With most NFL squads, selecting the team MVP is usually easy. Take the quarterback and you’re usually at least halfway home, unless there’s another obvious star who sticks out.
That’s not the case for the Denver Broncos, however. You could certainly select quarterback Bo Nix based on his highlight-reel comebacks and recent play, but Nix has struggled with inconsistency for much of the season.
That leads to the defense, and selecting somewhen there gets even tougher. You’ve got reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II, but he recently missed some big games, so that means turning to some other key defensive players.
Linebacker Nik Bonitto is one of them, and Josh Kendall and Chad Graff selected Bonitto as the Broncos MVP as part of The Athletic’s latest power rankings. Their logic was simple—Denver’s defense has led the Broncos to the top spot in the AFC, and Bonitto is the best player on that unit.
Bonitto’s 12.5 sacks stand out the most, and the linebacker also has 80 of what TruMedia calls “splash plays.” Everyone knows about Denver’s 11-game win streak, but it’s easy to forget that the Broncos’ two losses came by just four combined points, as Kendall and Graff pointed out.
One of those, of course, was the pass block that one a game for the Broncos when they eked out a 27-26 win against the Washington Commanders in overtime a few weeks back.
Bonitto’s achievements aside, another remarkable element of these rankings was that Kendall and Graff somehow put the Broncos at second behind the Los Angeles Rams, despite the fact that Denver has a better record. It’s definitely a case of offensive bias, especially given the gaudy numbers being put up by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
It’s also an indicator that there are still doubters when it comes to Bo Nix. He played brilliantly on Sunday against the Packers, but some observers and experts want to see Nix deliver consistent complete-game performances for an extended stretch before they elevate the Broncos to their top slot.
Nix will get another opportunity to do just that when Denver hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Nix doesn’t need to prove himself, but watching his square off against another quarterback in Trevor Lawrence who’s been on a run will give the Broncos quarterback yet another opportunity to show just how far he’s come in the last month or so.