CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With a fourth-quarter strip-sack, Nik Bonitto helped the Broncos rewrite the record books on Sunday.
As Bonitto ripped the ball away from quarterback Bryce Young and recovered the fumble to secure a 26-21 win over the Panthers, he propelled the Broncos to their 16th consecutive one-score win.
"I just think we've been there before, so we know how to handle the situation," Bonitto said. "… At the end of the day, it was our job as a defense to just go out and finish."
The Broncos' Week 9 win over the Panthers was simply the latest in what is now the longest winning streak in regular-season one-score games in NFL history.
"I just feel like we have that mindset to win and that urgency to win consistently," cornerback Pat Surtain II said. "No matter what the game may be like in the midst of the game, we always find a way to make plays. That's all that matters."
The streak, which surpassed the 2008-09 Indianapolis Colts' reign, began on an October afternoon in Philadelphia. That one-score win over the Eagles featured a double-digit fourth-quarter comeback, as the Broncos ripped off 18 unanswered points in the final frame. There have been others like it, with Denver racing back from double-digit deficits against the New York Giants in 2025 and the Kansas City Chiefs just a week ago.
There have been back-and-forth affairs — like a Week 3 win over the Rams or last year's home win vs. Kansas City — and games where Denver built a lead and then hung on. They haven't all been created equal in either the way they unfolded or the final margin — but the last 16 have all ended in wins.
The Broncos' consistent knack for coming out ahead in the down-to-the-wire contests isn't necessarily easy to explain, but tackle Mike McGlinchey pointed back to the people within the organization.
"It's just a testament to the football character in our building," McGlinchey said. "It's something that General Manager George [Paton] and [Head Coach] Sean [Payton] talk a lot about, about bringing in the right people — people that are really, really tough, really focused. And even when the moments are at the hardest, we execute. It's a great way to be."
Inside linebacker Alex Singleton said Payton's message in those scenarios is to press on and ignore the scoreboard, and the Broncos did that again Sunday. Trailing by a point and with the Panthers nearing the end zone, the Broncos made a needed play. Then they marched 80 yards for the go-ahead score. Late in the game, Denver's defense again capitalized in a big moment.
"I think [it's] just the character of our guys, the toughness, competitiveness of our guys," quarterback Bo Nix said. "We're just comfortable in that moment … when they get close there at the end of the game. Whatever it is, we have had a couple scores and then we always want to make it one score. … Just glad we're on this side and winning 'em."
Perhaps the success stems from the Broncos' toughness and in their ability to rise to the occasion late in games. Perhaps it's from their unshakeable belief, built by the demonstrated ability of the prior converted opportunities. Perhaps it's a combination of several different factors — both explainable and not.
But as Payton said after Sunday's win, the Broncos' run of success in one-score games can't be simply distilled down to luck.
"When those things keep falling your way, then that's not by accident," Payton said.
