The phrase I kept hearing heading into this game was the dreaded “trap game.” This plucky Carolina Panthers team was supposed to catch the Denver Broncos napping as they look forward to their bye week after a grueling game with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rest assured, Broncos Country, that this Broncos team does not overlook anyone. The Panthers fired their former defensive coordinator, Ejiro Evero, leading up to this game. They added some tweaks to their defense. They have a seriously talented quarterback in Bryce Young.
All to no avail. The Broncos adjusted. They adapted. They overcame all obstacles. It is just who they are and what they do.
This was a hell of a win for the Broncos. Losing both Jaylen Waddle and Riley Moss was rough. While the offense did a good job of staying on track, the defense was honestly shook with the loss of Moss. It completely changed how the defense played, which led to the defense needing to rely on turning the ball over more than playing consistent, effective defense like we are used to.
Offense
Week after week, this offense continues to evolve in a positive direction. The passing game looked arguably the best it has all season (granted it was against a very dinged-up secondary).
The run game had significant trouble being a focal point against the Panthers’ tenacious front. They made do and made plays in fits and spurts on the ground while mainly leaning on Nix’s arm to do the bulk of the offensive work.
The playcalling this week was honestly some of the best I’ve seen all season. I personally would like to see a more balanced approach, but that wasn’t going to work this week against this opponent.
It was refreshing to see a matchup like this where there’s an obvious weakness in the defensive secondary that the Broncos fully took advantage of. Sean Payton started the game wanting Nix to attack the secondary, and that never changed until it was time to turtle up and run the clock.
Quarterbacks
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers with Bo Nix #10 during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium on November 08, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Bo Nix sure did respect the position of quarterback in this game (AMARITE, Ditzpatrick!?). He went downfield early and often in this game with air yard numbers that would make Patrick Mahomes cry (still waiting for the talking heads to start wondering if Mahomes is washed with how short his throws are lately).
He did throw another boneheaded pass where he decided the route he was throwing immediately and was completely oblivious to the underneath defender that earned him an interception. Outside of that, I thought he played a superb game.
What I liked most about Nix in this game was how often he was looking off defenders to set up his passes. What’s cool about this is that it not only manipulates the defenders, but shows how much he’s getting in sync with the receivers and knows where their routes are. He was impressively quick on the trigger a couple of times during these look-offs.
Line
The biggest thing causing this offense to look clunky is the line. Ben Powers was practically a turnstile on more than a few plays. Luke Wattenburg had a couple of head-scratchers. Mike McGlinchey just got beat multiple times (he got spun backwards on one play I saw that had me seeing visions of Ty Sambrailo).
The front for the Panthers won the day from what I saw throughout the game. It honestly had me wondering if they changed up how they were playing vs. what Evero had them doing previously. I’d be curious to know what Panthers fans who know the game would have to say on this…hit us up in the comments. Is your front just that good, or did they change things up?
Running Backs
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Jonah Coleman #20 of the Denver Broncos scores a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium on November 08, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Jonah Coleman rightly took over the starting duties this game and emerged as the #1 RB on the team. With the line having so many troubles, he wasn’t producing what we would like to see. He was able to cook with what he was given, though. He showed impressive burst and speed on his touchdown run around the edge. He was also very effective as a receiver out of the backfield with 4 catches for 31 yards. The fumble late in the game was very tough to see. I feel like he and Nix will both need to work their pitches during the bye week to shore that up.
JK Dobbins made an excellent cutback and jump step to gain 11 on his first run. He only got 4 carries on the day total, with his other 3 gaining only 7 yards.
Receivers
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Pat Bryant #13 of the Denver Broncos is tackled by Chau Smith-Wade #26 of the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium on November 08, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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Welcome back, Pat Bryant! Our young rock star of a receiver got a 12-yard gain on his second catch off a crossing route. He caught an 11-yard pass to move the chains in the 3rd quarter. Bryant benefitted from blown coverage for the easiest touchdown he will ever catch late in the 4th quarter for 26 yards.
On one hand, Courtland Sutton led the team in targets and was a big focus for the offense. On the other hand, they missed 4 of his targets. He is cash money close to the goal line, though, with a quick slant to put 6 on the board. I like seeing him get the timing throws from Nix that allow him to use his frame to protect the catch.
Evan Engram had a pretty active game this week as well. He took a screen for 19 yards right behind a blitz. He ended the day with 4 catches for 33 yards.
Troy Franklin got involved late with a couple of really nice routes for 1st-down completions, with one of them inside the red zone. He caught another 13-yard pass on a curl. It was good to see Franklin step up and make plays with Waddle out. Franklin isn’t Waddle, but he produced this week when his number was called.
Defense
The defense had some pretty significant struggles off and on throughout this game. As the 4th quarter rolled around, it appeared to me that Bryce Young was going to be able to have success passing all the way down to the wire.
The only way this team was going to be able to win was with some big-time turnovers. Vance Joseph put his players in position to make it work, and they provided the kind of soul-wrenching turnovers that make a fan base want to cry about refs, complain about takebacks, and call your team a bunch of big meanies.
This was a gutsy victory for the Broncos defense. They were already out Kris Abrams-Draine, Talanoa Hufanga, and Brandon Jones to start the game. They lost Riley Moss early and seemed to me to switch mainly to zone calls that kept the defense in front of them which just isn’t what this defense is used to doing. It got the job done even though it wasn’t pretty.
Many watching the game were complaining about the soft zone calls, but I don’t know that you’d like it if we just put in our normal match zone with the group of depth players we had on the field.
