The Denver Broncos set an NFL record against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday by winning their 16th consecutive one-score regular-season game. It was closer than it should have been, but there was a lot of promising stuff on tape this week. 

Bo Nix had a great game, even if the box score doesn’t bear the fruit most fans would expect from elite-level quarterback play. It was abundantly clear that the Broncos' offensive game plan was to push the ball against a banged-up Panthers secondary unit, and that aggression with the vertical passing game helped open things up underneath.

It also didn’t matter that a lot of the shot plays ended in incompletions, either. Denver attacked Carolina’s depth cornerbacks at will, drawing a handful of defensive pass-interference penalties along the way.

That’s the great thing about being aggressive and hunting with the football. You don’t always need an explosive completion to affect the defense and move the football. There are four outcomes to a passing play, and three of them are good for the offense. 

Denver’s offense had rhythm against a bad defense in the first half, mounting a handful of scoring drives early and having another cut short by a Nix interception in the red zone. More on that here in a minute.

But the best thing I noticed came on four incomplete passes and that red zone interception. Let’s look at the film.

1st Play of the Game

I love how Payton started the game with shot plays. I wish Bo puts this ball closer to the "red line", because it gives Sutton more space to work his feet, but its still a great ball. Just missed on this one. pic.twitter.com/yRlEZpxSvD

— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) November 10, 2026

Knowing that the Panthers were down to their fifth- and sixth-string cornerbacks, Sean Payton called a shot play with three vertical routes to open the game. I love this play call because it gets Nix to be aggressive right away and sets the tone for the offense. 

Carolina is in Cover 6, playing quarter-quarter-half on the back end, giving Nix a one-on-one shot to Courtland Sutton down the left sideline. Nix sets his feet and lets this thing fly, giving Sutton a great opportunity to make a play at the highest point.

Unfortunately, Sutton landed out of bounds, but the aggressive nature of this play is what I’ve been asking for over the past handful of weeks.

If I had to be critical of anything here, it would be the placement of this ball. This isn’t a bad throw, but I would like to see this put a little closer to the “red line, " which is an imaginary line running five yards parallel to the sideline. That would give Sutton more room to work his feet on the boundary, but that’s just nitpicking. 

Second Play of the Game

2nd play of the game. Take another shot. Being aggressive draws DPI, which is just as good as a completion. pic.twitter.com/BdyOWUCwtF

— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) November 10, 2026

On the next play, Nix stays aggressive with another shot to Troy Franklin. Carolina comes out in a two-high shell, but rotates into a single high man-coverage. Nix sees safety Nick Scott patrol the deep middle as Franklin works the boundary against cornerback Corey Thornton.

Nix lets it fly as soon as he hits his back foot, putting another nice ball out there for Franklin to try to make a play. Thornton is flagged for pass interference on this play, which is one of the three positive outcomes for the offense on a passing play.

Targeting Thornton, who was called up from the practice squad for the game, was a great decision here. Putting pressure on depth pieces to perform early in the game can, and will, lead to positive outcomes.

Second Quarter | 7:38 | 2nd-&-8

I like Bo trying to fit the hole shot here. Stay aggressive. A little more air under this and it's completed instead of picked off.

Kudos to Thornton for one heck of a play. The other team gets paid to play, too. pic.twitter.com/K0HksfRilW

— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) November 10, 2026

Some people are going to disagree with me on this play. This is that red-zone interception that took points off the board. While I agree you can’t make a mistake like that, I like how aggressive Nix was with the football on this throw. 

Denver runs Sutton on a corner route into Carolina’s Cover 2 defense, and Nix tries to layer a “hole shot” to the boundary. Thornton makes an incredible play by getting great depth in his flat zone to undercut the throw and pick it off. 

The reason why I like this play is that Nix is taking a chance with the football, and it’s actually there for the taking. If he gets a little more air under this ball, this could have set the offense up inside the 5-yard line. 

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The other team has players who get paid to play the game, too. Chalk one up for the bad guys and move on. 

Second Quarter | 0:13 | 2nd-&-10

All Go Special on the last play before Half. Bo rips this john to Franklin. Great play by Chau Smith-Wade.

Bo likes to rip these seam shots. He needs to do it more. pic.twitter.com/D9R8S1ZS0Z

— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) November 10, 2026

That interception was critical. Carolina would go on to score a touchdown on their ensuing possession, ultimately taking the lead. But Nix responded on the next Denver drive, operating a nice two-minute drill to get points on the board.

Our next play is an “All-Go Special," with five vertical routes on what was essentially a Hail Mary attempt. But Nix doesn’t throw it up for grabs. He rips a seam shot to Franklin, and it’s broken up at the last second by cornerback Chau Smith-Wade.

This is a great play by Smith-Wade, because this throw is right on the money for a touchdown. You could argue that Nix could put a little more air under this throw, too, but that's nitpicking the result of a great defensive play.

Denver's offense hasn't had these tight-window throws all year, but Nix has had success throwing these seam shots for years. He hit tight end Adam Trautman for a one-handed touchdown catch against the Panthers two years ago on a very similar throw to this one. 

This throw is similar to the Franklin seam shot. It's from Bo's rookie year against Carolina. A little more air under it and a great catch by Trautman. pic.twitter.com/LVbnnl6RUX

— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) November 10, 2026

Fourth Quarter | 11:04 | 2nd-&-6

Glance post to Engram. Love the aggression here. Just another great play by Smith-Wade.

Right ball placement and pace. Can't win them all. pic.twitter.com/TlLML0LWYj

— Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) November 10, 2026

Nix tried it again later in the game as well. 

During Denver’s first scoring drive of the second half, Payton calls a glance-post route for tight end Evan Engram in the red zone. Nix had to evade pressure from his left and throw this ball on the run, but he rips this ball perfectly.

Nix gets it above the head line, in a place where only Engram can catch it. But Smith-Wade plays it perfectly again, knocking away a touchdown pass. 

This is good stuff, even though the pass falls to the turf at the back of the end zone. Denver scored on a nine-yard touchdown run by Jonah Coleman two plays later. 

The Takeaway

Outside of the Arizona Cardinals game a few weeks ago, Nix hadn’t been pushing the ball vertically all year. He wasn’t hunting with the football like this, and it was causing major issues with the passing game and bleeding into the run game. Denver’s offense was stagnant, even putrid at times. 

Taking chances and making teams honor the vertical passing game opens up everything else. You don’t need to complete every one of these plays to make teams have to respect you.

You also get the added benefit of sometimes drawing penalties downfield, which is just as good as a completed pass. Carolina was flagged five times for pass interference, and every one of them was justified. 

When Nix is operating within the scope of the offense and taking chances with the football, the Broncos look much better. I hope this is a sign of things to come following the bye week.