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Bo Nix doesn’t write Broncos history without Courtland Sutton

Vaseline November 25, 2024

LAS VEGAS – In a city full of fakes, Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton were the real deal, the perfect shotgun wedding a mile from Little Church of the West.

“He’s just reliable. He’s just always there where you need him,” Nix said of Sutton, his No. 1 target and the artistic genius behind two touchdown passes Sunday in Denver’s 29-19 win over the Raiders.

‘He’s smart. He’s smart. He plays when the ball is in the air. You can trust him because when it’s up in the air, it’s his or no one’s. It will not be a choice.”

Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas.

John Elway and Rod Smith.

Craig Morton to Port Moses.

Nix to Sutton.

Oh yes. Broncos Country has seen this kind of bromance before.

It usually ends with a ring.

Or two.

“I tell you guys every week I feel like we’re getting closer,” Sutton said after catching eight receptions for 97 yards, including 80 in the second half.

Courtland Sutton (14) of the Denver Broncos hauls in a pass as Decamerion Richardson (25) of the Las Vegas Raiders defends during the third quarter of the Broncos’ 29-19 victory at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday November 1. August 24, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

“And it’s not perfect, and it’s not there yet. But it’s getting closer. I think the great thing is that over time we continue to find those connections, we continue to discover what works best for both of us… we’ve been able to do a number of things and I think we’re just getting started. .”

Even in Vegas, where illusion is king, you can’t fake that kind of love. Or that kind of trust.

You can’t recreate second-and-10 from the Raiders’ 18 about four minutes into the third quarter. Nix dished a brain-twisting Gardner Minshew interception while down 13-9 and went for the kill. The Broncos’ QB threw a rainbow into the back right corner of the end zone, where the 6-foot-10 Sutton outran Las Vegas cornerback Jack Jones, grabbed the rock and made his landing six yards.

“It’s a challenge,” Sutton said. “It’s like those guys said, ‘Hey, you know what, we’re going to give you one-on-one (coverage).’ What (are you) going to do with it?’ And (Bo gave) me a chance. That’s all we need, man. We give you a chance. We have benefited from it. And our guy was better than their guy on that play that day.

The Broncos guy was better than pretty much every guy the Raiduhs produced. The 29-year-old Sutton extended his streak of more than 70 consecutive games to five in a row. That’s the most for a wideout in Denver since DT posted eight in a row in 2014.

Oh, yes. 2014. That was also the last time the Broncos sweetly defeated the Raiders in a season.

“The tide is turning,” Sutton vowed, “and the Broncos are in a place where we want to be (within) the AFC West. And I think this is a very exciting place to be in. The job is not yet finished.’

Neither are they. Nix’s two scores against Sutton were his 15th and 16th passing TDs of the season, setting a new Broncos rookie record. He won’t get there without Big No. 14 seemingly turns every 50-50 ball into an orange-blue slam-dunk.

Courtland Sutton (14) of the Denver Broncos celebrates the first of his two touchdowns against the Las Vegas Raiders during the third quarter of the Broncos’ 29-19 win at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, November 24, 2024 (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

“I mean, it’s unbelievable what he’s capable of,” guard Quinn Meinerz reflected. “(To) catch the ball, body position, get two feet in. I mean, I can’t say enough good things about (Sutton). I’ve been here for a few years and have seen that at those moments he is consistently the man who will make it.’

It takes a village to convert an offense, let alone a locker room. Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin? Cool like ice under pressure. Marvin Mims Jr.? Pure effervescence. But Sutton is the straw that stirs the drink.

Big 14 entered Sunday ranked second in the AFC in “blast” catches — grabs of 20 yards or more — with 13. He averaged 11 per season from 2021-2023.

“Are you where you are without Sutton?” I asked Nix Sunday evening.

“No,” he countered and added. “(But) I’m not where I am without all those guys (on offense).”

Bo Life is the good life right now. Although if the Raiduhs caught any of the at least three dropped interceptions, Broncos Country would have sweated more bullets. The return units were leaking, some of the late-game play calling was curious, and it was a kick in the shin to see Vegas execute a successful fake punt pass.

But on a night when the Broncos simply had to be good enough, they were. And Nix and Sutton were a lot better than that.

“Yeah, look, I think (with Nix) ultimately the consistency with not only Courtland, but these other players and where they’re going to be and how they’re going to get there and what he sees and feels, that’s important,” said coach Sean Payton.

Denver Broncos head coach high fives Courtland Sutton (14) after scoring a receiving touchdown on a connection from Bo Nix (10) against the Las Vegas Raiders during the third quarter of the Broncos’ 29-19 victory at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, November 24, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Also important? This is a team that has each other’s backs right now. It sounds cheesy, but true chemistry is one of the hardest things to build in a professional locker room. And one of the easiest things to lose.

So Sutton throws TDs. Sutton catches them. Heck, at one point on Sunday he even tied guard Ben Powers’ shoelaces.

“The more you can do, the more you can do,” the recipient said with a grin. “That’s all we talk about: ‘The more you can do.’”

Sutton described the exchange this way:

“Do you have it?” the wideout asked.

“No,” Powers replied.

“And so I was able to tie it up for him and get it going,” Sutton recalled. “I think it shows … our brotherhood that we have — on this team and in this locker room, guys really care about each other.”

Bo and Court don’t finish each other’s sentences. They make the other team’s hopes and dreams come true.

“I appreciate him giving me these opportunities. I always tell him, ‘Hey brother, you know, I got you,'” Sutton said. ‘And I’m the last one to go to him. He’s got a million things on his mind, and I’m not physically there to say, ‘Hey, give me the ball.’ It’s like, ‘Hey brother… I got you, my boy.’ Just a little reminder… when things don’t go our way.”

That is love. And as anyone who’s spent $75 on a tribute band in this city can tell you, nothing beats the real thing.

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Originally published: November 24, 2024 at 8:49 PM MST

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Bo Nix doesn’t write Broncos history without Courtland Sutton

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