Only supposed to play 8 to 10 snaps, the Nix to Sutton touchdown came on the 19th play. The Broncos finished 3-0 in preseason for the second straight year.
NEW ORLEANS — Bring on Super Bowl 60!
OK, then, bring on the Tennessee Titans.
The Broncos appear to be right on schedule after Bo Nix, play-caller Sean Payton and the Broncos’ first-string offense found their efficient rhythm during the unexpected third possession of the final preseason game here Saturday before an announced crowd of 70,078 at the Caesars Superdome.
Nix capped Drive No. 3 with an under-pressure, back-foot strike to favorite receiver Courtland Sutton for a 19-yard touchdown pass. That gave the Broncos’ first-stringers a 10-6 lead early in the second quarter and No. 3 quarterback Sam Ehlinger took it from there as the Broncos beat New Orleans, 28-19.
“We’re ready for the regular season, no doubt,” said Broncos nose tackle D.J. Jones.
Jones just started his 9th NFL season and he’s been on some good teams with both the 49ers and last year, the Broncos. What does he like about these 2025 Broncos?
“The depth,” he said.
Much of that quality depth is about to get cut as 41 percent of the 90-man roster will be trimmed to 53 by 2 p.m. Tuesday.
“It’s going to be tough on upstairs, the coaches,” Jones said. “Going to be tough decisions on who stays and who goes. Every position is going to be tough.”
The Broncos finished the preseason 3-0 for the second consecutive year and have now won seven consecutive preseason games.
“It’s preseason but we want to win in everything we do,” Payton said.
The Nix to Sutton touchdown came on the 19th play – more than double the 8 to 10 play estimate Payton had announced during the week for his starters.
As always, Payton reserves to change his mind. He wasn’t going to look bad in front of the Saints’ team he led for 15 seasons from 2006-21. Did he go on feel?
“I said 8 to 10 and it’s not etched in concrete,” Payton said. “You forgot that last part of it. So it wasn’t etched in concrete. Yeah, you want to score, get out there. I thought we did some good things.”
To review, Nix and the offense stumbled on their first possession, going three and out with a delay-of-game penalty.
Then came an 11-play drive that finished with a short field goal by Wil Lutz, but featured two terrific plays by Nix. The first was off a fourth-and-5 from near-midfield situation. Nix made a perfectly thrown, back-shoulder completion to Sutton for 14 yards to the Saints’ 34-yard line. Sutton was well-covered but the throw maneuvered him open.
Two plays later, it was third and 8. Nix was about to get sacked but instead he stepped forward and found his safety valve, running back Tyler Badie, open in the flat. Badie took the flip and sprinted forward for 16 yards to the red zone. The Broncos eventually settled for the first of Lutz’s three short-range field goals.
At that point, the Broncos’ first stringers had two series and 14 plays, well more than 8 to 10. Call it good, right coach?
Nope. Payton sent the starters back out for a third series. Again, the possession started slowly but what would have been a third-and-20 was changed to a first-and-10 by an unnecessary roughness penalty against Saints’ linebacker Demario Davis.
Then came Nix’s most impressive play of the day. Using a play-action fake, naked roll left, Nix threw an off-balanced Archie Manning-like pass that zipped on target to Sutton who was open along the left side. Sutton shook a tackle and kept running until he had a 43-yard gain.
Even though Sutton received a contract extension that added one year and $26 million guaranteed onto his existing deal, Payton was not afraid to play him in the preseason finale. Sutton made another catch for 7 yards to set up second-and-short from the Saints’ 21 and one play later, used his 6-foot-4, 216-pound body to ward off a Saints’ cornerback, leave his feet to corral a Nix pass just shy of the goal line, and muscled his way across the goal line.
Nix didn’t get everything on it as his moving back away from the pass rush but it was also a safe pass as he knew Sutton had posted up his man and was in position for the catch.
“You don’t always have a good pockets as you know,” Nix said. “Being able to practice those, you know they’re going to come up, you’re going to be moved off your platform and a lot of those plays happen from a dirty pocket. You got to be on the move, it doesn’t really matter, you’ve got to make the throw.”
