To win their ninth consecutive game, the Denver Broncos were forced to do something they hadn’t done since 2015 — win a game in overtime.
That’s just what the Broncos did, somehow some way, thanks to a batted pass by superstar edge rusher Nik Bonitto in a 27-26 overtime win over the Washington Commanders in Week 13.
The win also improved the Broncos to 10-2 and kept them in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Know what else happened in 2015? The Broncos won the Super Bowl.
“It’s just a crazy win and such a great game and a crazy (overtime) drought to come to an end for the Broncos,” Sunday Night Football color commentator Cris Collinsworth said after the broadcast. “We keep talking about, every week, a new team gets anointed as the best team in the NFL. It might be the Denver Broncos this week.”
Bonitto, an NFL All-Pro in 2024, implied after the game he may have been able to intercept the pass from Mariota were his hand not in a cast.
“I hate wearing a cast,” Bonitto wrote on his official X account with a crying emoji after the win over the Commanders.
Commanders Decided To Go For Win Instead of Tie
Bonitto’s dramatic, game-winning play came as the Commanders, who dropped to 3-9, went for the win instead of the tie with 2:40 left in overtime following a 2-yard Terry McLaurin touchdown catch.
Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota seemingly didn’t account for Bonitto’s ability to jump more than 2 inches off the ground.
Bonitto also had a sack, bringing his total to at least 10.0 sacks for the second season in a row, becoming the first Bronco since Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller to do so.
In a weird twist, Miller now plays for the Commanders.
“Nik Bonitto is the definition of a monster,” Sooner Illustrated’s Josh Callaway wrote on his official X account. “What a player.”
In a back-and-forth game, no team had a touchdown longer than the 11-yard touchdown pass from Denver’s Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton in the second quarter.
The game also featured one of the more spectacular NFL touchdown catches in recent memory on a 1-handed grab by Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks in the third quarter.
“Broncos vs Commanders on a random night in November,” Sleeper HQ wrote on its official X account. “Absolute cinema.”
Broncos Have Brutal Final Stretch of Games
While the Broncos are currently tied for the NFL’s best record, they face a brutal stretch of 5 games to close out the regular season.
The Broncos stay on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. Denver plays 3 of its last 4 games at home, starting with consecutive home games against current playoff teams in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers and Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Just 4 days after playing the Jaguars, the Broncos travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Christmas Day game in Week 17 at Arrowhead Stadium before closing out the regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers at home in Week 18.
Broncos End ‘Crazy’ 10-Year Drought With OT Win Over Commanders