Strnad of Broncos wants Bonitto to get paid after he recorded his 10th sack against the Raiders.

The game was on the line as the Raiders looked to tie things up late in the fourth quarter. That's when Nik Bonitto, the third-year edge rusher for the Broncos, saw an opportunity to make a career milestone. He didn't hesitate and pushed back against Kolton Miller, the Raiders' left tackle, before knocking the ball out of backup quarterback Desmond Ridder's hand. Malcolm Roach was quick to recover the fumble with just over two minutes left in regulation, and the Broncos were ready to celebrate.

Bonitto's clutch strip-sack not only helped Denver secure a 29-19 victory, but it also exorcised two demons for the team. It was their first win in Las Vegas since the Raiders relocated there in 2020, and it also marked Bonitto's 10th sack of the season. He became the first Bronco since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in 2018 to reach double-digit sacks in a single season.

"It's crazy," Bonitto shared with The Denver Post. "I've never had 10 sacks in a season before." Throughout his football career, Bonitto had come close to achieving this milestone but always fell just short. In high school, he recorded nine sacks, and in college, he had eight and seven in different seasons. Even in his second year with the Broncos, he was only two sacks away from reaching that goal.

But this year, Bonitto was determined not to be denied. His natural quick get-off was already a strength, but he also improved as a run defender, which gave him more opportunities to show off his skills on the field. And his hard work paid off. He recorded a sack in six consecutive games before the streak ended in a loss to the Ravens in Week 9. And in last week's game against the Falcons, he had one of his best performances of the season, recording two sacks.

Now that Bonitto has reached 10 sacks, his teammates are rooting for him to go even further. "I hope he has 20 sacks," inside linebacker Justin Strnad said. "Get him that bag." Defensive tackle Malcolm Roach also praised Bonitto, saying, "Nik is one of the best in the league, and he's so nonchalant about it. The game just comes so easy to him."

To complete the regular-season sweep of the Raiders, the Broncos' defense had to increase their intensity in the second half. After only recording one pressure and no sacks in the first half, they finished with five sacks and 29 pressures in the final two quarters, according to NFL's Next Gen Stats. Every player on the front seven contributed, with eight players recording at least two pressures. John Franklin-Myers led the team with six, while Jonathon Cooper had five and Bonitto added two. They sacked quarterback Gardner Minshew three times before he left the game with an injury on the Raiders' second-to-last drive.

Bonitto grew up as a fan of Von Miller, who is considered one of the best edge rushers in NFL history. The two have been linked since Bonitto was drafted by the Broncos in 2022, when they used the second-round pick they received from the Rams in the Miller trade to select him. In the visiting locker room after the game, Bonitto couldn't help but feel honored to be mentioned alongside his idol. "Just being in talks with a guy that I looked up to my whole life, that's pretty cool," he said.

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