5 Players Crucial to Broncos' Stretch Run & Snapping Playoff Drought

It's time for this corps of five Denver Broncos to step up and answer the bell.

Oct 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) celebrates his interception in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos are emerging from their Week 14 bye, which came at a very opportune time for an 8-5 team with a two-game control over the AFC's No. 7 playoff seed. The Broncos have four games left to finish the season and complete their rise from the NFL doldrums back to the playoff tournament.

Five Broncos will have an outsized impact on whether the team can not only hold onto the No. 7 seed, but maybe even climb in the AFC seeding. You can say they're under pressure, but it's more about punctuating what's already been an impressive body of work this season.

Let's examine.

Bo Nix | QB

Obviously, the Broncos need their fledgling franchise quarterback to shine down the stretch. Nix has been a pleasant surprise as a rookie, going from being perceived as the sixth quarterback off the 2024 NFL draft board to one of the most talked about signal-callers in the league.

Nix isn't fixated on winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, and that's a good thing. He's out to lead the Broncos back to the promised land, and so far, he's done his part. But the job isn't done.

What the Broncos need: Sean Payton will lean on Nix to continue to avoid the negative plays — interceptions, sacks, and fumbles — as he has for most of the season and continue to grow each week within the offense. And... hey, Coach, it wouldn't hurt to go back to the well of RPOs and QB-designed runs now that you've lulled opponents to sleep somewhat on Nix's footspeed and athleticism.

Courtland Sutton | WR

Sutton has gone from an inconsistent start to the season, navigating the vagaries of a rookie quarterback's trial-and-error learning curve, to becoming a red-hot dynamo with a powerful chemistry with Nix. Sutton has 42 receptions for 569 yards and three touchdowns since Week 8.

What the Broncos need: These two have gotten hot at the right time, and Sutton's got to keep turning it on if he wants to taste the playoffs for the first time in his NFL career.

Audric Estime | RB

The Javonte Williams experiment must come to an end, disappointingly. He's been a non-factor in three of Denver's past four games. Handing the ball off to Williams has literally been a waste of a down, and the teams who weather the stretch run and enter the playoffs with true momentum are the ones who can pound the rock with confidence and control.

Enter Estime, whom the Broncos have seemingly kept on ice, to an extent, while Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin have been leaned on to carry the ground game. Estime has proven that he took the ball-security lesson to heart, having not fumbled since Week 7, and with Williams looking slower and more ineffectual by the game, the Broncos can't afford to stand on veteran loyalty here.

What the Broncos need: It's time for Williams to be fully relegated to a third-down role because he can pass block and he's a solid receiver out of the backfield. McLaughlin's past two games have been productive, but he's not built to carry the load. Estime is, and it's time Payton deploys one of his most explosive and useful weapons to control opponents on the ground. Let's see those fresh legs.

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Nik Bonitto | OLB

Bonitto has turned a corner in Year 3. Since arriving as a 2022 second-round pick, he's done the hard work to hone his NFL body and perfect the technique required to set the edge and be a factor against the run, which has allowed the Broncos to use him as a three-down rush linebacker.

Bonitto became the first Bronco since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in 2018 to notch double-digit sacks in a season. Bonitto's 11 sacks are the second-most in the NFL currently.

What the Broncos need: Just like the Miller heyday, the Broncos need a potent edge rusher who can impact these crucial games in critical moments. Bonitto has shown such a penchant this season, but these next four games will require him to take it to an even higher level.

Riley Moss | CB

It would have been easy to list Patrick Surtain II here, but not only is he on a set-and-forget level with his coverage prowess, but we've seen in back-to-back weeks how badly the Broncos secondary struggles without Moss in the lineup. Surtain needs his partner on the opposite boundary.

Alas, Moss suffered a knee injury in Week 12, but with the bye in the books, he's had three weeks to heal up, plus he'll get a pretty light load, ostensibly, this week during practice. The Broncos opted to not place him on injured reserve, which we can only assume means the team expects him back soon.

What the Broncos need: Let's hope that by Week 15's tilt vs. the Indianapolis Colts, the four weeks of real-time Moss will have had to recover will have been enough to get him back on his feet. This defense simply isn't the same without him, mainly because of the communication lapses. Moss' football IQ is off the charts, and he's what you'd call a 'glue guy.'

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