Loss Vegas no more: Broncos show how tough they are

LAS VEGAS — The Denver Broncos didn’t have to gamble when they returned this desert metropolis built on the willingly-surrendered cash of unlocky losers.

They didn’t need that because for the first time in five trips to Allegiant Stadium, they were the ones with the clearly superior hand.

All they had to do was not flinch when the Raiders attacked with every gambit they could find, up to and including a second-quarter fake-punt pass from AJ Cole to Divine Deablo that worked flawlessly.

It was all enough to put the Raiders in front at halftime. And then, when the Broncos held firm and pushed back, grinding Las Vegas down in outscoring the Silver and Black 20-6 after halftime, it wasn’t.

Finally, with a 29-19 win in the shadow of the casinos, it was no longer Loss Vegas for the Broncos.

“Very resilient from our guys,” said quarterback Bo Nix, who overcame a 2-for-6 start to eventually spread the ball around effectively. “But just never lost that edge. We never lost the faith on the sideline. Always kind of figured we were going to find a way to win. That’s what marks a good team.”

Indeed, these Broncos are objectively a good team.

Not yet a great one, and some of the reasons manifested themselves in keeping the Orange and Blue from pulling away — an early struggle to stop Las Vegas on the ground in the wake of Zach Allen’s injury, some protection breakdowns that left Nix in improv mode against a furious and effective Raiders rush and a slew of early penalties that kept Denver from establishing forward momentum until the game’s middle third.

But good? Yes.

Their 7-5 record and position in a playoff spot — the No. 7 AFC seed — with five games remaining in the regular season is objective evidence of that. So too is their 7-3 record in their last 10 games, which is a blocked field-goal attempt away from being 8-2. And they’re 14-9 since starting Sean Payton’s stewardship of the club with a 1-5 opening last year.

Winning a game in which they weren’t at their best — with some of the wounds self-inflicted, including a three-and-out in the four-minute offense that saw three clock-stopping incompletions that preserved Las Vegas’ chances of mounting a game-winning drive — is another step forward in that process.

“No game is going to be perfect at the end of the day,” cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “But we always try to strive to reach, better and better each and every week.

“Obviously they made some plays throughout the game, but the thing I can say I’m proud of is our fight. Just kept on fighting. And obviously the plays came when needed.”

Key third-down conversions. Brandon Jones capitalizing off the gift that Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II seems to provide in every start, hauling in the overthrow that set up the 18-yard Nix touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton that put Denver in front to stay.

And then, when the offense had a game-management-and-execution gaffe, Nik Bonitto cleaned up the mess with a strip-sack of Raiders reserve quarterback Desmond Ridder, effectively finishing off the chance of a viable Raiders comeback.

“We needed those plays for sure,” Surtain said.

The Broncos needed them because the Raiders surged in front early by pushing the ball downfield — even on special teams, with the aforementioned fake punt.

“We knew they were playing with house money, so they gave us the fakes,” inside linebacker Justin Strnad said.

And the Broncos withstood all of it.

They didn’t turn over the football, forcing two Las Vegas giveaways. They rode Jaleel McLaughlin’s hot hand; he ended up leading the Broncos in rushing on Sunday as the relay exchange at running back continues apace.

But those are the micro moments of one game.

The macro reveals something larger about this Broncos team being truly different.

“Yeah, I feel like we’re just changing the culture and just being able to finish out and close out tough games,” edge rusher Jonathon Cooper said.

“We’ve been struggling with that since I’ve been here, too. Closing out the wins in close games. So, the fact that we’re getting it done this year really feels good.”

And unusual for players who’ve only known losing seasons as pros. Like a sudden hot streak after several losing hands, this is a moment to be appreciated.

“I just think that we got a great thing going on. You can feel it,” Surtain said. “You can feel the energy, the vibe around the locker room and the camaraderie just going to keep on building. So, you know, this team is special and I’m looking forward to our future success for sure.”

Those future wins will be built on what the team accomplishes in the present, when its tenacity and resilience are enough to turn what previous Broncos editions would have nervously frittered away into a win that keeps their hopes and dreams intact.

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