Every fan base has an ideal — the image of what its team should look like. It has been a long time since Broncos fans saw this vision in anything but a fever dream. It almost always involves a star quarterback when they close their eyes, whether it is John Elway mocking the clock with a two-minute drive or Peyton Manning dissecting defenses like a frog in high school biology class. Fans have warmed to Bo Nix, seeing him as the future of the franchise. He has earned their embrace, refusing to flinch. But no sane person believed he was ready to win like this. Even his coach Sean Payton had his doubts, making a conservative decision to kick a 27-yard field goal to secure a 34-32 lead over the Cleveland Browns with 2:54 remaining. It felt about as safe as staging the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in December. Take Our Poll It is one thing to throw jabs with Gardner Minshew. It is another thing to trade punches with Jameis Winston, the NFL’s equivalent of Apollo Creed in “Rocky II.” It was greasy, it was ugly, it was too much Jerry Jeudy, but the Broncos remain on pace for a playoff berth after leaning their torso to the finish line in a 41-32 win. This was not a victory. It was survival. Last team with the oxygen mask on its nose won. Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian finished off the Browns with a pick-6, racing 46 yards for a score. The sellout crowd — the first on Monday night in Denver since 2018 — didn’t know whether to roar or exhale. It was a mess. It was glorious. And atrocious. And it was about an offense overcoming Jeudy’s all-time revenge game, and McMillian allowing fans to remember this game for something besides Levi Wallace delivering the worst performance by a defensive back since Tony Little in the Super Bowl. “We just found a way to win. At the right time, both sides of the ball made plays,” said Nix, who finished 18 of 35 for 294 yards. “We’re a confident bunch right now.” As much as Payton would like to believe it when he squints his eyes at his Waffle House-menu-sized play sheet, he is not coaching a track team. Yet, the Broncos fell into the trap of engaging in a laser show duel with the human glow stick Winston. This was one of the last high jumps for the Broncos and Nix to clear in this surprising season. They had won in every way but this. They suffocated the Buccaneers with pressure and sacks. They confused a washed Aaron Rodgers. They made Minshew miserable and triumphed with style points in brooming the NFC South. Monday, they had to show they could win a drag race more suited for Bandimere Speedway than Empower Field. Moments after throwing his second interception, his first multi-pick game since Pittsburgh in September, Nix and the offense had to answer, had to show they could carry their extinguisher to douse Wallace’s jersey. Jerry Jeudy (3) of the Cleveland Browns runs out of bounds after making a first-down reception on Pat Surtain II (2) of the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 41-32 win at Empower Field at Mile High on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) With 8:57 remaining and trailing by one, the kid went to work. He leaned on his experience. He no longer acts or plays like a rookie, and that manifests in his choices. When the fire alarms are blaring, trust matters. And there is no one Nix believes in more than Courtland Sutton. After Jaleel Jaleel McLaughlin got the drive in gear — he had a career day — Sutton delivered a 19-yard reception down the left sideline. The Broncos had traction on a night that was a Slip ‘N Slide for both sides defensively. Nix found little-used tight end Lucas Krull for 12 yards, shoving the Broncos into field goal range. Another short pass to Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr., who electrified the stadium with a 93-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, and the Broncos had a choice to make. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the 9-yard line with 2:57 remaining, Payton reached for the toenail clippers instead of the sledgehammer. He called timeout and elected to send Wil Lutz out for a 27-yard field goal. It seemed odd given Payton’s personality and the entire vibe of the night. But as with many decisions this season, he was proven right. Lutz converted, and the defense, which spent the evening chasing and flailing, delivered. It’s better to win ugly and without Jeudy, it turns out. The receiver set a record for receiving yards for an opponent, logging 235 on nine receptions. He egged on the crowd with each big play. Jeudy promised to kick the Broncos’ butts and left grill marks on Wallace’s jersey. “I loved it. They only boo you when they know there is something great in you. I heard the boos and I wanted to hear it louder,” Jeudy said. “t was high emotions. You always want to beat the team you played for, but we came up short.” If there was any doubt about Riley Moss’ value, it was answered as Wallace allowed 137 yards on the first five receptions against him. Finally, mercifully, the Broncos benched Wallace in favor of rookie Kris Abrams-Draine. It proved the catalyst. The Browns’ final two drives ended in interceptions, a pick-6 and clincher by linebacker Cody Barton. Winston plays quarterback like he’s at recess. He makes all the kids around him smile with his attitude, goofy one-liners and passes to the offense and defense. He plays with conviction and is unintentionally funny. But no one was laughing as Jeudy produced a legacy game. 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This game offered a chance to reward a long-suffering fan base with prime-time validation in front of a Monday night home crowd for the first time since 2018 (COVID cardboard South Park cutouts don’t count). It was a game to clarify who the Broncos are: aggressive, physical, disciplined, smart, cultured. Instead, this game challenged their identity. They could no longer lean on a stingy defense to provide a margin for error to give Nix a lane with guardrails. But it also clarified who the Broncos are. They are a contender. They were given every chance to fold, to wilt in the spotlight, and they refused. Good teams win in multiple ways. The Broncos remain in the mix. Because of Nix. And because of a pick-6. Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.