Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix made Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby look foolish after ending a run of eight-straight defeats against their AFC West divisional rivals.

The Broncos hadn’t beaten the Raiders since they relocated to Las Vegas in 2020, with their last win falling on Dec. 29, 2019 – when the team was still based out of Oakland. The 34-18 victory on Sunday was satisfying for several reasons, one being that Crosby attempted to intimidate Nix during the game.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection did his best to place added pressure on Nix while on defense, with the rookie quarterback looking to instruct his offense ahead of the snap. A video of the incident went viral on social media as Crosby was heard shouting: “Bo, speak up! They don’t f—— know.”

Nix, the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, was also sacked by Crosby twice during the game but went 19-for-27 with 206 yards and two touchdowns. Ironically it was the Raiders offense that struggled, as quarterback Gardner Minshew was benched in the third quarter for Aidan O’Connell.

The Raiders were without star receiver Davante Adams for the game, with the six-time Pro Bowler nursing a hamstring injury and also pursuing a trade out of Las Vegas. Crosby, who had an ankle sprain, was fit enough to start but was left disappointed with Sunday’s performance.

“I could have 10 sacks and we lose, I’m not going to be happy,” Crosby said. “It sucks.” It was a big win for the Broncos, who have turned their season with three-straight wins around after starting the year 0-2.

Nix ended up clashing with head coach Sean Payton during the game, as the rookie was furious with his head coach after a third-down play went wrong and forced the punt team onto the field. The interaction initially worried some Broncos fans, but both Nix and Payton were delighted after securing the win.

“Well, he turned and looked at me and said, ‘I love you,’ and I turned and said, ‘I love you’ back,” Nix said after the game as he downplayed the exchange. “It was a simple play. We had it flipped. He wanted it to the boundary. And we just kinda got confused there in the huddle.

“And so I tried to get things right. We ended up having it, had a chance, and I overthrew it. But that’s part of the game sometimes. … That’s how it is with the play clock moving, you just make the most of it. And fortunately, it didn’t bite us [in the end].”

NFL legend Drew Brees thought that it was a positive sign seeing Nix stand up to Payton, as he knows the head coach well after the pair won Super Bowl XLIV while with the New Orleans Saints. “Be just as demanding right back to him,” Brees said on “The Herd” last month. “Sean likes that. Sean wants to see you confident and sure.”