After the Denver Broncos clinched a spot in the NFL playoffs with a 38-0 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, rookie quarterback Bo Nix was asked when the team realized they were a playoff-caliber squad.
“I think it was individually a little different for guys,” Nix said on Jan. 5. “Preseason and OTAs, coach emphasized, we’ve got to trust and believe what he already believes and knows. That was that we could be a playoff team, and we could be a 10-win team and compete against good teams in this league. Eventually, I think the buy-in, we just figured it out.
“We won a few games. We started playing really good and when we’ve come up a little short on a few games — we feel like we’re right there. You can point to a few plays that change the game. The guys know it. The guys in the locker room, they know it. They just compete. They compete at a high level. The last couple of weeks hurt us, and we didn’t take it very well. We just wanted to get back out on the field. That’s a sign of a team that’s growing something special.”
Denver lost in Weeks 16 and 17 before bouncing back with a convincing victory in Week 18 to secure a spot in the NFL playoffs. The Broncos are now set to go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.
