get back focused and move on to the next game,” Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper said as the team prepared to face the New York Jets on Sunday in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“You can’t live on this game and be like, ‘Wow, we beat the Eagles,’ and then just carry that into the week,” Cooper added. “No, it’s time to flush that one. Process it, review it, learn from it and then on to the next one.”

That would be the struggling Jets (0-5), who are still looking for their first win under Aaron Glenn. He’s the first coach in franchise history to begin his tenure with five losses. A loss to the Broncos (3-2) on Sunday would give them their third 0-6 start and first since they opened 0-13 under Adam Gase in 2020.

“Listen, we say it’s a long season, but we know how these weeks continue to compile and we have to make sure we get out of this hole that we’re in,” Glenn said. “And we all understand that.”

• Denver7’s Micah Smith and Nick Rothschild are in London this week, and we’re chronicling their adventures in the story below. They’ll be meeting up with Broncos Country and exploring the city ahead of Sunday morning’s game.

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Broncos blog: Broncos host flag football camp for London-area school kids

The Jets are the only NFL team without a win. They were steamrolled by the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, falling 37-22 in a game that was never close. Glenn has preached patience, but frustrated fans are just about out of that — especially with the team appearing likely to extend the league’s longest active playoff drought to 15 seasons. No team has made the postseason after starting 0-5.

Still, Denver quarterback Bo Nix was miffed at the mere suggestion the Broncos could overlook the Jets.

“I think in the league, quite honestly, it’s a little disrespectful to consider anybody a trap team,” Nix said. “I think any game you can walk in and slip up and lose, that’s just the league. … They were a couple of walk-off plays away from having two or three wins. I definitely think that is something you’ve got to be careful with.

“This is not a team to just toss around like they’re winless, but I think we will be ready to go.”

Consecutive DPOYs?

Take it from the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Denver outside linebacker Nik Bonitto has what it takes to win the award this season.

“He’s my favorite, I’m not going to lie,” Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II said of his teammate, who leads the league with seven sacks. “Shoot, even last year he was up for it. I think this year he’s setting himself apart. I know we’ve got a lot more games down the road, but as long as he stays consistent, stays healthy, for sure … I think his game has leveled up.”

Familiar foes

Glenn spent the final season of his 15-year playing career in New Orleans, where Sean Payton was his head coach in 2008. He returned to the Saints eight years later, serving as Payton’s defensive backs coach for five seasons.

The two will square off Sunday for the first time as opposing head coaches.

“I owe a lot of my coaching development to Sean,” Glenn said. “I think he’s a hell of a coach. … He’s one of the guys that I love everything about who he is and what he’s about and I’m looking forward to competing against him.”

Payton recalled speaking to Glenn for about 20 minutes the night before the former cornerback took the job with Jets in January. The two haven’t chatted since, but might have a few moments to catch up before the game.

“He’s a tremendous coach,” Payton said. “He was a huge asset to us in New Orleans. I’ve said this before, as a head coach you love to see guys get these opportunities. … Aaron’s getting things built there.”

Roll or rut?

After starting last week with seven punts in eight possessions, the Broncos scored on all three of their fourth-quarter drives with the 18 unanswered points producing the win at Philadelphia.

So, is Denver’s offense on a roll or in a rut?

“Our defense just continued to make a stop,” Nix said. “We just kind of had some hope, had some life there at the end of the game, and we just kept chipping away, found things that worked, and eventually put some touchdown drives together.

“It’s tough to win games like that.”

Tough takeaways

The Jets’ defense is making dubious history this season.

They’re the first NFL team to have no takeaways through the first five games since 1933, when turnovers were first tracked, according to ESPN Research. The only team since 1960 to go six straight at any point without a takeaway was the 2018 San Francisco 49ers, according to Sportradar.

“It has to be a conscious thing,” linebacker Jamien Sherwood said. “It can’t just be going in there and making the tackle. You have to go in there with the mindset that I’m going to make the tackle and punch the ball out. When the ball goes up in the air, I’m going to go up and get it. I’m going to be the one to bring the ball down.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed to this report.

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ENFIELD, England (AP) — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton asked the team bus driver in London how long it would take to get to Leicester.

