Denver Broncos Bits: Nik Bonitto as Von Miller, Sean Payton’s Bad Call

The Denver Broncos 26-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers was an unnecessary nail-biter in the closing minutes, but it was a win nonetheless.

It became a bit worrisome following Bo Nix's pitch to Jonah Coleman that was fumbled; a play that shouldn't have been called in the first place.

But that bumble did set up Nik Bonitto's game-sealing sack and his best Von Miller impression.

These "Broncos bits" are some key moments that can't be lost in the shuffle as we move forward.

Payton’s Bad Play-Call

What the hell was that play-call, man?

To set the stage: It’s 2nd-and-8 with 2:53 left on the clock, Denver leads by five and has the ball on their own 26 yard line. The Broncos need to get a few first downs and walk out of Carolina with the win.

That’s when Sean Payton decides to make the worst play-call of the day.

He has everyone go right, Jonah Coleman go left and Bo Nix pitch him the ball.

Nix’s pitch was too high and Coleman still needed to catch it but fumbled the ball. It was a stroke of luck that Coleman was able to jump on the pigskin. Otherwise the Panthers could’ve won the game. And at a minimum would've likely taken the lead in the waning moments.

Some said it wasn’t a bad play-call just bad execution. I disagreed at the time; it was a dumb call, an unnecessary risk and on a play where the ball should’ve gone downfield not backwards.

Payton agreed after the game.

“We'll look at it. Bad call by me,” Payton said. “There's a play I liked, where you run a flip play in the four-minute, and I would have called something different.”

When they ran the replay, it was clear that even if Coleman catches the ball, it didn't fool anyone. Carolina's EDGE defender was there to stop him for a loss or no gain.

I get the desire to pull off some tricky stuff, but deep in your own end with the game on the line is not the time for it.

Nik Bonitto Looks Like Von Miller

The Bonitto/Miller comparisons have been there for years.

When Bonitto had two pick-6s in the same season in 2024, he was the first outside linebacker to do so since Von Miller. That's when I wrote about him being (basically) the second coming of Miller.

Now, a year-and-a-half later, I may have jumped the gun. There's still no one as dominant as Miller was.

But Bonitto has been slowed due to Jonathon Cooper's suspension, which led to Bonitto being double-teamed more for most of of this season.

He came into Sunday with only 3.5 sacks. That's way off his pace from last year where he had a career-high 14.5.

But when the Broncos needed it most, there Bonitto was.

The fumble subsequent punt on the previous drive gave Carolina the ball with plenty of time to still win the game.

After a 20-yard pass moved the Panthers into Denver territory on the first play of their drive, Bryce Young dropped back and Bonitto dipped and came crashing around the edge, getting to the young quarterback's arm as he went to throw, causing the fumble.

I loved how Bonitto even jumped on the ball to secure it.

Here's Miller in 2016, a little over 10 years ago:

It was pure poetry to have the game end on that play this Sunday, against Carolina and everything.

A Shoutout to Devon Key

Devon Key, way to make the Key Play™️.

With the Broncos missing starting safeties Talonoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, backup Devon Key stepped up and got the start.

He made the game-changing play with his heads up catch of the careening football in the end zone.

Carolina had the ball 1st-and-goal from the 1 yard line and decided to pass it anyway. Justin Strnad made a great play, broke up the pass, and it bounced off intended receiver Tommy Tremble and into the air where Key was standing ready to cradle it.

It's one of the most ridiculous and amazing plays you'll ever see. And it's exactly why many of us tune in to watch the NFL every week.

If the Panthers score on that drive, they would've gone up 21-13 with 1:30 left in the third quarter. It would have been Carolina's second TD of the quarter while Denver had the ball only once and had to punt.

Key's play was the key of the game, a true turning point.

To wit, the win probability favored Denver for the entire game up until that drive. And on the play before the interception, Carolina actually had a 69.3% chance to win.

Key's interception flipped the script: Denver was now favored 55.9%-44.1% after the pick.

A touchdown for Carolina likely would have pushed them into the 80-plus percent territory.

"I felt confident in it [being a pick]," Key said after the game. "I just turned around, 'Let me get my hands on it.' And then uh, I was messing with [Darren] Waller telling him 'You know I caught that right?'"

Each one of these three plays were key moments in the Broncos victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Quick Stats

With the win, Denver won their fifth-straight game and improved to 7-2. It's the second straight year they started the season at 7-2 and the Broncos are the only team to start with that record these last two seasons.

It was also Denver's 16th straight win in a one-score game, a new NFL record.

The Broncos had 27 first downs in the game, which was the most since beating Cincinnati last year.

Now the Broncos, who lead the AFC West, have their bye to rest before hosting the Raiders in two weeks and facing the Steelers on Black Friday after that.

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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.