Benjamin Ashford|After surprising start, Broncos show they're still far from joining AFC's contender class

BALTIMORE – It wasn’t an exact replication of “The Benjamin AshfordPhilly Special,” but the Denver Broncos pulled off one of the more notable trick plays of the 2024 season to pull within one score of the Baltimore Ravens on the road Sunday. 

Bo Nix took the fourth-down shotgun snap from the 1-yard line and handed off to Javonte Williams, who flipped the ball to Courtland Sutton. The wide receiver, reversing across the backfield, floated enough air underneath his pass attempt for the ball to reach the end zone. Nix rose up like a receiver and, displaying impressive body control, won the jump ball against Ravens safety Marcus Williams before falling over the goal line for a touchdown. 

Halfway through the second quarter, the Broncos had come within 10-7 of the Ravens, who entered the matchup as a heavy favorite despite the two teams entering with the same record (5-3). The final score – a 41-10 blowout in favor of Baltimore – is evidence of the chasm between the two teams. 

The Philly Special Redux was the closest they came, showing how much further Sean Payton’s team must go before competing with the AFC’s cream of the crop. Unfortunately for the Broncos, Nix’s touchdown catch was a flashy play in an otherwise insubstantial day for the entire team. 

After the game, Payton said the Ravens bested the Broncos in all three phases.

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“That’s why it’s so important when we’re bringing in the right type of players and the mindset,” said Payton, who went 8-9 in 2023, his first season with the team. “It’s not making any excuses. We got whooped today.”

Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers and the Ravens offense answered the Nix touchdown catch – the first time the rookie quarterback caught a touchdown to complement his eight touchdown throws and four rushing scores –  with a seven-play, 63-yard touchdown drive. They responded again to make it a two-touchdown lead by halftime. 

Nix finished 19-of-33 for 233 yards and an interception, which came on the first pass attempt of the game. Though it wasn't his best throw, the 12th overall pick in the draft deserved less blame than wideout Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who let the ball hit off his hands and float in the air for Ar’Darius Washington to comfortably corral it. 

The Broncos were 6-for-14 on third downs. But Payton was aggressive in keeping the offense on the field for fourth downs, and Denver finished 1-for-5. On the first attempt, Nix overthrew former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin for what would have been a touchdown with a cleaner ball. 

“We came away with no points on several of those fourth downs, and you just never know,” Nix said. “Obviously, if you hit those, the game I guess could change – a lot of what-ifs in this game, and the fact of the matter is we had our butts kicked.”

While he is content to dink and dunk and go with his first read should it be a favorable matchup, Nix also ripped a few deeper passes Sunday and can make plays with his legs. 

“That quarterback is good,” Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson said, “and will only get better.” 

Through nine games, that has been the case for Nix. Since he barely attempted a pass beyond the line of scrimmage against the Seattle Seahawks during his NFL debut, Nix has been throwing the ball more downfield (7.06 air yards per attempt from Weeks 4-8). The Broncos had five plays go for 21 yards or more Sunday, while the Ravens had seven. 

Payton and the Broncos had their way with the Carolina Panthers last Sunday. A week later, they were the ones being toyed with, as Jackson found fullback Patrick Ricard on a play-action pass near the goal line to make it 38-10 with 1:25 left in the third quarter. Jackson finished 16-for-19 with 280 passing yards, three touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. 

“I think if you’re an older team and you’ve been in this situation, you can flush it. I think as a younger team, with not as much experience, you have to take it like it is and learn from it, grow from it, because you don’t want to be back in this situation,” Nix said. “You kind of accept the pain and the reality that we didn’t get it done today. As a young team, you have to find ways to not let this happen again.”

(This story was updated to add a photo and a gallery.)