Look, the players and coaches talk really big about “Next man up.” They talk about how they expect the backups to come in and have no drop-off. That’s absolute horse shit, honestly. I’m sorry, but Jahdae Barron is no Riley Moss. Taylor Rapp is no Huff. JL Skinner is no Jones. Devon Key isn’t either. These guys are lower down on the depth chart for a reason. Expecting them to be able to press man or match zone in one-on-ones across the board would have been disastrous. The one ace card the Panthers have is a superb young quarterback who knows how to drop dimes. All it takes is one bad half-step by a backup corner or safety, and it would have been 50+ yard touchdowns multiple times.
Don’t get me wrong, I hate soft zone looks where your guys are starting 8 yards off their guys and give up pass after pass, just like all of you. The game of NFL football is not so simple that you can just wave a wand and turn a 4th string player into a solid press-man defender.
Feel free to disagree, but my hat is off to Vance Joseph. Great defensive coordinators take a game like this and find a way to get the job done. The players made the plays to get the win. Joseph called the game in a way that put them in a position to make those plays.
Front 7
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Nik Bonitto #15 of the Denver Broncos blocks pass by Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium on November 08, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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Nik Bonitto spent most of the game drawing a lot of attention. Heading late into the 4th quarter, he was only able to chip in a couple of tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. But big players make big plays in big moments. Bonitto absolutely won this game for the Broncos. Young was about to tear this defense a new butthole (he had just done so on the previous drive). All it takes is one big play, though, to seal the deal, and Bonitto is no stranger to being That Guy™.
Jonathon Cooper’s presence up front is definitely being felt. He got a half sack in the game, but definitely was collapsing the pocket well from his side fairly constantly. He’s always been a tough assignment for any tackle as he brings a ton of power to his bull rush and rarely gets stood up. The stat sheet doesn’t always tell the whole story, and I’m just saying I noticed him doing work this game that won’t show up with numbers.
The calendar month changed, and with it, Alex Singleton turned back into a pumpkin. He got another 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for a late hit. He also did a crap job of tackling in the open field, letting a runner get by and move the chains. He bit on a little juke by Young and gave up a big pass when he could have sacked him. He was stacking 10+ tackle games for weeks (kinda normal for him) and had but 6 this game while the team was led in tackles by a corner.
Justin Strnad made a nice open-field tackle in the flat. He had a nice tackle for loss in the game and pass defense.
Secondary
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Devon Key #26 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after defeating the Carolina Panthers 26-21 at Bank of America Stadium on November 08, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Devon Key’s interception gets him in this review because it was such a momentum-swinging play. His reaction time was very impressive, reaching to snatch the ball before it hit the turf. It ended up being a 13-point swing for the Broncos and easily the key play of the game.
Ja’Quan McMillian made an excellent open-field tackle to get the defense off the field on 3rd down early. He got beat on a corner route in the end zone to give up an easy touchdown. He also got a defensive holding penalty trying to block the tight end who was going out on a passing route. Even so, he was a big player for the Broncos in this game with a big sack late in the 4th quarter when Young couldn’t find anyone open fast enough. McMillian also had 2 tackles for loss in the game and a quarterback hit. He’s an excellent blitzer, and Vance set him loose a few times in this game to great effect.
Riley Moss dropped another heartbreaker interception that he played perfectly. When he’s done shaking off his really scary concussion (he went full boxer posture).
Jahdae Barron had to step in for Moss and immediately got targeted. He made his tackle in the open field with no problem. He gave up a perfectly thrown ball to the sideline and was a full step behind. He also gave up a PI in the end zone, making contact way too early with two arms hugging the tight end. He lined up in off-coverage on 4th and 1 (which is a big mistake either on him or the alignment called for the play) and gave up an easy conversion. I wasn’t really impressed with Barron’s play in this game. I’m not sure if he’s cut out to stay at corner in the NFL or if he’s better off transitioning to safety.
Patrick Surtain had an uncharacteristically rough game. He gave up a 3rd and 17 with uncharacteristic flat-footed, slow-reaction coverage. He also got beat for an easy touchdown late in the 4th quarter.
JL Skinner gave up a deep crosser to start the 2nd half. He also gave up a deep post for a touchdown at the end of the drive.
Special Teams
DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 01: Jeremy Crawshaw #16 and Wil Lutz #3 of the Denver Broncos celebrate after Lutz’s field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter of a game at Empower Field At Mile High on November 01, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Jeremy Crawshaw put together another impressive punting game with a net average of 45 yards per punt, with one of his 3 downed inside the 20. Hopefully he enjoys flowing beer and his share of chundering this bye week if he’s into that sort of thing.
Nate Adkins straight-up leveled some fool on a return late in the game, and I think the returner’s children are going to feel that hit.
Final Thoughts
At this point, I honestly feel like any opponent we face is going to be at an automatic disadvantage in any game that they aren’t winning by 3 scores headed into the 4th quarter. The Broncos’ aura has grown to blinding proportions when it comes to one-score games.
They were supposed to regress to the mean. They were supposed to take a big step back this year facing a 1st-place schedule.
Sean Payton’s Broncos do not give two hoots about what people say they are “supposed” to do. Give them a 1st-place schedule with a 6-game gauntlet from hell to start the season and 9 games before they get a bye week.
They will see you at the break at 7-2, sitting pretty while the talking heads are still wondering how they win anything with a noodle-armed quarterback who only checks down and is plainly just terrible at everything (this is called “sarcasm”, ladies and gentlemen).
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