Too long, it turns out, because Payton is too busy preparing his team to face the New York Jets on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But the memories are close for Payton, who played quarterback for the Leicester Panthers in 1988. The Panthers had played in what amounted to a semi-pro league in the British American Football Association. The sport had begun to gain popularity after public broadcaster Channel 4 started airing NFL highlights in the early 1980s.

Payton reminisced Wednesday about his experience in the central English city. Teams could have four Americans, and the rest were locals.

“They had all sorts of jobs,” he said of his British teammates, “from bouncers to construction. Some were young, some were older. It was fun.”

• Denver7’s Micah Smith and Nick Rothschild are in London this week, and we’re chronicling their adventures in the story below. They’ll be meeting up with Broncos Country and exploring the city ahead of Sunday morning’s game.

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Broncos blog: Denver7 touches down in London Town for the Broncos-Jets game!

Payton had a sense that he was headed into coaching at the time.

“The four of us lived in a house, we’d go work out in the mornings, play some golf, put practice plans together,” he said. “We were pretty good.”

Payton previously coached New Orleans to victories in London — 37-32 over San Diego in 2008, and 20-0 over the Miami Dolphins in 2017, both at Wembley Stadium — and each time he said he’s been able to catch up with old friends from his Leicester days.

On Friday, the Broncos plan to host U17 players from the Leicester Panthers at practice.

“I was 23 years old,” he recalled, “right out of college and basically playing for pizza, because you enjoyed it. It was a good six months, it was nice.”

He’s previously described his Leicester experience as similar to the John Grisham novel “Playing for Pizza.”

His mother had asked: “All your friends are getting married and they have health insurance, what are you doing?”

After leaving England, Payton officially began his coaching career when he took a job as an assistant coach at San Diego State.

‘Hoping to get a London game’

The Broncos came to England after their big 21-17 victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia. After Sunday’s game, it’s back to Denver to host the New York Giants on Oct. 19. Their bye is in Week 12.

“We’ll be smart as to how we practice next week,” Payton said.

Getting away as a group can provide bonding experiences, he said.

“In New Orleans, we got displaced several times because of hurricanes, and I always felt it helped our team,” Payton said. “We were hoping to get a London game, because this type of experience with your team I think is really positive.”

The Broncos stayed on the East Coast last season for games at Tampa Bay and the Jets — both victories.

Trap game? Bo says no

The 0-5 Jets are the only winless team in the NFL, but don’t call it a trap game.

“Any game you can walk in and slip up and lose, that’s just the league,” second-year quarterback Bo Nix said. “They’ve been close on some games. There a couple of walk-off plays away from having two, three wins.”

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bo Nix threw an 11-yard touchdown pass and J.K. Dobbins rushed for a 2-yard score in the fourth quarter as the Denver Broncos wiped out a 14-point deficit to hand the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season, 21-17 on Sunday.

The Broncos batted down Jalen Hurts’ last-gasp pass on the final play of the game to send the Super Bowl champions to just their second loss in their last 22 games.

The Broncos (3-2) caught a huge break in their rally when the Eagles had a late fourth-down conversion called back on an illegal shift penalty whistled against running back Saquon Barkley. The Eagles (4-1) were forced to punt and Hurts could not lead one more comeback.

His final heave on second-and-10 from the 29 was knocked down as time expired to send the jubilant Broncos into the locker room with an improbable win. Nix waved his arms in celebration toward dozens of Broncos fans in orange that stood near the visitors tunnel.

Nix threw for 242 yards — a week after he threw for a career-high 326 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Bengals — and Denver’s formula of run-first offense and a dominant defense came to life in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos totaled just 199 yards and trailed 17-3 at the end of the third before Nix got the offense rolling. Dobbins, who followed his 101 yards rushing against Cincinnati with 79 yards on Sunday, punched in a 2-yard TD run in the fourth to make it 17-10.

The Broncos got the ball back and Nix hit Courtland Sutton for 34 yards on the decisive drive. Nix connected over the middle with Evan Engram for the 11-yard TD.

Broncos coach Sean Payton gambled for the 2-point conversion and they got it when Nix hit Tony Franklin for an 18-17 lead with 7:36 left in the game.

