The Denver Broncos join the New England Patriots as the only teams in the NFL to be sitting at 9-2 entering Week 12 of the 2025 regular season.This came after Bo Nix and co handed AFC West rivals Kansas City Chiefs their fifth loss of the season after defeating them 22-19 on Sunday. The pairing of Bo Nix (L) and Sean Payton (R) has been lethal, with the Broncos racking up a 9-2 recordGettyBut the Broncos now face the wait of seeing whether head coach Sean Payton gets punished by the NFL after colliding with a league official during the third quarter of the game. Following the interception of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes by Broncos defensive back Ja’Quan McMillian, Payton appeared to get too close to the sidelines. As a result, the down judge, who was running down the sideline following the ball, collided with the 61-year-old which sent both of them flying to the turf. After getting back to his feet, the official threw the flag on Payton, and a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct was issued. This was the second penalty called on the play – both after the change of possession – with Kansas City ultimately choosing to enforce the other penalty which was an illegal blindside block on Denver.The penalty didn’t deter the Broncos at all as Nix marched his offense down the field for an 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive after the turnover, finished off by running back Jaleel McLaughlin who ran in for the four-yard score. The game went down to the wire, with Broncos kicker Will Lutz nailing a clutch 35-yard walk-off field goal to seal the victory and put a major dent in Mahomes and co’s hopes of reaching the postseason for the 11th consecutive season.With that in mind, the Broncos currently sit at third place in talkSPORT’s Super Bowl power rankings list, largely as a result of their elite defense, which allows the third-least total yards in the league (274.4 yards per game), behind only the Houston Texans (258.1 YPG) and Cleveland Browns (273.5 YPG), who each have losing records.The magnitude of the victory was not lost on Payton, who now faces the possibility of further retribution for the penalty against him.“If you tracked any championship team you would find the tough wins, the close ones. … There’s going to be those heavy wins,” Payton said postgame. “I’d be lying to everybody if I didn’t say [Sunday’s win] was a big one.”The down judge and Sean Payton collided with each other on the sidelineX/ @NFLonCBSAs soon as the pair got back to their feet, the NFL official threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conductX/ @NFLonCBSThe Broncos have not clinched the AFC West since 2015, with Kansas City dominating the top spot for the last nine straight.The last time they did, they went on to win the Super Bowl, back when Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was at the helm. As it pertains to further action against Payton, according to the NFL rulebook, if a coach or a player violates the zone restrictions, then they “are subject to a fine at the discretion of the Commissioner.”Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was fined $14,069 in October 2024 for unsportsmanlike conduct after coming onto the field while trying to call a timeout.Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin received a $100,000 fine during the 2013 season for being on the white lines during a kick return against the Baltimore Ravens.However, Peyton’s infraction was obviously different to both instances, so ultimately it remains to be seen how hard the NFL comes down on him, if at all.Broncos TE jumps to defense of Nix following online criticismDenver’s ninth victory of the season marked quite the milestone for young Bo Nix. The 25-year-old second-year pro finished the game having completed 24-of-37 of his passes for 295 yards. Whilst he didn’t record any touchdowns, he did orchestrate yet another game-winning drive this season, now leading the entire NFL with five as the Broncos won their eighth straight game. Nix had another solid outing under center for the Broncos as he orchestrated his fifth game-winning drive of the 2025 seasonGettyBo Nix and the Broncos further stretched out their lead atop the AFC West standings, whilst the Chiefs’ playoff hopes hang on by a threadGettyWill the Broncos ride off into the sunset?3. Bo Nix and Sean Payton must get more out of Denver’s offense.The good news is that the Broncos’ defense ranks third in the NFL in average points allowed (17.3) and Denver has already proven it can win games in multiple ways.Check out talkSPORT’s Week 11 power rankings – RIGHT NOW!Since entering the league as the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft, the former Auburn and Oregon quarterback has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 47 touchdowns to 20 interceptions, and has a career winning record of 19-9.Despite having the joint-best record in the NFL, Nix is still only considered as the 17th-best quarterback in the league, per talkSPORT’s rankings. Furthermore, Nix has often borne the brunt of some hateful comments online, and Broncos tight end Adam Trautman sounded off on the internet trolls. “If you’re talking s*** about Bo online, you’re a coward. Absolute coward,” Trautman said in his postgame interview. “It says a lot. He blanks it out and we talked about it this week.“We don’t care about what other people think. We know what we have in the building and we know what he’s made of and we don’t really care what people have to say. “So, Dragonslayer69 with his 7-11 Slurpee in his mom’s basement, I don’t give a s*** what he has to say and Bo doesn’t either.”Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.