ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – When Denver needed a big play, Nik Bonitto answered the call.

With a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and the Colts’ offense moving up the field with a chance to take the lead, the outside linebacker saw a trick play developing and decided to call things in himself to take your hand.

As wide receiver Adonai Mitchell tried to run the ball back down the field to quarterback Anthony Richardson, Bonitto plucked the ball out of the air and ran 50 yards for a touchdown.

“It was a play that was kind of slow to develop, so I knew something was strange,” Bonitto said. “The receiver doesn’t normally catch such screens. When I saw Richardson give in a little bit, I decided to try and break it, and in the end I got it.”

The impressive play marked Bonitto’s second defensive touchdown of the season and he became only the second defensive back in franchise history to score defensive touchdowns in consecutive games – joining Ring of Famer Billy Thompson.

Head coach Sean Payton later described the play as the game’s key turning point.

“It was an amazing game,” Payton said after Sunday’s 31-13 win. “It happened right in front of my eyes. … He’s athletic. That’s two games in a row. It was a really good game and timing. There was about a 10-minute period in the game where it went from close to not out of reach, but definitely in our favor.”

The highlight was just one of many in an afternoon full of impressive insights, as Denver recorded its third straight game in which its defense committed multiple turnovers. The five turnovers – including a fumble by Colts running back Jonathan Taylor at the goal line – represented a season high for a Denver defense that consistently made big plays at critical moments.

Safety Brandon Jones got things started in the first half when he intercepted a pass from Anthony Richardson in the second quarter, increasing his season total to a career-high three interceptions. The play came on the Colts’ first possession after Denver’s first score of the day and allowed the Broncos to keep the game close when the team trailed at halftime.

“We never really folded or had any doubts on defense,” Jones said. “In this case, there were points where we needed to get the offense going somehow, and they did that for us in several games this year. This just shows how close we are as a team overall and how much we love each other.”

Jones – who showed off his athleticism as he fought to keep the ball from hitting the ground during an interception – praised the entire defensive unit for continuing to show off in critical moments, and he was particularly impressed with the play from Bonitto as he continues to show there are different ways to make an impact this season.

“Nik is crazy,” Jones said. “…Watching him run, seeing how fast he is for a guy his size, he just plays phenomenal football. Excellent football. So I’m really happy for him (and) glad he’s one of my teammates.”

Four of Denver’s five turnovers came in the second half, as safety PJ Locke made a crucial play to force a DJ Jones fumble and Pat Surtain II recorded an interception to tie his career-high in picks in a season. The Broncos are now 9-1 in games where the defense has recorded a takeaway.

For outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper, however, those impressive stats reflect a defensive unit that has only just begun to scratch the surface of its potential.

“(I’m) super proud of our guys,” Cooper said. “I feel like we can still keep going and keep getting better. Let’s just watch the film again and get better and better. We still gave up a few things in the first half that we didn’t want to.” The leaky yardage and the play that Jonathan Taylor had, we just have to go back and clean some things up, but overall I’m proud of our defense and Just gotta keep making plays.

Payton noted that while it wasn’t the team’s best performance – and that there are plenty of things to improve on as Denver looks to secure its first playoff berth since 2015 – the insights in the second half were one of the key differences in a game , in which Denver found a way to get the job done.

“It’s just about finding other ways to win,” said Bonitto about the defense’s crucial plays. “That’s what this team is like. We are tough. We will fight until the end, even if things don’t go our way. We’re going to continue to try to find ways to win and that’s what we did today.