Cornerback Pat Surtain said last week that the throwback uniforms were so nice that he had to “come out swaggy…definitely put something together.”

Midway through the second quarter, he did just that.

A swaggy pick-six from 100 yards that was literally the game-changer.

“We felt like we needed that momentum moving forward,” Surtain said. “Obviously we were in a situation where we had to take advantage of the opportunities we could get. I had to take advantage of that situation there to make a play and I could just feel the momentum shift. …we really felt the pace, the urgency to really increase the energy and really improve the game.

It was real.

“The ball was in the air and my eyes went wide; I thought, ‘There’s no way this is happening.’ Then I caught the ball and I saw a full green blade of grass and I thought, ‘Yes, that’s a touchdown.’ I haven’t looked back,” Surtain said. “That moment was very special. It was very special to see the audience roar after that piece.”

There was a slight fear that a flag would bring it back.

“I was worried,” Surtain admitted with a laugh. “I was scared and I was tired.”

Perhaps it was the presence of legendary cornerback Champ Bailey that gave Surtain a little extra spark… along with his jersey.

“That was pretty legendary to say the least,” Surtain said, adding that having the No. 24 jersey was always something he wanted. “Having a guy like Champ who comes out and brings so much good energy. It’s expected that one of those Hall of Fame players will come and watch you. I had to take advantage of the opportunities I was given. I had to make that pick six happen.

Before that, the Broncos defense was stunned by Gardner Minshew and Brock Bowers, and the offense couldn’t find its footing.

So instead of the Raiders going up 17-3 – maybe just 13-3 if the Broncos were lucky – Denver tied it at 10.

Although Denver was forced to punt on the next two drives, the defense held firm and the Broncos took advantage of Raiders penalties that allowed for an easier field goal on a second chance and a lead before halftime.

And they never looked back.

“He played a good game. He had a really good game,” head coach Sean Payton said, noting the importance of the points and momentum. “This game goes back and forth all the time. If you score on defense, you win 80 percent of the time, and then three to zero. Sure, it was a huge game, a 10-point game to say the least.

As always, the quarterback was well aware of the significance of that play.

“That was huge. That was probably the play of the game, a big momentum shifter,” Bo Nix said, recalling how the 100-yard run played out from the sideline. “I saw him catch and how their offense was set up. I didn’t think anyone was going to make a tackle, so I just sat there, watched it from the jumbotron and enjoyed everyone celebrating.”

While that pick six would be Surtain’s most spectacular interception of the day, it wouldn’t be his only one. A second interception would come early in the fourth on the Raiders’ first play of a drive following a Broncos touchdown.

And that was the third interception of the Raiders offense when Riley Moss made a huge play, stealing one from Tre Tucker.

“Honestly, it happened so quickly. It was crazy, you know what I mean? It’s something you dream about, and it’s something I’ve been working toward,” Moss said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but it was really cool to see that happen.”

The defense finished the day with three sacks, three interceptions and six QB hits, never allowing the Raiders to get back into the game after their fast start.

But proof of this young team’s continued growth was the offense’s ability to get back into the game and put points – lots of them – on the board.

Part of the reason for that was the short fields, thanks to the defense and special teams.

“Two more interceptions in the second half put us in great field position,” Nix said. “We just took what we had and made the most of our opportunities there. When you get turnovers like that, it’s important to score touchdowns, and we did that today.”

And once again the running game was a positive factor in that result.

Javonte Williams ran for 61 yards, but was also the leading receiver with another 50 yards, and McLaughlin only surrendered 22 yards, but four of those yielded six points, so there’s no argument for that.

“I feel like the (offensive) line did a great job in the second half. Bo did a great job. Receivers blocked (were) on the perimeter. Me and ‘Leel’ (RB Jaleel McLaughlin) made the most of our carries,” Williams said. “So I feel like a different team.”

Courtland Sutton would probably agree. After starting the season 0-2, the team learned during the road trip that there was some struggle and came back 2-2 in the second home game on Sunday.

“We didn’t start the season the way we wanted to,” Sutton said, but “a lot of guys showed up in a way that we needed them to. I think that was the spark that gave us the lead. If we prepare for how we know we need to perform week in and week out, we will eventually be able to see some of those results on game day. I think we were able to achieve some success thanks to the preparation.”

On Sunday, the third-down conversion was the main adjustment the Broncos offense focused on in the second half.

“Coach said at halftime that if we wanted to see more success, we should be able to do that,” Surtain said. “The defense went out and had huge plays. Riley has one choice, Pat has two choices, the D-line gets constant pressure on the quarterback and the linebackers stop the run. All three units work very well together and if we can keep that going, we will see continued success.”