Two cheers and two boos from the Broncos’ 27-26 overtime win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night: 

Cheers… 

… to Bo Nix, whose nine-game win streak is the longest of his college or pro careers. While it may have seemed like he played 12 seasons in college, Nix only played five. And the longest win streak he had at Auburn and Oregon was an eight-game heater with the Ducks in 2022. (That stretch included a 49-10 win over the CU Buffs when Nix completed 20 of 24 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns against Karl Dorrell’s Buffs at Folsom Field.) In a recruiting special when ex-Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota faced off with ex-Oregon quarterback Nix, the Broncos leaned into Nix, who zipped around 24 passes by halftime. Such is the life of a quarterback without a legit running game. Nix completed 29 of 45 passes for 321 yards. He threw a bad interception in the fourth quarter to Bobby Wagner. He still won. Again.

Boo… 

… the naive idea the Broncos can win this way in the postseason. How much money does Sean Payton make? Roughly $18 million per season? He’s going to make that paycheck with the schedule that’s coming up — in the regular season and playoffs. Payton so distrusts the Broncos run game he asked Bo Nix to throw on three straight snaps on a key possession — and the Broncos punted after another three-and-out. The Broncos averaged 3.7 yards per carry for the game. That’s the norm now with the Broncos averaging 3.7, 4.3, 3.1 and 2.8 yards per carry over the past four games — with and without injured running back J.K. Dobbins. Starting running back RJ Harvey was so ineffective, Payton inserted Jaleel McLaughlin during a key possession in the second half with the Broncos badly needing to move the ball. It must improve.

Cheers… 

… to Colorado State’s new coach, Jim L. Mora, who announced his arrival in snowy Fort Collins on Sunday. “Hi, Ram family,” Mora said on X. “We just landed in Ram Country.” His assignment is to revive college football in Colorado. No pressure, coach. The 64-year-old Mora has many Colorado ties. His father, Jim Mora, joins Sean Payton as the only Saints head coaches to end their tenures with winning records. And the new CSU coach spent ages 7-12 growing up in Boulder, where his father was a position coach on the defensive side of the ball. Mora also replaced ex-CU coach Rick Neuheisel as the coach at UCLA in 2011. Mora also spent three seasons as coach of the Atlanta Falcons. His final season in Atlanta was Sean Payton’s first year in New Orleans. Payton got the best of Mora, going 2-0 in their matchups.

Boo…

… the New England Patriots, just like old times. The Broncos on Sunday night jumped into pole position for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. And the chase for the top seed is shaping into a battle straight out of 2015: the Patriots (10-2) vs. the Broncos (10-2). Who needs Tom Brady and Peyton Manning when you have Drake Maye and Bo Nix? (OK, let’s not go too far.) New England can retake the top spot by beating the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Patriots have a serious edge when it comes to their remaining schedules. And the Pats will meet only one team with a winning record: Giants (2-10), Bills (8-4), Ravens (6-6), Jets (3-9), Dolphins (5-7). The Broncos, however, will face teams with a .500 or better record: Las Vegas (2-10), Green Bay (8-3), Jacksonville (8-4), Kansas City (6-6), Los Angeles Chargers (8-4).