DENVER (AP) Sean Payton didn’t like the way the Denver Broncos started or finished their 28-14 win over the injury-ravaged Carolina Panthers. In between, he had plenty to enjoy.
Bo Nix threw three touchdown passes and ran for another, and Denver safety Bryce Young was dragged all afternoon, intercepted twice and sacked twice.
“Everybody on the field was making plays: receivers, tight ends, running backs,” Nix said. “The ball was scattered to a lot of positions, which I thought was good. When you get a lot of guys involved, it’s tough on defense.
In his best game of his rookie season, the Broncos quarterback threw for 284 yards. He found Nate Atkins 3 yards and Adam Trotman 19 yards in the second quarter as the Broncos (5-3) led 21-7 at halftime.
Broncos wide receivers lost two fumbles, however, both of which led to Carolina touchdowns, which snapped nine consecutive Panthers drives without a score.
“It wasn’t a good offense that we played. It’s true,” said Peyton, who took a 21-point lead late in the fourth quarter with a fake field-goal attempt and wide receiver pass that caught some Panthers, especially cornerback Jaycee Horne. “So, we’re looking forward to it, we’re going to see a lot of great teams.”
Like Baltimore and Kansas City in the next two weeks.
Payton said the Broncos “haven’t played our best football yet,” and he told his team that “in bigger games than this one, those few mistakes cost us.”
The Panthers (1-7), who listed 22 players on their injury report and lost two more on Sunday, lost their fifth straight.
Young was 24 of 37 for 224 yards with two TDs and two interceptions.
“I was definitely grateful, grateful for the opportunity,” Young said. “I was grateful to play, grateful to be out there with the guys. Obviously, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to. Regardless, I’m just blessed to be on the field today,” he said.
Young wasn’t the only Carolina player — the Broncos were up 28-7 after a failed punt fake from the Panthers’ 24 in the third quarter. Safety Sam Franklin Jr. was wide open, but punter Johnny Hecker airmailed the attempt on fourth-and-6.
Four plays later, the Knicks used a 9-yard TD pass down the sideline to running back Jaleel McLaughlin.
Patrick Surtain II, who allowed Carolina’s first-drive touchdown, intercepted Young at the Denver 11 on the Panthers’ next drive.
Courtland Sutton, who swapped jerseys with former teammate Josey Jewell after the game, caught eight of the Knicks’ passes for 100 yards. It was his first 100-yard game since Week 2 of the 2022 season against Houston.
However, he coughed up the ball on his final reception at the 1 just before the two-minute warning when Shy Tuttle recovered his second fumble of the game when Trevin Wallace punched it out.
Young was impressive in two minutes of practice, driving Carolina 98 yards in 10 plays and throwing a 15-yard touchdown to Jalen Coker with 18 seconds left.
“I’m proud of the guys for the way we finished the fight,” Carolina coach Dave Canales said. “The guys continued to play hard, all the way.”
Young, who was benched after Week 2, returned to being the Panthers’ starting QB when Andy Dalton sprained his right thumb in a car accident on Tuesday. Dalton didn’t practice all week because he couldn’t catch the football properly, so rookie Jack Plummer served as Young’s backup on Sunday.
Canales isn’t ready to name his starting QB for next week.
He said we will take care of all the information. “We’ll see how Andy’s doing in the next couple of days, I’ll make that decision and I’ll get back to you in the next couple of days.”
Things started well for Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
After Tuttle recovered a fumble by Lil Jordan Humphrey at midfield on the game’s opening drive, Young gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead on a 6-yard touchdown catch by rookie Xavier Leggett.
Not only was it Young’s first touchdown throw of the season, but it was also the first kickoff TD of his career.
The Panthers managed just one first down the rest of the half, however, as the Broncos began to dominate in all phases.
“I didn’t like how it ended,” Payton said. “But it’s good to win.”
The TDs for Akins and Trautman were the first by Broncos tight ends this season, and are celebrated on what the NFL calls “National Tight Ends Day.”
“It’s really kind of crazy how it happened, especially on this day,” Trotman said.
“I was talking to my brother last night and he said he had a dream that I was going to get a touchdown,” Atkins said.
Panthers: Young, who fell to 2-17 in his career and 0-3 this season, was without starting wide receivers Deonte Johnson (rib) and Adam Thielen (hamstring). … TE Feleipe Franks suffered a concussion in punt coverage and OLB DJ Johnson sprained his right ankle.
Panthers: Host the New Orleans Saints next Sunday.
Broncos: Visit the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.
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