The Denver Broncos didn’t feel like visitors when they took on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
Amid a sea of orange and chants of “Let’s go Broncos!” from the stands, Denver fans made their presence known, even transforming parts of the stadium into a pseudo-home field advantage.
By the game’s end, many Denver fans had migrated to the lower bowl, celebrating their team’s 29-19 victory.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix praised the traveling fans in his post-game remarks, emphasizing their impact.
“[There was] a lot of orange in that stadium,” Nix said. “When you can go on the road and you see a lot of your fans, it’s almost half, they’re cheering, it almost turns into a neutral environment. That’s good.
“When you take that chaos and the noise and the atmosphere, when you can kind of relieve that from your team, it’s really important. When we do make good plays, when we do have explosives or have turnovers, it almost turns into a mini home game.
“But it’s good to see that we have great fan bases. Good to see that they travel well. Good to see that even though we’ve had some hiccups throughout the season, they’re still right behind us.
“Now we’re going on a two-game winning streak. It’s crazy how it can flip. The crowd and the atmosphere is a big advantage, as they’ve showed, as they’ve proven. We’re always going to need that. I’m glad I’m at an organization that has that.”
As for the actual action on the field, the Broncos-Raiders rivalry gained yet another layer of intensity when cameras captured a fiery exchange between Nix and Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson.
The two players appeared to exchange words before a referee intervened to diffuse the tension.
While the specifics of their confrontation remain unclear, Nix’s intense expression caught the attention of fans and quickly went viral on social media, with many joking that his steely glare was a message in itself.
Wilson, a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, did manage to sack Nix during the game. However, Nix and the Broncos got the last laugh as they came away with the win.
After securing their second consecutive victory, the Broncos now set their sights on Week 13, where they’ll host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football at Empower Field at Mile High.
While that matchup may not have looked sexy a month ago, it certainly looks more intriguing now – and Nix is the main reason why.
It was looking for a while that Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels would run away with the Rookie of the Year Award. However, Nix may very well have something to say about that.
What are your thoughts on Nix? … Will he end up being the best quarterback to come from the 2024 draft class???
