Top 5 plays from Denver Broncos' momentous 2024 season

Travis Wakeman

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Top 5 plays from Denver Broncos' momentous 2024 season image

Though the season ended with a tough loss, that is the case for 31 teams in the NFL each season. 

For various reasons, the 2024 season was a victory overall for the Denver Broncos. Fans should be quite excited about what next season and beyond will look like for the team. 

Looking back at the season that was in 2024, it was difficult to come up with the five best plays. Which plays were most impressive? Which plays were most impactful? It was tough to decide, but here is our top 5. 

Denver Broncos' 5 best plays from the 2024 season

Honorable Mentions

- Devaugh Vele catches TD off the tip vs. Chiefs in Week 18

- Ja'Quan McMillian's Pick six seals Monday Night Football win over Browns

No. 5: Nik Bonitto Pick six vs. Cleveland Browns

What a great season it was for Nik Bonitto, who made the Pro Bowl for being one of the best at getting to the quarterback in the NFL this season. But in the wildest game of the season against the Browns in Week 13, Bonitto's Pick 6 was one of the biggest reasons the Broncos were able to avoid Cleveland's upset bid. 

No. 4: Bo Nix, Marvin Mims send it to OT vs. Bengals

Fighting for a Wild Card spot in a Saturday game against the Bengals, the Broncos were in a dogfight that lasted a full 60 minutes... and then some.

Facing a 4th-and-1 and trailing by seven points with only 14 seconds to play, Bo Nix dialed up this incredible throw on the rollout and Marvin Mims Jr. came up with an even better catch. 

Sean Payton should have gone for the two-point conversion after the play to try and win it and if he had and the team successfully converted, this might have been No. 1 on the list. 

No. 3: Pat Surtain II burns the Raiders

If you look back at the 2024 season and try to pinpoint the moment where the Broncos began to get things going in the right direction, it started with this play. 

The Broncos were 3-2 in Week 6 and were home against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Broncos were celebrating the 1977 Super Bowl team and wearing the throwback uniforms, but the Raiders had a 10-3 lead and had the ball 1st-and-goal for the Denver 5-yard line. 

That's when Pat Surtain II, who had two interceptions in this game, did this...

It officially went down as a 100-yard interception return that tied the game 10-10. The Broncos went on to win 34-18. 

No. 2: Nik Bonitto shocks the Colts

Bonitto makes his second appearance on the list and you could easily make the argument for this to be the play of the year. 

Once again showing his versatility, Bonitto made a game-changing play in a game against the Colts that had massive playoff implications. 

Holding onto a 17-13 lead in a game in which the Broncos hadn't played that great, Bonitto foiled a trick play by the Colts and turned it into his second defensive touchdown of the season. Because it was a backward pass, it was officially ruled a fumble return for a touchdown. 

That put the Broncos up 24-13 and they went on to win 31-13. Without this victory, the Broncos don't make the playoffs this year. 

No. 1: Marvin Mims' 93-yard touchdown vs. Browns

There were definitely more impactful plays on the list than this one, but this was easily the most exciting play of the season for the Broncos. 

Hanging onto a 21-17 lead in the third quarter against the Browns and facing a key 3rd-and-11, Nix dropped back into his own end zone and threw a laser beam to Mims who caught the ball around midfield and then raced for a 93-yard touchdown. It went down as the second-longest pass completion by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. 

 

The Nix to Mims connection was terrific this season and should only get better in the future. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.