The play stunned and silenced the Philly crowd — a familiar gut punch to the fan base after the Phillies wasted a three-run lead a night earlier in a playoff loss to the Dodgers.

Yet, these are the Eagles and they weren’t going to just easily surrender their 10-game winning streak.

At fourth-and-4 from the Eagles 49, Hurts hit DeVonta Smith on a long reception for what should have been a first down, only for the flag on Barkley to wipe it off the board. Smith had eight catches and 114 yards receiving.

That was it for the Eagles. Will Lutz tacked on a 36-yard field goal with 1:11 left for a 21-17 lead.

Hurts threw for 280 yards. He had a 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert and a 47-yard TD pass to Barkley in the third quarter for the 17-10 lead.

Injuries

Broncos: RB Tyler Badie left with a shoulder injury late in the fourth.

Eagles: G Landon Dickerson suffered an ankle injury and TE Grant Calcaterra suffered an oblique injury.

Up next

Broncos: Are on the road Sunday against the Jets.

Eagles: Have a short trip on a short week Thursday night at the Giants.

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DENVER (AP) — The medicine comes Monday night for the Cincinnati Bengals or the Denver Broncos.

The Bengals (2-1) are coming off the worst loss in franchise history, a 48-10 drubbing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings in their first game since franchise quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury that required surgery.

The Broncos (1-2) have lost on walk-off field goals in back-to-back games despite never trailing in the fourth quarter.

You can watch the Monday Night Football matchup on Denver7 at 6:15 p.m. September 29.

Denver failed to close out the Colts and the Chargers on the road. The Broncos’ five combined fourth-quarter drives in those games netted a missed 42-yard field goal indoors, two three-and-outs, a red-zone interception and a chip-shot field goal that followed first-and-goal from the 5.

Last week, Bo Nix overthrew a wide-open receiver three times on deep balls in Denver’s 23-20 loss, hallmarks of a sputtering start that’s raised questions about whether coach Sean Payton put too much on Nix’s plate or his shoulders by talking up his second-year quarterback and the Broncos’ Super Bowl chances.

“I don’t think so,” Nix said Thursday. “I think it’s better than him talking about how tough of a season it’s going to be. So, I’d rather have the confidence going in and have the whole season to play and just get to go out there and play it out (rather than) a coach that doesn’t really have the confidence in us.”

Addressing Nix’s overthrows — and his footwork on the heaves — was about 50th on Payton’s to-do list this week and Nix said he wasn’t overly concerned about them, either.

“I know I’m going to miss several throws in the future and I’m probably going to miss a few deep ones,” Nix said. “I’ve just got to keep throwing them.”

The Bengals won their first two games but lost Burrow in Week 2 and were awful last week at Minnesota, turning the ball over five times. They surrendered two defensive touchdowns and the other three gaffes resulted in 17 more Vikings points.

Jake Browning has already thrown five interceptions in the seven quarters he has played. Coach Zac Taylor said the game plan doesn’t change much with Browning in for Burrow, but Cincinnati will need to be more balanced on offense.

The Bengals are averaging only 2.4 yards per carry, and lead back Chase Brown is getting hit behind the line of scrimmage on nearly 80% of his carries. Brown is averaging only 2 yards per carry through three games.

“I think it’s unfair to put it on a player,” Taylor said. “It’s on all of us offensively, collectively, to find a better answer.”

Uncorking Higgins

Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins has just seven receptions for 104 yards so far and last week he caught just one of two passes thrown his way for 15 yards. But a trip to Denver might just be the antidote. Last December, he caught 11 passes for 131 yards and three TDs in the Bengals’ 30-24 overtime win over the Broncos.

He had a dozen targets in that game alone but has 14 combined targets in 2025.

“That’s the thing about our guys, there’s not an ego involved in any of this,” Taylor said. “There’s been games before where some of our main guys have caught a ball or have been targeted once. They know the next game might be 12 targets and 10 catches.”

Mile High magic

The Broncos have won six consecutive home games, prompting wide receiver Courtland Sutton to declare, “They don’t call it home-field advantage for nothing.”

Part of that advantage is the altitude.

