In a win-and-in game in Denver’s regular-season finale on Sunday, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix:

• Had the second game of his career with four touchdown passes to break the NFL record for TD passes thrown at home by a rookie by reaching 19 – two more than any other first-year player has had.
• Completed 18 passes in a row to set an NFL rookie record for the most consecutive completions from the start of a game (in records that date to 1978).
• Finished 26-of-29 to set a Denver single-game record for completion rate at 89.7 percent (for players with at least 20 passes) and an NFL rookie single-game record (for players with at least 25 passes).
• Became the first rookie in NFL history with a single-game passing-efficiency rating as high as 152.4 (for players with at least 20 passes).
• Passed for 321 yards and ran for 47 yards to push his season totals to 3,775 passing yards and 430 rushing yards. Nix joined Cam Newton and Kyler Murray as the only rookie QBs with at least 3,700 passing yards and 400 rushing yards. Newton had 21 touchdown passes as a rookie in 2011, and Murray had 20 touchdown passes as a rookie in 2019. Nix has 29 TD passes, the second-most for a rookie in NFL history.

Or, as Broncos coach Sean Payton described it, “Quarterback really got on a heater.”

There’s a caveat, though, to Nix’s numbers in Denver’s 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City came into the game locked into the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and held out as many of its top players as it could on Sunday.

Still, the Broncos needed a victory to go to the postseason for the first time since the 2015 campaign – and they got it with a flourish.

“It’s fun to do stuff like that,” Nix said. “It’s fun to clinch a playoff spot in the last game of the year against a divisional team. It’s just kind of a great story. But now playoff time starts, and our goal wasn’t just to make the playoffs, even though it hadn’t been done for a while. We’re excited for the opportunity. We know it’s going to be tough.”

With a 10-7 record, Denver got the final wild-card spot in the AFC playoff field. As the No. 7 seed, the Broncos will play the No. 2 Buffalo Bills in a first-round game at noon CST Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. CBS will televise the game.

The Broncos scored touchdowns on their first three possessions against Kansas City – driving 70, 85 and 89 yards for TD passes by Nix without the football ever hitting the ground. The former Pinson Valley High School and Auburn QB threw 32 yards to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. with 11:55 left in the first quarter, 10 yards to wide receiver Courtland Sutton with 4:53 left in the first quarter and 3 yards to wide receiver Devaughn Vele (although he wasn’t the intended target) with 6:46 left in the first half.

RELATED: BO NIX BREAKS NFL RECORD ON CRAZY TOUCHDOWN PASS

Denver completed the first-half scoring with a 33-yard field goal by Wil Lutz with three seconds left in the second quarter on its fourth possession for a 24-0 halftime lead.

“It was really good,” Nix said. “We were really sharp. I’ll kick myself for a while for not going 19 and hitting (running back) Javonte (Williams) for a touchdown. But I guess that gets you coming back for next week and a lot more to work on.

“We were sharp. We ran the ball well. We had long drives. We were efficient. We had some explosive plays. We got some key first downs when we needed them. The protection was great tonight. Guys were hungry, and our defense was going to play well because of everything that was at stake.

“We just went out there and put a complete game together and did what we had to do.”

Nix threw another touchdown pass to Mims – this time for 7 yards – with 2:49 left in the third quarter.

The over/under betting line for Denver victories entering the 2024 season was 5.5 – the same as for the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. None of those teams reached the over. The Broncos are headed to the playoffs after putting the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in their lineup at quarterback.

“You don’t have to be what people say you’re going to be,” Nix said after Sunday’s victory.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.