Marvin Mims reacts after 93-yard TD pass from Broncos' Bo Nix

Marvin Mims on leaping into the stands after his TD: "I got grabbed a lot up there, but it was cool...I'd do it again, I'd do it every time as many TDs as I get I'll keep jumping." 😂

Before a Monday night primetime audience, and to the Broncos' great fortune, Jameis Winston condensed his dubious record-setting 2019 season into one game.

In 2019 while playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs, Winston became the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 30 touchdown passes (he had 33) and 30 interceptions in the same season. The Bucs went 7-9 that year.

The next year Winston was replaced by Tom Brady and the Bucs won the Super Bowl.

The lesson: Too many picks will turn a Super Bowl-caliber team into one with a losing record.

Five years later, it's Monday night at Empower Field at Mile High. The sellout crowd of 68,306 (more than 7,000 no-shows) was chilled but energetic, ready to celebrate and relax one minute, only to tense up and worry a few minutes later.

All night long went the emotional pendulum, anguish and joy.

Winston against the Broncos was both magnificent, and reckless. He threw for 497 yards on 34 of 58 passing, and four touchdown passes. He also threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, first by outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, and then by nickelback Ja'Quan McMillian.

The third was by inside linebacker Cody Barton in the end zone off a first-and-goal from the 2 play with seconds remaining. The Broncos, despite Winston throwing the ball all over the yard and former Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy putting together a record-setting night, prevailed, 41-32.

"We know we didn't play our best,'' Bonitto said. "But just being able to find a way in that fourth quarter, just keep getting takeaways, keep getting stops and being able to come through with a win, it was big."

To repeat, the same QB who threw 33 TDs and 30 INTs in one season was the QB who threw for 4 TDs and 497 yards against 3 INTs and 2 pick sixes in one game.

“It was my fault,'' Winston said. "I did that, the two touchdowns by defenses, the Pick-6s. Yeah, I’ve been here before. I’ve got to play better.”

Jameis giveth. Jameis taketh away. He is tremendous. But he is careless.

"When we go back and look at that tape we're going to look at a lot of things defensively that we would have done differently. We have to,'' said Broncos head coach Sean Payton. "And yet we had two interceptions for touchdowns and a third interception.

"I told them in the locker room, look it wasn't pretty and yet in the end we did what we had to do, especially late.''

Foreign as it may seem during their eight-season postseason drought, Broncos fans should start planning for football in mid-January. The Broncos are 8-5 with a two-game lead on the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 7 AFC playoff spot. The Broncos and Colts both have a bye this week, then meet Sunday, Dec. 15 at Empower Field.

Beat the Colts in two weeks and the Broncos will be playoff-bound, even if not quite officially. The Browns fell to 3-9. But what a way to go.

More local videos here

Subscribe to NEXT

Stay connected:

9NEWS Website

Download the 9NEWS App

Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER

9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.