ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –After trailing San Diego 24-0 at halftime Monday against San Diego, the Broncos erupted for 35 unanswered points in the second half, a key divisional victory and positive momentum going into the bye week.
Fresh off a victory that has it tied atop the AFC West, the team likes the timing of its week off.
"It was basically just that we'd rather go in to the bye week with a win," running back Willis McGahee said. "I think the bye week came at a perfect time for us to get away from football and regroup and just come back and be ready to play. We know what we've got at stake when we come back."
Though Denver won't take the field again until Oct. 28 against New Orleans, the visit from the Saints will give the Broncos an opportunity for their first winning streak of the season.
"We're definitely happy with how it turned out," defensive end Derek Wolfe said. "We just have to keep this momentum going. We don't want to come back and take a step back. You want to just keep getting better and better. I think we're on the right track."
Tight end Jacob Tamme is confident that even with a bye week following its best half of the season, the team will be able to pick up where it left off.
"We definitely do have some momentum going," Tamme said. "I think the bye will still be good, though. It's a good time in the year to have it, and it'll be good to get away for a couple days, just refocus your mind and come back ready to go."
Perhaps more importantly than anything, Denver's bye week will gave players an opportunity to get multiple days of rest for the first time since before training camp.
"I think it's good to get away from it for a couple days," Tamme said. "You're in here all the time during the season, and 24/7, your mind's on it. It's good to get away from it for a couple days, but we know who we're playing coming up next, so after a few days, it's never a bad idea to take a peek and start getting ahead on the next team."
Another benefit of the bye week is the chance for players to spend time with their families. While some players are staying in the area, others will be returning home to visit with relatives.
"I'm going to head home, see my family," safety Rahim Moore said. "Mainly, I need some down time for myself to be able to just look at film and see what I can do to get better. And also, just get some real human being time. Sometimes, when you play football, you don't really get a chance to hang out or eat out as much. So, I'm going to do some of the simple things I used to do."
