ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Nik Bonitto waited for the right moment.

Throughout Sunday's 26-21 win over the Panthers, the Broncos' Pro Bowl edge rusher challenged Panthers left tackle Rasheed Walker with a series of power rushes.

"The ball was getting out quick for the most part all day, so I'm setting up power, setting up power," Bonitto said Sunday. "[I] hit him with a few inside moves."

Bonitto's plan of attack was the opposite of what Walker expected, and Walker had to adjust to Bonitto's rush plan.

"Bonitto is known to be a speed edge rusher, bend-the-edge type of guy," Walker told reporters. "But I noticed the whole game, he was bull-rushing me, which he doesn't really do a lot. I was sitting down on the bull."

It was all a set up.

With the Panthers trailing by just five points and at the Denver 36-yard line with 1:24 to play, Bonitto picked the perfect moment to go back to his wheelhouse.

"I know this could be one of my last rushes, so I'm just trying to make a play for the team," Bonitto said. "I set up a little jab inside, because I hit him with a few counters, and then went back out and got him a little bit. And I was able to make the play."

Bonitto attacked Walker's outside shoulder and got to the edge, racing toward Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. While Walker was able to get his hands on Bonitto, he couldn't stop the Denver defender from reaching out and hitting Young's arm to jar the ball free.

"If you ask me right now, I would say, the move he did, he was setting that move up the whole game," Walker said. "… I feel like he faked power and as soon as I started sitting down, he went edge. He did his move and made a play. When you're going against the best, you never know what you're going to get. Shoutout to him, he's a great player and it was a good [rush] by him."

The play was reviewed, but Bonitto said he was not worried about it being overturned.

"Nah, nah," Bonitto said. "I knew that ball was out."

Head Coach Sean Payton said the game-sealing takeaway was "a huge play," and Denver needed it to secure a 16th consecutive win in one-score games.

"'Nitto, that's what he does, man," cornerback Pat Surtain II said. "He comes through. That's what he does on a consistent basis."

Added inside linebacker Alex Singleton: "A lot of different guys [are] playing. Your best players [have] got to step up. He was able to do that right there, and that's what you expect out of a guy like him: to make a play like that."

Bonitto, who believed he was also held on the play, said his focus was singular as he drove toward Young.

"Just relentless rush, at the end of the day," Bonitto said. "Just trying to help the team win, trying to make a play for the team."

BRYANT LEADS BRONCOS RECEIVERS IN RETURN

Wide receiver Pat Bryant appeared in his first game since returning from his Week 4 ankle injury, and he led all Broncos receivers with 56 receiving yards. The season-high total for Bryant was buoyed by a 26-yard fourth-quarter touchdown that put Denver up by two scores.

"Man, strong hands in traffic, right?" Payton said. "Football IQ, run after the catch. All the stuff you guys saw, and he was on point during the week."

Bryant's four catches were also tied for his highest output of the season, and he now has a pair of touchdowns on the season. Despite playing in just five games, Bryant has already posted more touchdowns than in his rookie year. His yards per game, yards per target, and yards per reception are all up, and 10 of his 13 catches have resulted in first downs. He is already halfway to his yardage total from a season ago.

DENVER POSTS SEASON-BEST THIRD-DOWN NUMBERS

The aforementioned touchdown pass from quarterback Bo Nix to Bryant came on third-and-5, and it was just one example of Denver making key plays on the crucial down.

The Broncos converted a third down earlier in that drive and also converted a pair of third downs on their opening touchdown drive.

Denver also converted its final third down — a third-and-1 near midfield — that allowed the team to kneel out the clock.

The Broncos' 60 percent third-down conversion rate was the team's best mark since converting them at a 61 percent clip in Kansas City in Week 17 of 2025.

Denver, though, was perhaps equally as impressive at avoiding third-down scenarios. The Broncos faced just 10 third downs, which was the lowest number since they scored 44 points and attempted just eight third-down plays against the Cowboys in Week 8 of 2025.

Payton pointed to the Broncos' second-down success as a key element of the third-down success, noting that the "CFL numbers were good" for Denver. In the Canadian Football League, teams have just three downs to gain the next first down, which increases the importance of second-down performance.

Denver picked up 10 first downs on second-down plays, as the Broncos recorded the most total first downs (27) since last year's win in Las Vegas.

"They weren't as exotic [defensively], so we were able to get our calls in and get exactly where we want [to go] with the football and our guys made plays," Nix said. "I believe we had a couple pass interferences that helped. I also think that as the game went, we weren't in third-and-longs. We were in manageable situations on those third downs. I felt like we did a lot better job on first and second down this game."