Broncos It was ugly, it was too much Jeudy, but it was a track meet win for the Broncos

Every fan base has an ideal – the image of what their team should look like.

It’s been a long time since Broncos fans saw this vision as anything more than a fever dream. It’s almost always a star quarterback when they close their eyes, whether it’s John Elway making fun of the clock with a two-minute drive or Peyton Manning playing like a frog in high school biology class Defenses dismantled.

Fans are excited about Bo Nix and see him as the future of the franchise. He’s earned her hug and refuses to bat an eyelid. But no sane person believed he was prepared to win like that. Even his coach Sean Payton had his doubts and made the conservative decision to kick a 27-yard field goal to secure a 34-32 lead over the Cleveland Browns with 2:54 left.

It felt about as safe as doing the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in December.

It’s one thing to take digs at Gardner Minshew. It’s another thing to trade blows with Jameis Winston, the NFL equivalent of Apollo Creed in “Rocky II.”

It was bold, it was ugly, it was too much Jerry Jeudy, but the Broncos remain on track for a playoff spot after bowing to the finish line with a 41-32 victory. That wasn’t a victory. It was about survival. The last team with the oxygen mask on their nose wins.

Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian finished with a pick-6 for the Browns and ran 46 yards for a score. The sellout crowd — the first in Denver on Monday night since 2018 — didn’t know whether to roar or exhale.

It was chaos. It was wonderful. And cruel. And it was about an offense that beat Jeudy’s all-time revenge game, and McMillian, who allowed fans to remember that game except for Levi Wallace turning in the worst performance by a defensive back since Tony Little in the Super Bowl.

As much as Payton would like to believe it, when he squints his eyes at his Waffle House menu-sized game sheet, he’s not coaching a track team. But the Broncos fell into the trap and had a laser show duel with the human glowstick Winston.

This was one of the last highs the Broncos and Nix made in this surprising season. They had won in every way except this. They suffocated the Buccaneers with pressure and sacks. They confused a washed-up Aaron Rodgers. They made Minshew miserable and triumphed with style points in defeating the NFC South. On Monday, they had to show they could win a drag race more suited to Bandimere Speedway than Empower Field.

Just moments after his second interception, his first multi-pick game since Pittsburgh in September, Nix and the offense had to show they could carry their fire extinguisher to put out Wallace’s jersey.

With 8:57 minutes left and one down, the boy got to work. He relied on his experience. He no longer acts or plays like a rookie, and it shows in his decisions. When the fire alarm sounds, trust is important. And there’s no one Nix believes in more than Courtland Sutton. After Jaleel Jaleel McLaughlin got the drive going – he was having a career day – Sutton delivered a 19-yard reception down the left sideline. The Broncos had traction on a night that was a slippery one for both sides defensively.

Nix found little-used tight end Lucas Krull for 12 yards, pushing the Broncos into field goal range. Another short pass to Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr., who electrified the stadium with a 93-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, and the Broncos had a decision to make.

Facing a fourth-and-1 from the 9-yard line with 2:57 left, Payton reached for the toenail clippers instead of the sledgehammer. He called a timeout and opted to send Wil Lutz out for a 27-yard field goal. It seemed strange given Payton’s personality and the overall atmosphere of the evening. But like many decisions this season, he was right. Lutz converted, and the defense, which struggled with chases and punches all evening, delivered.

Turns out it’s better to win ugly and without Jeudy. The receiver set a record for receiving yards for an opponent, logging 235 on nine receptions. With every big game he fired up the crowd. Jeudy promised to kick the Broncos’ ass and left grill marks on Wallace’s jersey. If there was any doubt about the value of Riley Moss, it was answered when Wallace allowed 137 yards on the first five possessions against him.

Luckily, the Broncos eventually benched Wallace. It proved to be a catalyst. The Browns’ last two drives ended with interceptions, a pick-6 and clinchers by linebacker Cody Barton.

Winston plays quarterback like he’s on break. He makes all the kids around him smile with his attitude, his goofy one-liners, and his passes on offense and defense. He plays with conviction and is unintentionally funny. But no one laughed when Jeudy produced a legacy game.