That gave the Broncos’ starters a 10-6 lead with 13:34 left in the second quarter.
Give it to an eight-year veteran like Sutton and the other starters, they brought the proper mindset to this preseason game.
“I’ve said this before, and this is just me, but I can’t stand watching a sideline interview while the game’s going on,” Payton said. “I just think there are a lot of important plays going on. Saw a broadcast the other day had three of them from the same team. Each player was asked six or more questions. Nineteen questions while the game was going on.”
Sounds like a great preseason telecast. To some. But not to a team-before-self coach.
“I just think it’s important that the team is focused on what’s going on on the field,’ Payton said. “I’m sure there will be a day it’s mandated. But until that comes … I liked our focus when Courtland was playing and when he wasn’t playing.
“You can’t tiptoe in this thing. You have to get up in the morning — a little bit earlier time slot for us, 11 o’clock start time, our time. And drink your Celsius, whatever it is that gets you going and get ready to go.”
At that point, Payton sent in his backups. Nix was 10 of 14 for 110 yards and a touchdown for a 118.2 passer rating. He’s ready.
“Very ready,” Nix said. “Excited to get it started.”
Sutton, in a little over a quarter, had four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. He’s ready.
“I feel like we have strong confidence because we’ve had a really, really good camp,” Sutton said to 9NEWS’ Scotty Gange during a postgame interview on the field. “I know it hasn’t shown itself in the preseason but we’ve had a really good camp. It was nice to put together some plays in the preseason, put it together in a game. I think there’s a lot of promise to come.”
Denver’s first-string defense, playing without pass rusher Nik Bonitto and inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, gave up two field goals in two drives. Bonitto (foot) and Greenlaw (quad) are coming off recent injuries and though they seem to be 100% recovered, there was no sense risking aggravating the situation with the Broncos beginning the regular season Sept. 7 at home against the Titans.
Sam Ehlinger, not Jarrett Stidham, replaced Nix as the Broncos’ second quarterback in Saturday. Stidham, apparently, had already done enough to solidify his No. 2 status as his 143.0 passer rating leads the NFL. Ehlinger, meanwhile, got a chance to put up some good tape.
And he did.
Ehlinger completed 22 of 31 passes for 198 yards to lead four scoring drives — two field goals and two touchdowns in his three quarters of action. His most impressive throw was a 27-yard seam route to well-covered tight end Lucas Krull, who nevertheless went up to snag it, setting up first and goal at the 4. Then again, Ehlinger’s Houdini scramble and toss to undrafted rookie Kyrese Rowan for a 5-yard touchdown wasn’t bad, either.
Ehlinger knows how this goes. A terrific quarterback at the University of Texas, Ehlinger spent his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, but has only played in three games — and that was three years ago.
He’s in a spot where it’s not necessarily how well he plays but whether a team can keep three quarterbacks on his roster.
“Unfortunately, that’s out of my hands,” Ehlinger said. “All I can control is my performance and how I am on a daily basis and however it works out, it works out. I love being here. I love the quarterback room. I love this team. I’m really excited for the direction I think this organization is headed.”
Bronco Bits
Backup running back Jaleel McLaughlin didn’t make the trip. He had been out most of the week as his fiancé has been in labor. Payton said Thursday that McLaughlin welcomed a new baby girl and would make the trip to New Orleans, but postgame Saturday Payton said his fiance has been in labor and he told the running back to stay back.
“I spoke to him right before the game and she’s in labor but it’s been a long labor,” Payton said. “Hopefully, we get some news but I’m glad he stayed home.” …
Veteran running back J.K. Dobbins didn’t play and the Broncos didn’t have much of a running game in the first half. Ehlinger was the leading rusher at the half with 20 yards off two scrambles. …
In the second half, second-year running back Audric Estime, who seems to be a longshot to make the 53-man, season-opening rusher, carried eight times for 45 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown. …
Jonathon Cooper, a starter, and Que Robinson, a rookie backup, each had a sack from the edge position.