The Denver Broncos beat the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14 and have swept them for the second year in a row after struggling to beat them in previous seasons. The Broncos are now 11-2 on the season and back in first place in the AFC.
They are tied with the New England Patriots at 11-2 but did earn a crucial tiebreaker over New England with this win. The Broncos now feel very likely to earn the top seed in the AFC, and this team has not lost since September.
As we have done, let's get into our winners and losers from the latest win.
Winners and losers from the Broncos' Week 14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders
Winner: Bo Nix, QB
Bo Nix didn't throw for a ton of yards, but he was 31/38 for 212 yards and was just in total command. He helped lead three separate scoring drives of at least 14 plays, which is simply something you do not see in today's NFL. The final score does not do the dominance justice. Bo Nix was excellent in Week 14.
Winner: Marvin Mims Jr, WR
Marvin Mims Jr had his first career punt return for a touchdown. The Raiders were pinned back deep into their own territory, so it was not a super long return, but Mims looked like he was set to make just about nothing of the return before hitting the left sideline and not looking back.
Mims is the most explosive player on the team and someone who needs to touch the ball more on offense. It was great to see the explosive third-year player getting back into the mix here in Week 14.
Loser: New England Patriots
The New England Patriots lost to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, so the Denver Broncos did officially clinch a common-opponent tiebreaker over the Patriots, which could come in handy for the no. 1 overall seed in the AFC.
The first seed in the AFC obviously gets a first-round bye and homefield advantage. With the NFL moving to a seven-team playoff format, only the first seed gets the by and homefield advantage throughout the postseason.
The Patriots were rooting for the Raiders in Week 14. Oh well!
Winner: RJ Harvey, RB
RJ Harvey had nearly 100 offensive yards and was a weapon out of the backfield. The Broncos' run game finally got going a bit against a defense that isn't quite as bad as you might think. The run game simply has to keep up what we saw in Week 14 for the rest of the season if Denver hopes to make a deep playoff run. RJ Harvey ran hard and actually ran well between the tackles.
Winner: Nik Bonitto, EDGE
Nik Bonitto had two sacks in Week 14, bringing his total to the season at 12.5. He's once again proving why the Broncos paid him the big bucks, and he's on pace to finish with 16 this year, which would rank near the top of the NFL. It felt like Denver's pass rush took some time to get going, but they found their groove and had a good day overall.