Immediate analysis following the Broncos’ win over the Raiders on Sunday, their first win ever in Las Vegas:

Bo holds court: Bo Nix grabbed him by the back, but not before grabbing the Raiders by the neck. When Nix found Courtland Sutton with a dart in the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter, it put the Broncos ahead by 10 points. It reflected his warm streak and ingrained connection with the veteran receiver. Nix has accounted for 20 touchdowns and two turnovers in the past 10 games, one of the best rookie games in the NFL since 2000, according to the CBS broadcast. Sutton has emerged as a major reason, if not a revelation. In the third quarter alone, he caught six passes for 78 yards. Sutton found his footing with Russell Wilson last season with 10 touchdowns, but has become even more reliable for the rookie quarterback. He is on pace for 1,054 yards as he attempts to become the franchise’s first 1,000 yards receiver since accomplishing the feat in 2019.

Isn’t that special: For the second time in three weeks, the Broncos were dogged by special teams mistakes. Denver went under the hood and adjusted the field goal operation – and the rest of the engine started leaking oil. A 59-yard kickoff return by Dylan Laube set up the Raiders’ first touchdown drive. Later in the first half, Las Vegas, fitting for a desperate team, ran a fake punt, completing a 34-yard pass for a first down. It led to a Raiders field goal, allowing the Raiders to maintain momentum in a stadium that appeared to have more fans for the visiting team. Where have you gone, Mike Westhoff? A Broncosland turns its lonely eyes on you. On the plus side, Wil Lutz made five field goals.

Nik the Fast: Nik Bonitto has been compared favorably to Elvis Dumervil for his speed on the first steps and his ability to dip and duck. The former Oklahoma star now has stats that deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as former Broncos stars. His strip-sack of Desmond Ridder with 2:28 remaining in the game not only secured the victory, but made Bonitto the first Broncos player to reach double-digit sacks in a season since 2018. That year, Von Miller collected 14.5, while Bradley Chubb added 12. .

What’s going on? The Broncos snapped their eight-game losing streak against the Raiders, spanning two cities, but not without creating Pepto-Bismol moments. With a seven-point lead and 3:38 remaining, Sean Payton began a bizarre series of play calls. Instead of running the ball at least twice to force the Raiders to burn timeouts, Payton called three straight passes. Foreign? Yes. And worse, they were all incomplete. So the Broncos took just 15 seconds off the clock and one of Nix’s attempts was nearly intercepted. It didn’t matter in the end. But Payton knows his team needs to play a cleaner game against better teams in the future. After Sunday, that list will also include the playcaller.