Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos are on a bye for the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, but they may not need to look far or very hard to find motivation for whoever they face in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.
As it stands, the Broncos will face the lowest seed that advances.
That could be the team that they defeated in Week 18, the Los Angeles Chargers, for whom one player spoke volumes.
Bo Nix, Broncos Get Harsh Words From Chargers DB
GettyTony Jefferson #23 of the Los Angeles Chargers gestures to the Kansas City Chiefs crowd after being ejected.
Nix and the Broncos defeated the Chargers 19-3 in a game that saw Denver play its starters while LA rested many of its first-stringers.
Tony Jefferson was among the active Chargers, and there was no love lost for the Broncos.
“They suck, bro,” Jefferson said out loud as he walked down the tunnel toward the visitors’ locker room after the game. “I have no respect for them, I don’t care. I don’t like nobody on the Broncos. Oh, my homie JL Skinner, I f*** with him, though. Broncos suck, though.”
Jefferson led the Chargers with 6 total tackles. He and the Chargers must defeat the New England Patriots in the Wild Card for the right to face the Broncos in the next round.
If they do, his message could certainly get new life.
“Chargers safety Tony Jefferson with all the bulletin-board material the #Broncos should need if they meet again,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans posted on X on January 5, sharing the clip of the remarks.
The Broncos had not beaten the Chargers in three straight meetings before their win in Week 18. That includes a loss in Week 3 of this season.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton admitted as much before their rematch in the finale.
“We have not played well or coached well in the three games prior,” Payton told reporters about faving the Chargers in Week 18 during his media availability on New Year’s Eve. “We’ve got to improve on that.”
Given that they faced a depleted version of the Chargers in Week 18, Payton and the Broncos must still prove they can defeat their AFC West rivals with both teams’ starters playing.
Broncos Team Captain Not Worried About ‘Style Points’
GettyCourtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos warms up before facing the San Francisco 49ers.
NFL film analyst and former professional QB Tim Jenkins noted on X on January 5 that Payton and the Broncos ran the “most vanilla game plan” he had witnessed from them, including the preseason, going as far back as Pat Shurmur (2020 and 2021).
“Another reason I am absolutely not worried about how the #Broncos are playing headed into the postseason,” KOA’s Ryan Edwards posted in reaction to Jenkins’ remarks.
Edwards also pointed to Nix’s postgame comments about the Broncos’ offense.
“I should’ve done a better job today having more urgency in the huddle and getting us going. I felt like I failed us on that. Overall, I thought we didn’t play with the tempo and passion we normally play with,” Nix told reporters on Sunday.
“It’s Week 18, it’s the last game of the year, you kind of get up 10-0 weird early. It’s just a strange football game. You prepare for one thing all week and then get something different. You don’t know who’s going to show up. So, next time we get in that spot, I have to have better urgency and be a little bit of a spark myself. The rest of the guys will do the same.”
Fittingly, Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton, Nix’s top target and a team captain, noted that while they are not getting the “style points,” Denver is winning games and is the No. 1 seed.
Nix and the Broncos have the right mindset, whether they face the Chargers or another team.
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