The Denver Broncos had plenty of ups and downs on Monday Night Football, but came away with a 41-32 victory over the Cleveland Browns. It was an epic prime-time battle that lasted for the ages.

What an exciting game! Who knew it would be so crazy? The Broncos now have their eighth win of the season and maintain their two-game lead for seventh place in the AFC playoff race. And luckily they have their BYE week and have some time to rest and recover from all this madness.

Here are some immediate reactions from today’s game.

The legend of Bo Nix continues

It was a rough and slow start to the game for the Broncos offense. Their running game was missing in action, the wide receivers had some drops, and a Nix interception (which wasn’t his fault) led to many stalled drives. I’m also a big skeptic about Sean Payton’s play in this game, but a win is a win, right?

Nonetheless, the legend of Bo Nix and the search for Offensive Rookie of the Year continued to grow with this 93-yard bomb to Marvin Mims Jr. Sure, Nix didn’t have his best game of the season statistically, but plays like this make a difference under the bright lights. What a throw!

Nik Bonitto helped change the trajectory of the game with his Pix-Six

Did you have a Nik Bonitto Pick-Six on your bingo card tonight? Then get a Powerball ticket! In the first half, Jameis Winston set up the Broncos’ zone defense with relative ease. Unfortunately, Winston tends to make a lot of stupid decisions.

As the Browns drove into Broncos territory, the third-year edge rusher came up with a great play, grabbing Winston and taking him the distance. He also got a sack later in the game, bringing his total to 11 this season. The former Sooner has proven to be a difference-maker for the Broncos and has been one of their best players on that side of the ball. Hats off to him for this great piece!

The Broncos defense sorely missed Riley Moss

Second-year cornerback Riley Moss has been a key cog in the Broncos’ defensive efforts this season. Unfortunately he had to miss tonight due to an MCL sprain he sustained last week. In his place, the team rolled with the experienced Levi Wallace. Unfortunately, Wallace allowed several explosive passes and appeared to be slow in coverage. Quarterback Jameis Winston usually tried to target him whenever he dropped back to pass.

In his defense, the Broncos’ defensive front and edge rushers were unable to put good pressure on Winston. He had enough time to sit back and throw the bag in. In fact, the Browns ran 45 plays in the first half, while the Broncos ran 30. They also rushed for 298 yards in two quarters – just slightly fewer than Denver gives up in most games.

Without Moss in the lineup, Joseph utilized more zone coverage looks than usual. Combine that with a lackluster pass rush, and it’s easy to see why the Browns’ offense was able to move the ball and be successful. In the second half, Joseph changed things up a bit, blitzing more often and using man coverage – but that didn’t work so well as Wallace was left on the perimeter against Jerry Jeudy, as you can see in the clip below.

As the Broncos celebrate their BYE next week, they need Moss to recover more than ever. Jeudy gained the most yards against the Broncos’ defense by a receiver in history and Winston threw for nearly 500 yards. The interceptions at the end of the game were nice, but this defense still needs some peace of mind after their effort today. They were cut up like a Thanksgiving turkey.