“Our guys understand what it’s gonna feel like a little bit,” Taylor said. “You can get winded. Countless times I’ve been there. … So as the game goes, you just have to be mindful of which guys are getting a lot of reps and try to give them breaks when you can.”

Close-out conundrums

A play here, a play there, and the Broncos would be among the league’s 3-0 teams.

“I think that’s the crazy thing,” Nix said. “We’ve played really good opponents and we’ve led in the end of the game. We’re one play in the fourth quarter away from putting the game out of reach. It’s going to be soon that we make that play.

“But we definitely have to learn from these losses and learn why we’re not finishing the game, learn why we’re not putting the game out (reach). When you play a good team and you don’t do that and you keep letting them hang around, they’re going to find a play. So, we’ve got to be the team that finds that play.”

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AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert found Keenan Allen for a tying touchdown with 2:44 remaining and then led Los Angeles into position for Cameron Dicker’s game-ending 43-yard field goal as the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos 23-20 on Sunday for their first 3-0 start since 2002.

After Herbert eluded the Broncos’ pass rush and connected with Allen — who fought off Riley Morris in the end zone for the 20-yard score — Bo Nix and the Broncos (1-2) went three-and-out. That set up Herbert and the Chargers on their 32, and he went 4 of 4 on the final drive.

Herbert was 28 of 47 for 300 yards with the TD and one interception. At 27 years, 195 days, he became the youngest NFL player to reach 2,000 career completions, surpassing Drew Bledsoe. Herbert did so in his 82nd career game, making him the second-fastest player to reach the mark.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers beat their third straight division rival after opening with wins over AFC West opponents Kansas City and Las Vegas. Their stretch of not allowing a touchdown in the second half ended against Denver.

Trailing 10-3, the Broncos engineered three scoring plays in 3 minutes, 40 seconds over the end of the second quarter and start of the third to take a 17-10 lead.

Nix found a wide-open Courtland Sutton for a 52-yard TD that capped a seven-play, 72-yard drive and pulled the Broncos within 10-7 with 38 seconds left before halftime. It was the first time Denver had crossed midfield and it came on a busted coverage by Chargers safety Alohi Gilman and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste.

The Broncos struck quickly to open the third. J.K. Dobbins scored on a 19-yard run up the left sideline in which he avoided multiple tacklers, giving Denver its first lead at 14-10.

Wide receiver Derius Davis committed a costly fumble on the Chargers’ next possession. JL Skinner recovered at the Chargers 30 and four plays later, the Broncos got a 42-yard field goal by Wil Lutz for a 17-10 lead.

The Chargers got a 32-yard field goal by Dicker on their first drive of the game and a 3-yard TD run by rookie Omarion Hampton to lead 10-3 with 1:53 left in the second.

Nix finished 14 of 23 for 153 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Injuries

Chargers: RB Najee Harris did not return after being hurt on a non-contact play in the second quarter. The team said he had a left ankle injury. … G Mekhi Becton sustained a concussion in the second quarter and did not return.

Up next

Broncos: Host Cincinnati on Monday, Sept. 29.

Chargers: Visit the New York Giants next Sunday.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Spencer Shrader made a 45-year-old field goal with no time left after the Broncos were penalized for leverage on his missed 60-yard try, and the Indianapolis Colts beat Denver 29-28 on Sunday for their first 2-0 start since 2009.

Trailing by two with 3:15 left, the Colts played conservatively on their final drive, with Jonathan Taylor running the ball seven times and Daniel Jones throwing only one pass. Those plays netted 26 yards and set up Shrader’s attempt from the Colts logo at midfield that missed short and right.

But Dondrea Tillman was flagged for leverage — using a teammate to vault himself into the air to try to block the kick. The 15-yard personal-foul penalty put Indy well within Shrader’s range, and he easily converted his fifth field goal of the game.

Jones went 23 of 34 for 316 yards and a touchdown. He also scored on a 1-yard run in his second start with the Colts. It was his first 300-yard game since throwing for 321 yards on Sept. 17, 2023, for the New York Giants.

Taylor finished with 25 carries for 165 yards, caught a TD pass and posted the 25th 100-yard game of his career, breaking a tie for second in franchise history with Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson.

