ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Amid the Friday bustle of the Denver Broncos' locker room, Courtland Sutton will often stroll in with a plastic bin in his hands, stacked well over the brim with bottled water. The veteran wide receiver will quietly place the water bottles, one by one, into the glass-doored cooler by the door in neat rows.
"The more you can do," he often says with a smile.
He had a similar sentiment Sunday during the Broncos' 29-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Allegiant Stadium. At one point, Sutton quickly took a knee after a play to help guard Ben Powers re-tie one of his cleats because Powers could not do it with his heavily-taped hands. Just Sutton helping out again.
And when rookie quarterback Bo Nix really needs a completion, Sutton has that covered, too. The chemistry between the two has seemingly grown almost series to series in the 7-5 Broncos' past five games.
"He's just reliable, he's just always there where you need him," said Nix of Sutton, who has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Broncos. "He's smart. He's savvy. He makes plays when the ball is in the air. You can trust him. When it's up in the air, it's his or nobody's. It's not going to be a pick."
A lot has happened since the Broncos dismantled the New Orleans Saints 33-10 in Week 7. Sutton played 56 snaps in that game -- 86% of the offensive plays -- yet didn't finish with a target, much less a catch or a single receiving yard. It was a rare shutout of the Broncos' WR1, though Sutton was quick to say he prefers wins over the stats while Nix said he didn't expect Sutton's inactivity to become the most troubling of Broncos' offensive trends.
And he was right. Sutton's five highest yardage totals of the season have occurred since then, including two 100-yard games. He has scored three touchdowns in those five games, three of which the Broncos have won en route to current claim of the No. 7 spot in the AFC playoff race.
The moment that exemplified much of the progress Sutton and Nix have made came after safety Brandon Jones returned an interception to the Raiders' 18-yard line with 11:33 left in the third quarter on Sunday. The Broncos trailed 13-9 at the time, as the Raiders' defense had spent much of the game successfully challenging Nix with pressure up front and man-to-man looks in coverage.
On the second play after the pick, Nix quickly looked to Sutton near the back right corner of the end zone, with Las Vegas cornerback Jack Jones on Sutton's hip. Nix put the ball up high and Sutton did what Nix and the Broncos needed -- reeled in a touchdown catch to put the Broncos up for good.
"It's a like a dare," said Sutton, who has 57 receptions for 744 yards and five touchdowns this season. "It's like ... we're going to give you 1-on-1, what are you going to do with it? And Bo gave me a chance, that's all we needed. ... We were able to capitalize on it, you know, our guy was better than their guy that play."
After not being targeted in the first half, the go-ahead touchdown was Sutton's second catch of the second half. He finished with the 97 yards on eight receptions and his first two-touchdown game since Dec. 1, 2019. The 2019 season also represents Sutton's career high in receptions (72) and receiving yards (1,112), both of which he could eclipse this season.
"It's huge," said Nix, who has thrown 11 of his 16 touchdown passes over the past five games and whose 68.6 QBR ranks eighth in the NFL during that stretch. "His touchdown, the first one, man-to-man, throw it up, makes a spectacular catch, goes up and gets it. Several times on other one-on-ones ... having a win, contested catches ...
"[We] didn't target him in the first half. We come out and say, 'Look, Courtland, this is your half.' [And] we take over the game."
During the periods of inactivity this season, Sutton said he has tried to stay away from demanding more targets from the 24-year-old Nix.
"He [has] a thousand things on his mind, I'm not going to go over there and say 'Hey, gimme the ball,'" Sutton said. "It's a little subtler, 'Hey, I got you, my boy.' Just a little reminder when things aren't going the way we want them to go."
The level of trust Nix has in his top receiver is best illustrated by Sutton currently being tied for 13th in the NFL in tight-window targets -- catches when the defender is within one yard at the catch point, per NFL Next Gen Stats. The next-best Bronco clocks in at No. 86 overall, where receivers Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Josh Reynolds are tied.
Sutton, who did not attend the voluntary portion of the offseason program while seeking a contract adjustment that didn't come until just before the season, believes there is more to come. And he hopes to see Nix's continued development.
"We continue to find those connections, continue to find what works for both of us," Sutton said. "I think it's going to be something special. We've been able to do some things, and we're scratching the surface of it. ... It's just exciting to have that guy back there."