AFC Notes: Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

Broncos

Denver cruised to a 38-6 win over the Falcons in Week 11 behind another strong performance from first-round QB Bo Nix. Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II thinks Nix should be up for more than just Offensive Rookie of The Year.

“I told him, ‘Man, you’re trying to win MVP,'” Surtain said, via Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “It’s not even looking like offensive rookie of the year. It’s looking like MVP now.”

Denver HC Sean Payton talked about Nix continuing to prove he is capable of being a quality starter in this league.

“Our league, you’re learning each week and then pretty soon you’re like, ‘I belong here,'” Payton said. “It’s clear he belongs here.”

Nix outlined his weekly improvement and credited game reps for exposing him to a wide variety of coverages and concepts each week.

“I feel like each week, I’m just finding ways to get better,” Nix said. “You’re seeing different things. It’s always adjusting on the fly and reacting to what you see. You can study all you want, but I can’t go out there and predict what plays they’re going to run or what calls they’re going to be in. At that point, you’re just reading and reacting, and I think we do a good job of putting me in a good spot and letting me have some answers and choices. We just go out there and find them.”

Chargers

After blowing a 27-6 lead, the Chargers hung on to take down the Bengals in Week 11. Los Angeles LB Daiyan Henley knows this group isn’t the same as the past few Charger squads he’s been a part of.

“This is different team. It’s that simple,” Henley said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “This is a different team. This is not what the Chargers have been or what the fans here are used to.”

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh praised his defense after they allowed 20 points for the first time this year but forced the Bengals into multiple field goal attempts.

“I’ve been to this movie a few times. I know what it looks like,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no other defense we’d rather have than our defense.”

• Chargers defensive lineman Poona Ford was fined $9,944 for Roughing the Passer (body weight).
• According to Aaron Wilson, the Chargers worked out WR Lawrence Cager and TE Albert Okwuegbunam. 

Chiefs

Kansas City suffered their first loss of the season on the road to the Bills in Week 11. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes isn’t too concerned and reiterated their goal of winning the Super Bowl, not going undefeated.

“It’s a good football team, so there’s nothing to hang your head on,” Mahomes said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “We feel like we can play better, so we will get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better football team in the end. The undefeated thing was cool, but that’s not our ultimate goal. . . . I’m hoping that it is a benefit.”

“I’m not going to say I or we relaxed, but at the same time I feel like we were just coming away with these wins at the end of the game. I think it’s going to spark us to have more urgency, especially at the start of football games, especially with the offense, and that comes from me and turning the ball over on the first drive. It’s something you can’t do in big games like this.”