Bo Nix finished 22 of 30 for 206 yards with three TDs — all in the first half — and one interception for Denver (1-1). Troy Franklin had a touchdown catch and finished with career bests of eight catches for 89 yards. J.K. Dobbins rushed 14 times for 76 yards and a score.

But the Broncos couldn’t put it away after moving to the Colts 24-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Wil Lutz clanked a 42-yard field goal off the right upright to set up the Colts’ final drive.

It was a surprisingly high-scoring game from two defenses that were among the stingiest in the league last week. There were only three punts, all by Denver. Indy avoided punting for the second straight week, matching a feat the Washington Commanders achieved in Weeks 2 and 3 last season.

Shrader made field goals of 36 and 28 yards to cut a 28-20 deficit to two after Dobbins’ score made it 28-20 early in the third quarter.

Stopped, finally

Last week, the Colts became the first team to score on every possession since 1977. This week, they opened with two field goals and a TD on their first three drives to make it 10 for 10.

The streak ended when tight end Tyler Warren was stopped short of a first down on a fourth-and-1 run with 7:28 left in the first half. Then the Colts lost their cool on Denver’s ensuing 50-yard TD drive, drawing four penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Indy’s sideline after coach Shane Steichen tossed his hat and ran down the field to argue a pass interference call on third-and-7.

Injuries

Broncos: Cornerback Patrick Surtain II, last year’s NFL defensive player of the year, needed help to get off the field in the first half with an injured left ankle but returned on the next series after getting the ankle taped. Zach Allen also came out early but returned.

Colts: All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson appeared to hurt his knee in the final two minutes of the first half but returned after halftime.

Up next

Broncos: Visit the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.

Colts: Play their first away game next Sunday at Tennessee.

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DENVER (AP) — Bo Nix overcame three turnovers and the Denver Broncos spoiled top overall draft pick Cam Ward’s debut with a 20-12 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, winning despite a sloppy offensive performance and two key special-teams blunders.

Nix threw a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton to go with his two interceptions and lost fumble, and rookie running back R.J. Harvey’s 50-yard scamper set up J.K. Dobbins’ 19-yard TD burst up the middle that made it 20-12 midway through the fourth quarter.

Denver’s stingy defense held Ward to 12-of-28 passing for 112 yards with no touchdowns. Ward didn’t have an interception, but fumbled the ball away in the final minute. The Titans managed just 134 yards on 55 plays and went 2 for 14 on third down. Ward was sacked six times.

Quarterbacks taken at No. 1 overall are 4-14-1 in the common draft era starting a season opener. When Caleb Williams got the win with Chicago last year, it was the first season-opening win for a No. 1 pick quarterback since David Carr in 2002.

Ward didn’t join Williams, instead adding his name to a long list of No. 1s who lost their first game. Since 2000, the last 17 quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall are 1-15-1.

Tennessee had three chances to tie it in the final five minutes but came up empty each time.

After holding Nix to no gain on fourth-and-inches at the Denver 46 with 5:07 remaining, Tennessee went three-and-out and punted for the eighth time.

The Titans stuffed Marvin Mims Jr. well short of the line to gain with under 3 minutes to go, but star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he knocked Mims to the ground after the whistle. Earlier, Simmons was responsible for Nix’s first lost fumble as a pro.

That extended the drive, which ended on a head-scratcher when coach Sean Payton called for a pass play on fourth-and-8 from the Tennessee 36 with 1:05 remaining.

An incompletion gave Ward & Co. one last shot but after three incompletions, Ward was strip-sacked by Ja’Quan McMillian on fourth down and Broncos first-round draft pick Jahdae Barron recovered the loose ball.

The teams combined to score 10 points in the final 16 seconds of the first half after managing a combined three field goals up to that point.

Nix threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton that gave Denver its first lead at 10-6, but instead of blasting the ball through the end zone for a touchback, Wil Lutz kicked off to the 5 and Chimere Dike returned it 71 yards to the Denver 24.

Joey Slye nailed a 42-yard field goal to pull Tennessee to 10-9 and then kicked off through the end zone for a touchback with 2 seconds left.

