Sean Payton Dishes on Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto's Defensive TD vs. Colts

Nik Bonitto has scored a defensive touchdown in back-to-back games.

December 15, 2024, Denver, Colorado, USA: Broncos OLB NIK BONITTO celebrates in the end zone after a pick 6 during the 2nd. Half at Empower Field at Mile High Sunday afternoon.The Broncos beat the Colts 31-13. / Hector Acevedo / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The Denver Broncos defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 in a defensive masterclass. After Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson scored on the ground early, the Denver defense clamped down, only allowing 13 total points and snagging five takeaways.

The most impressive takeaway was a Nik Bonitto fumble return on a Colts' trick play that resulted in a momentum-swinging touchdown. Post-game, Sean Payton was asked about Bonitto’s touchdown, and he spoke glowingly of his burgeoning young star. 

"It was a heck of a play. It was kind of happening right in front of me," Payton said. "He is athletic. That is two games in a row. It was a real good play, and the timing of it. There was like a 10-minute period in the game where it went from being close to not out of reach but certainly in our favor.”

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 The Colts tricked themselves into allowing Bonitto to lurk until the moment was just right, stealing their confidence and putting the Broncos in the driver's seat for the rest of the contest. In back-to-back games, he’s made explosive plays to put the opposition in a tailspin from which they couldn’t recover.

Bonitto later revealed what he saw developing moments before his immaculate takeaway. 

“It was kind of a slow developing play, so I knew something was weird," Bonitto said post-game. "The receiver usually doesn't go catch screens like that. Once I saw Richardson drifting back a little bit, I decided to go try and break on it and ended up getting it.”

Bonitto's instincts to recognize that the Colts were trying to get tricky, combined with his explosive speed, allowed him to take the life out of their offense, something only the most elite linebackers can do. He also finished with three tackles and a half-sack, and remains tied for the second-most sacks in the NFL.

After securing his second defensive touchdown in consecutive weeks, Bonitto is firmly in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. He can’t even believe that such an honor could be a reality.

“Not really because it still doesn't seem real to be mentioned in that type of light," Bonitto said. "There are three games left, so we have to take it one game at a time. We just have to keep stacking these wins.”

Bonitto had better start believing it because his legend is growing with each passing game.

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