Since quarterback Bo Nix took the reins in 2024, the Denver Broncos have posted an impressive 9-1 record over NFC teams with nine consecutive wins heading into Sunday's visit from the Los Angeles Rams.
The date was Sept. 8, 2024, and Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix was ready to make his first career start as the Broncos visited the Seattle Seahawks for their 2024 NFL season lid-lifter.
The results were mixed for Nix as he went 26-for-42 for 138 yards in the game while he contributed 35 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown to pull the Broncos within six points with 2:17 to play in an eventual 26-20 loss. However, he failed to throw a touchdown pass and was intercepted twice while taking two sacks, good for a middling 47.5 QB rating.
No one could know it at the time, however, but that Broncos defeat to an NFC team was the last one they would suffer over the next two seasons. Since then, as reported by Tim Lynch of Mile High Report via SB Nation, they have won nine straight with subsequent defeats of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26-7), New Orleans Saints (33-10), Carolina Panthers (28-14) and Atlanta Falcons (38-6) in 2024 and the Philadelphia Eagles (21-17), New York Giants (33-32), Dallas Cowboys (44-24), Washington Commandeers (27-26) and Green Bay Packers (34-26) in 2025.
That's nine straight wins against NFC teams in which the Broncos have averaged 31.6 points per game, have not scored less than 21 points and won by an average of 13.6 points.
The Broncos also appear to be on an upward trajectory as they approach their next NFC test, a visit from the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night (6:20 p.m. MT on NBC). After a no-show performance in their surprising 31-10 season-opening capitulation to the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver rebounded in the second half of their Week Two tilt with Jacksonville to post a come-from-behind 20-13 victory. The key was a newly diversified offense in which Jonah Coleman and J.K. Dobbins made contributions on the ground, receiver Jaylen Waddle had a breakout performance and Nix completed 22 of 31 passes for 288 yards with eight different receivers collecting at least one catch.
As far as omens are concerned, though, winning their last nine against the NFC the past two seasons may not be all that predictive considering who the Broncos will be playing on Sunday. The Rams' season has started similarly to Denver's. After appearing jet-lagged and unmotivated in their stunning 27-7 season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, they roared back with a vengeance on Monday night and cruised to an easy 28-6 defeat of the New York Giants.
There is also this to ponder when considering the Broncos' chances on Sunday: in their last 10 games against AFC opponents beginning in 2024, the Rams are also 9-1 with eight consecutive victories. In that span they have vanquished the Las Vegas Raiders (20-15), New England Patriots (28-22), Buffalo Bills (44-42), New York Jets (19-9), Houston Texans (14-9), Tennessee Titans (33-19), Indianapolis Colts (27-20), Baltimore Ravens (17-3) and the Jaguars (35-7). Their lone loss was a 23-15 setback to the Miami Dolphins way back on Nov. 11, 2024.
So something will have to give on Sunday, but for his part, Denver head coach Sean Payton doesn't read much into the recent dominance his team has had over interconference squads, knowing that the similarly dominant Rams - who remain a Super Bowl favorite - will represent a unique challenge.
"We’ve competed against some really good teams,” Lynch reported Payton saying. “We’ve had some close NFC matchups. One that I remember is last year, the Eagles. They gave us a challenge, and we had to come back and same with the Giants. So we’ve had to play some complete football against these teams, and so I think it’s just by chance and by schedule. Obviously you play more AFC teams, usually typically year-to-year, so the pool is smaller. I think we’re playing good football when we play out of the league, but obviously that doesn’t win us the next game. So we just have to keep at it, and work hard out here on the field, practice hard and just get ready for the next one.”