Denver’s defense bailed out the Broncos all afternoon.

Mims, a two-time All-Pro punt returner, muffed a punt early in the fourth quarter, giving Tennessee possession at the Denver 24. Consecutive sacks by Jonah Ellis and Zach Allen pushed the Titans out of field goal range, however.

Broncos fans ready for season

Injuries:

Titans: RB Kalel Mullings sustained an ankle injury in the first half. … Broncos: TE Evan Engram suffered a calf injury in the second half, stayed in the game and then limped off in the fourth quarter and tossed his helmet. … Denver was without ILB Dre Greenlaw (quad), DT Malcolm Roach (calf), whom they placed on IR Saturday, sidelining him for at least four weeks, and TE Nate Adkins (ankle).

Up n

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Titans: Host the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.

Broncos: At the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.

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DENVER — It’s game week in the Mile High City, which means the Denver Broncos are back, and so are the tailgate taste buds.

Ahead of Sunday’s kickoff, Denver7 Sports reporter Bradey King stopped by Empower Field at Mile High to check out some of the new food items fans can enjoy this season. Among the highlights: the debut of the Atwater Grill, a new stadium spot named after Broncos legend and Hall of Famer Steve Atwater. The grill features a lineup of burgers, which is Atwater’s personal favorite.

Just steps away, a new mural honoring No. 27 adds a nice visual tribute to one of the franchise’s most beloved players.

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But the main event of the morning wasn’t just sampling the food; it was making it.

King competed in the first annual Broncos Chomped Competition, going head-to-head with three other Denver media members to craft the ultimate stadium hot dog in just five minutes. Spoiler alert: she won.

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The Nix Six is a bratwurst on a classic bun, stacked high with six Super Bowl-worthy toppings. Creative? Check. Tasty? Absolutely. Presentation? Perfect.

The judges included a panel of local chefs and Atwater himself, who crowned The Nix Six as the winner. The best part? Fans can try it for themselves starting Week 4, when the Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals. It will also be available in the press box.

Week 1 is off to a winning start here in Broncos Country.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Bo Nix passed for 110 yards and a touchdown to Courtland Sutton in three possessions, and the Denver Broncos defeated the New Orleans Saints 28-19 on Saturday in both clubs’ preseason finale.

Saints rookie Tyler Shough ran for an 11-yard touchdown on a read-option play as he and second-year pro Spencer Rattler continued their competition to be New Orleans’ starting quarterback.

Rattler started and completed 5 of 8 passes for 43 yards, leading two drives that culminated with Blake Grupe field goals and one which stalled on failed QB keeper on fourth-and-1.

Shough was 12 of 20 for 102 yards and led two scoring drives, the first ending with one of three field goals that Blake Grupe hit from beyond 47 yards for the Saints (0-2-1).

However, Shough’s performance was marred by a lost fumble on a sack by Que Robinson in Saints territory. The turnover led to a Denver TD on Audric Estime’s 5-yard run.

Denver’s first-team offense put together a pair of scoring drives in the Superdome, where Broncos coach Sean Payton called plays from the home sideline between 2006 to 2021.

Nix’s 14-yard pass to Sutton on fourth-and-5 helped set up Wil Lutz’s first of three field goals for the Broncos (3-0).

On his final series, Nix capped a six-play, 77-yard drive with his 19-yard scoring pass to Sutton. That capped a four-catch, 83-yard performance for the veteran receiver.

Sam Ehlinger replaced Nix in the second quarter and completed 22 of 31 passes for 198 yards, capped by a late 5-yard TD pass to rookie receiver Kyrese Rowan on fourth-and-4.

Ehlinger was intercepted once when he threw while being hit by Vernon Broughton and the ball deflected to defensive back Quincy Riley.

Injuries

Broncos: Running back Blake Watson was treated on the field and helped off in the fourth quarter.

Saints: Offensive lineman Landon Young, one of New Orleans’ more established reserves, was carted off with a right leg injury during the second quarter. Receiver Kevin Austin Jr. was examined inside the injury tent before walking on his own to the locker room.

Up next

The Broncos open the regular season at home against Tennessee on Sept. 7, when the Saints host Arizona.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL