LAS VEGAS – Paying tribute to Mr. Las Vegas, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix followed the tried-and-true showbiz rule of Wayne Newton.

When bringing your act to the bright lights of the Strip, the audience demands you play the greatest hits.

“Songs you know by heart,” Broncos offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey said.

On a Sunday afternoon when Stone Temple Pilots cranked up the classic rock at halftime on the Allegiant Stadium stage, Nix struck nary a sour note down on the field, completing 31 of 38 passes for an unspectacular but thoroughly efficient 212 yards, while playing the greatest hits from Denver’s offensive playbook.

And the Broncos danke shoened the lowly Raiders, thank you very much.

This breezy 24-17 victory felt like a dress rehearsal for how the Broncos want to win games in the NFL playoffs.

Bland as rice ball-control passing on offense, with a little dash of hot sauce from running back RJ Harvey. Turn Nik Bonitto loose to harass the quarterback on defense. Let Marvin Mims make the special teams so special that they can light up the scoreboard.

For one of the few times during their current 10-game winning streak, coach Sean Payton could comfortably exhale, certain of victory long before any need to produce genius late-game strategy on the Denver sideline.

“It did not feel like some of these other (wins) recently,” Payton admitted. “My headset was off earlier.”

Well, that’s fabulous.

Thirteen games into the season, it feels as if the Broncos have found an identity that not only has established them as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but should play well in the bone-rocking and bone-chilling football of January, when Super Bowl runs are made.

As anyone who has watched him work at the pro level for nearly 30 years well knows, Payton firmly believes an NFL play-caller must lean into what he calls the songs a quarterback knows by heart  

In fact, shortly after Payton took the Broncos gig back in 2023, he described the necessity of tailoring his offense to the unique skillset of then-QB Russell Wilson by saying: “None of us want to be at a karaoke bar with a song we don’t know the words to.”

We all know how poorly that worked out, because our ears are still bleeding from DangeRuss’ cheesy renditions of “Feelings,” which drove Payton stark-raving mad.

Nearly two years into his relationship with Nix, the maestro and the current frontman of this Broncos band are much more copacetic. Payton and Nix might be a far cry from Lennon and McCartney, but they’re in harmony as coach and quarterback.

I asked Nix, who has really begun to find his groove during the past three games, what it means to him when Payton fondly talks about songs you know by heart.

“A song you know by heart, you can sing the lyrics to it. You know it, you don’t have to study for it. It just happens. The plays we know by heart are the ones we’ve repped all year round, in training camp, during OTAs (spring practice) and during the season,” Nix said.

“You know the different (defensive) looks you could get. You know the answers to each look. I really feel like when we’re playing our best, we’re in that rhythm of calling the plays we’re good at, mixing up with some tempo. Guys know their assignments when you hit those plays. And it’s hard to stop.” 

Sure, Nix looked like he could do no wrong against the wretched Raiders, who can’t do anything right except follow the rules of Las Vegas’ second-oldest profession.

And what’s the motto of any degenerate sports gambler?

It’s not whether you win or lose the game, but whether you cover the spread.

I’ve got to mention this because seldom have I felt so slimy that I needed a shower as much as the sweaty players after an NFL game.

With the Raiders trailing by 10 points and only four seconds remaining on the fourth-quarter clock, Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll trotted out kicker Daniel Carlson for a thoroughly meaningless 46-yard field goal attempt.

Did I say meaningless?

Check that.

The Broncos were anywhere from 7.5 to 8.5-point favorites, depending on the timing of placing a bet on this tilt.

When Carlson split the uprights with his kick, it was one of the greasier backdoor covers I’ve ever witnessed.

But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?

The Broncos are busy with bigger football matters, betting they can prove themselves to be worthy of legit championship contention.

Division leaders Green Bay and Jacksonville, who currently own a not-too-shabby nine victories apiece, appear next on the docket in Denver.

Are the Broncos ready for prime time and the playoff grind?

We’re about to discover how the songs they know by heart play to a tougher audience.