The Broncos’ third-year outside linebacker has 7.0 sacks in his past eight games.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Play by play, Nick Bonito was a bullet train rounding the turn from the right edge.
Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Wanya Morris went down with a knee injury early in the game and Bonito quickly began abusing backup Kingsley Suamataya. Bonito sacked quarterback Patrick Mahomes once for a loss of 9 yards, and returned it again for a minus-11, only to have that sack negated by a late hand foul called by safety Brandon Jones.
Two more times Bonitto had Mahomes, only for the star quarterback to bend over or throw it away. Bonitto was causing so much havoc in the Chiefs’ offense, coach Andy Reid had no choice but to bring back a limping Morris on the final offensive possession of the game.
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“I really wanted the junior to stay there because he and I went to school together,” Bonito said in an interview this week with 9NEWS. “I was rooting for him the whole time, but it kind of worked out how it happened. But I definitely wanted more from Wanya.
Morris and Bonito were teammates with the Oklahoma Sooners for one season in 2021. Bonito was then the first player selected by the Broncos, the last a second-round pick, in the 2022 NFL Draft. He struggled as a rookie because he didn’t have the strength to throw down those big, strong tackles in the NFL. After arriving in the weight room, Bonito started to figure it out last year, using his incredible speed and flexibility to record 8.0 sacks in 15 games.
There was uncertainty in training camp regarding Bonito’s effectiveness in his third season as he missed significant time with a back injury. He returned in time for the season opener but did not have a sack through the team’s first two games.
“I definitely felt anxious for some people especially knowing that there were days where I couldn’t do anything,” Bonito said. “I couldn’t move as much as I wanted to. But when I came back, I continued to figure out where I needed to be, fight through the things I was fighting for, and eventually I knew I would get back to the point where I would be back to my old self.”
He now appears on track to have a career year with 7.0 sacks in his last eight games to rank eighth in the NFL.
“Knowing how we practice and then going out there in games and seeing all the reps, all the work we do in training pay off, it’s definitely really good to see that,” Bonito said. “And then also thanks to the coaches and other people who helped put me in this position.”
Fellow outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper is right behind Bonito with 6.5 sacks. Cooper was the team’s captain through the first six games, but then Bonito put together a five-game streak to take the lead.
“I told him today that I kept him at the club, so he is very lucky now,” Bonito said with a smile. “We’re just competitors trying to maintain the standards in the room, compared to the people who were there before us.”
Despite the dominance of Bonitto’s Von Miller, the Broncos suffered an agonizing 16-14 loss to the Chiefs last week as a short field goal attempt by Denver kicker Wil Lutz was blocked on the final play of the game. Bonito’s reaction at the time?
“I was on the sidelines holding hands with other guys,” he said. “It’s a little thing we do. Obviously I didn’t expect it, but it’s football. Guys are going to make plays. Hats off to them but we’ll be back.”
“Yes, it hurts but coach (Sean Payton) always says that we will play in bigger games in the future. We just have to stay focused and keep striving to achieve our goal.”
This will break Denver’s eight-season drought. The Broncos will be in great shape to make it as a wild card if they can beat the Atlanta Falcons today at Empower Field at Mile High. The challenge will be to mentally and emotionally overcome the agony of last week’s loss.
“You have to do it especially in this league because I promise you Atlanta is not going to come here feeling sorry for us,” Bonito said. “Turn the page, move quickly and prepare for the next opponent.”
