Broncos fans expected much more than they got last night. And they weren’t bashful about making their feelings known.
Not long after the Chiefs made the Raiders look like they should be relegated to the UFL, the Broncos struggled to outscore a team that has struggled on a weekly basis, in all phases. As a result, the boo birds were flying in the direction of the Denver offense—at times as loud as anything the woeful Dolphins heard from their home fans just one week earlier.
“I’ve been booed before, and I’ll be booed again,” quarterback Bo Nix told reporters after the 10-7 win. “Not going to be the last time. It’s obviously unfortunate. You don’t want your own fans booing you, but it’s part of it.”
It’s the right thing to say publicly. However, it’s hard not to wonder whether Nix and other Broncos players were thinking privately, “What the f—? We’re 8-2.”
In football, 11 players on the field are trying to do one thing, and the other 11 players are trying to do the exact opposite. When an offense sputters, the opposing defense deserves some credit for that. The players on offense are trying their best, but their efforts are countered by a defense that is also giving it their all.
Add to that the fact that fans are now wired to crave yards and points—thanks to the ongoing proliferation of fantasy football and prop bets—and the frustration deepens. Many fans may have a personal financial interest in seeing Nix and others hit their “overs” or score “anytime” touchdowns.
Regardless, Broncos fans expected a blowout. They wanted a game decided by halftime, one where the starters could leave the field early. They anticipated media members complaining non-stop on social media—not because the game was close and ugly from both teams, but because it would be not close and ugly from only one side.
What everyone got instead was a close game that remained undecided until Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 48-yard field goal that would have tied the score at 10 with 4:26 left to play. Even then, the Denver offense had to grind out three first downs to seal the victory—and they managed to do just that.
Those efforts, however, weren’t met with cheers. By that point, it was far too late to satisfy Broncos fans disappointed by what they had witnessed—even as their favorite team emerged as the first in the NFL to reach eight wins this season.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bo-nix-ive-been-booed-before-and-ill-be-booed-again
