LAS VEGAS — In a town of fakers, Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton were the real deal, the perfect shotgun wedding a mile from Little Church of the West.
“He’s just reliable. He’s just always there where you need him,” Nix said of Sutton, his No. 1 target and the artistic genius behind two touchdown passes Sunday in Denver’s 29-19 win over the Raiders.
“He’s smart. He’s savvy. He makes plays when the ball’s in the air. You can trust him because when it’s up in the air, it’s his or nobody’s. It’s not going to be a pick.”
Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas.
Craig Morton to Haven Moses.
Nix to Sutton.
Oh, yes. Broncos Country’s seen this kind of bromance before.
It usually ends with a ring.
Or two.
“I tell you guys each week that I feel like we’re getting closer,” Sutton said after nabbing eight receptions for 97 yards, 80 of them in the second half.
“And it’s not perfect, and it’s not there yet. But it’s getting closer. I think that the beautiful thing is that through time, we continue to find those connections, we continue to find what works best for both of us … we’ve been able to do some things and I think that we’re scratching the surface of it.”
Even in Vegas, where illusion is king, you can’t feign that kind of love. Or that kind of trust.
You can’t fake second-and-10 from the Raiders’ 18, about four minutes into the third quarter. Gifted a brain-cramp Gardner Minshew interception while trailing 13-9, Nix went for the kill. The Broncos’ kid QB lobbed a rainbow into the back right corner of the end zone, where the 6-foot-4 Sutton outhopped Las Vegas cornerback Jack Jones, snatched the rock, and tippie-toed his landing for six.
“It’s like a dare,” Sutton said. “It’s like them boys (were) like, ‘Hey, you know, we’re (going to) give you 1-on-1 (coverage). What (are you) going to do with it?’ And (Bo gave) me a chance. That’s all we need, man. We’ll give you a chance. We capitalized on it. And our guy was better than their guy that day on that play.”
The Broncos’ guy was better than just about any guy the Raiduhs trotted out. The 29-year-old Sutton ran his streak of 70-plus-receiving-yard games to five in a row. That’s the most for a Denver wideout since DT put up eight straight in 2014.
Ah, yes. 2014. Which was also the last time the Broncos sweetly swept the Raiders in a season.
“The tide is turning,” Sutton vowed, “and the Broncos are in a spot where we want to be (within) the AFC West. And I think that’s a really exciting spot to be in. Job’s not finished.”
Neither are they. Nix’s two scores to Sutton were his 15th and 16th passing TDs of the season, setting a new Broncos rookie record. He doesn’t get there without Big No. 14 seemingly turning every 50-50 ball into an orange-and-blue slam-dunk.
“I mean, it’s unbelievable what he’s able to do,” guard Quinn Meinerz reflected. “(To) catch the ball, body position, get two feet in. I mean, can’t say enough great things about (Sutton). I’ve been here a handful of years and have been able to see (that) he’s consistently the guy in those clutch moments that’s going to make that play.”
It takes a village to turn around an offense, let alone a locker room. Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin? Cool as ice under pressure. Marvin Mims Jr.? Pure fizz. But Sutton’s the straw that stirs the drink.
Big 14 came into Sunday ranked second in the AFC in “explosion” catches — grabs of 20 yards or more — with 13. He averaged 11 per season from 2021-2023.
“Are you where you are without Sutton?” I asked Nix Sunday night.
“No,” he countered, adding. “(But) I’m not where I am without all those guys (on offense).”
Bo Life is the good life right now. Although if the Raiduhs catch any one of at least three dropped interceptions, Broncos Country would’ve been sweating more bullets. The return units were leaky, some of the late-game play-calling was curious, and watching Vegas execute a successful fake punt pass was a kick in the shin.
But on a night that needed the Broncos to simply be good enough, they were. And Nix and Sutton were a whole lot better than that.
“Yeah, look, I think that (with Nix), ultimately, the consistency with not only Courtland but these other players and where they’re going to be and how they’re going to get there and what he’s seeing and feeling, that’s important,” coach Sean Payton said.
Also important? This is a team that’s got each other’s backs right now. It sounds hokey, but genuine chemistry is one of the hardest things to build in a pro locker room. And one of the easiest things to lose.
So Sutton throws TDs. Sutton catches them. Heck, at one point, he even tied guard Ben Powers’ shoelaces on Sunday.
“The more you can do, the more you can do,” the receiver said with a grin. “That’s all we talk about, ‘The more you can do.’”
Sutton described the exchange thusly:
“You got it?” the wideout asked.
“No,” Powers replied.
“And so I was able to tie it up for him and get it going,” Sutton recalled. “I think that it shows … our brotherhood that we have — on this team and in this locker room, guys really care about each other.”
Bo and Court don’t finish each other’s sentences. They finish the other team’s hopes and dreams.
“I appreciate him giving me those opportunities. I’m always telling him like, ‘Hey bro, you know, I got you,’” Sutton said. “And I’m the last person to go over to him. He has a thousand things on his mind, and I’m not physically over there (to) say, ‘Hey, give me the ball.’ It’s like, ‘Hey bro … I got you, my boy.’ Just a little small reminder … when things aren’t going the way we want them to go.”
That’s love. And as anybody who’s blown 75 bucks on a tribute band in this town can tell you, nothing beats the real thing.
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