I have cheered for wins I did not enjoy before, mostly at my nephew’s flag football games, but nothing like Thursday night. The Broncos beat the defending champion Seahawks 17-14 in overtime, and the Broncos Seahawks memes read like a support group for people who won and still feel weird about it.

Here is the short version. Denver’s offense went quiet after the second quarter, Bo Nix finished 17 of 27 for 107 yards, and the defense harassed Sam Darnold all night until his second late interception set up the win. Wil Lutz drilled a 53-yarder in overtime, and the New York Post has the full story of Sam Darnold’s second interception and the overtime finish.


A Win Is a Win, Even an Ugly One
The biggest branch was Broncos fans holding their noses and celebrating anyway, which is a skill every fan base learns eventually. One person treated ugly as a compliment. Another posted the stat line, 2.9 yards per play and 3 of 14 on third down, and summed it up in one word: gross.


The Defense Deserves the Offense’s Paychecks
If you watched, you know who actually won this game. Denver’s defense sacked Darnold five times and hit him constantly, and the people who cover the team noticed. The paycheck line from a Broncos beat writer is the best line of the night, because it is barely a joke.



Ryan Fitzpatrick Did Not Enjoy It Either
Then the postgame show happened. Ryan Fitzpatrick, on the Prime Video desk, called Nix’s night disrespectful to the quarterback position and said a lot of former players watched it and thought, “That right there is garbage.” NBC Sports has the full quote in Ryan Fitzpatrick’s critique of Bo Nix, and the original clip is linked under the screenshot below.

The Nix memes went a little meaner from there. The useless coworker clip is cruel, and I laughed anyway, because I have been that guy holding the fence post while everyone else builds the fence. Seven second-half possessions, six punts and a kneel down is not a stat line, it is a confession.


Broncos Seahawks Memes Keep Landing on 4-2
The last branch is pure confusion. Denver is somehow 4-2, nobody can explain it, and one fan pointed out the team is now undefeated in its throwback uniforms since bringing them back. At this point the orange jerseys are the most reliable player on the roster.


Lutz got the last word with a shush after the kick, and Seattle fans got a parody account calling for a wambulance. Fair enough. Losing to that offense would make me cry too.


My prediction is that Denver keeps winning like this until it stops working, and then everyone will act shocked. Until then, the defense should start charging the offense rent.
I will admit I spent Sunday nights all season hoping football would make sense, and it never once did. Case Keenum Beat the Eagles and Football Fans Still Can’t Process It proves it, After Further Review, Week 4 NFL Memes Confirm Nobody Had a Normal Sunday backs it up, and Football Memes Are the Only Coverage That Accurately Reports on How Fans Actually Feel says the quiet part out loud.