Denver quarterback Bo Nix threw touchdown passes on three of the Broncos’ first four possessions. But by the end of Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, kicker Spencer Shrader’s second chance at a game-winning field goal lifted the Colts to a 29-28 victory.
“We gave ourselves every chance to win the game,” Nix said, “and then at the end, we just shot ourselves in the foot. Good teams bounce back from that, and great teams don’t do that. They don’t beat themselves. So we’re growing and developing. We’re still molding as a team. We got a long season ahead of us, and we can’t let this loss turn into two.”
Nix threw TD passes of 23 yards to wide receiver Marvin Mims as Denver took a 7-3 lead with 8:24 left in the first quarter, 3 yards to wide receiver Troy Franklin as the Broncos went ahead 14-13 with 10:42 left in the first half and 2 yards to tight end Adam Trautman as Denver increased its lead to 21-13 with 3:03 remaining in the first half.
On the Broncos’ first four possessions, the former Pinson Valley High School star completed 12-of-15 passes for 115 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. In the remainder of the game, Nix completed 10-of-15 passes for 91 yards with no touchdowns and one interception as the Broncos got one touchdown on five more possessions.
Denver’s final two possessions ended with an interception at the Indianapolis 9-yard line on a pass tipped crossing the line of scrimmage and a 42-yard field-goal attempt that doinked off the right upright.
“I felt like it slipped away from us, got away,” Nix said. “We made errors at the end that cost us, and it started with my turnover. And felt like that’s when we kind of lost a little bit of our momentum, lost a chance at at least three points there when you’re already in the red zone -- if not a touchdown -- if I just hit that pass.
“But other than that, we played well for three quarters. But got to finish in the fourth against a good team like that.”
The Colts got a field goal to end three of their four second-half possessions, including a 45-yarder on the game’s final snap, to win. Shrader’s game-deciding field goal came after he had missed a 60-yard attempt. But Denver outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman got a leverage penalty on the miss, moving Shrader 15 yards closer for a second chance.
“You go from feeling like you just escaped after those last few errors,” Nix said, “and then -- you know, I always hate putting the game in the officials’ hands. Big call there at the end.”
For the game, Nix completed 22-of-30 passes for 206 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and ran three times for 20 yards.
Nix was among the 15 former Auburn players who got on the field on the second Sunday of the NFL’s 106th season.
Two other former Auburn players were involved in the Denver-Indianapolis game:
Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.
Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham dressed for the game but did not play.
In the other Sunday games:
Baltimore Ravens 41, Cleveland Browns 17
Browns tight end Sal Cannella is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cincinnati Bengals 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 27
Jaguars linebacker Jalen McLeod is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Dallas Cowboys 40, New York Giants 37 (OT)
Cowboys tight end Rivaldo Fairweather is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Darius Slayton started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton had two receptions for 61 yards. Slayton had the longest play of the game – a 52-yard reception.
Detroit Lions 52, Chicago Bears 21
Lions safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) made one tackle on special teams.
New England Patriots 33, Miami Dolphins 27
Dolphins linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) made one tackle on special teams.
Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Patriots. Davis made four tackles.
San Francisco 49ers 26, New Orleans Saints 21
Saints linebacker Eku Leota is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Forty-Niners offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Buffalo Bills 30, New York Jets 10
Jets defensive tackle Byron Cowart is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Jamien Sherwood started at linebacker for the Jets. Sherwood led New York with 13 tackles and recorded two tackles for loss.
Seattle Seahawks 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall made one tackle and registered two quarterback hits.
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson) did not record any stats.
Los Angeles Rams 33, Tennessee Titans 19
Rams running back Jarquez Hunter did not record any stats in his NFL debut. Hunter was a fourth-round choice in the NFL Draft on April 26 and did not play in last week’s season-opening game..
Titans linebacker Dorian Mausi made one tackle on special teams.
Roger McCreary (Williamson) started at cornerback for the Titans. McCreary made seven tackles and broke up one pass.
Arizona Cardinals 27, Carolina Panthers 22
Derrick Brown started at defensive end for the Panthers. Brown made three tackles, registered one quarterback hit and batted down two passes.
Cardinals linebacker Owen Pappoe made one tackle on special teams.
Philadelphia Eagles 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17
Eagles running back Tank Bigsby did not record any stats in his first game with Philadelphia. Bigsby joined the Eagles in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.
Atlanta Falcons 22, Minnesota Vikings 6
Vikings linebacker Austin Keys was designated as a game-day inactive.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OURNFL PAGE
Week 2 started on Thursday night, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Washington Commanders 27-18.
Week 2 concludes on Monday, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans square off at 6 p.m. CDT at NRG Stadium in Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders meet at 9 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. ABC and ESPN will televise the first game, and ESPN will televise the second game.
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