ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos may have had a storybook ending to their regular season, as the team ended an eight-season playoff drought with a divisional win at home.
But for wide receiver Courtland Sutton, the victory marked the beginning of a new journey for the team.
"I think one of the biggest misconceptions about this opportunity that we have is everyone feels like the Broncos are happy and satisfied with just making the playoffs," Sutton said Wednesday. "I'm here to [debunk] that right now. Yes, we are happy to have made the playoffs. However, it's not about just making the playoffs. Now that we're in, it's one week at a time."
Denver will face its first challenge on Sunday, as the No. 7 seed in the AFC travels to Buffalo to take on the No. 2 seed in a stadium that has gained a reputation for its passionate fans and hostile environment.
And while Denver has already surpassed all external expectations this season — doing so with several newcomers and rookies — quarterback Bo Nix stressed that the team had its sights set on this moment all season and is prepared to embrace the opportunity to chase even bigger goals.
"You've dreamed for these moments, and you go through life wanting these things, but I also don't want to leave out the fact [of] not just being complacent with making the playoffs," Nix said. "I don't want to be handcuffed by just making it, just because we haven't done it in so long. If we're going to make it, we might as well go win some games.
"Honestly, it'd be a shame to get this far, start enjoying where you are and then become complacent and not do your best in this game when you have a chance to go out there and compete to go win."
Denver will once again be labeled as an underdog heading into Sunday's matchup, though, several players noted that they aren't paying any mind to external expectations. Cornerback Pat Surtain II said that similarly to how they have approached each game this season, the Broncos are focused on sticking to their game plan and ignoring the outside noise as the team looks for a victory.
"I think it's any given Sunday, at the end of the day," Surtain said. "It's playoff football. Everybody's 0-0. … We've got a great opportunity in our sights, and we're just going to go out there and play our brand of football."
For tackle Garett Bolles — the longest-tenured Bronco who will be making the first playoff appearance of his career on Sunday — just having the opportunity to take the field for a postseason game is surreal, and it is an opportunity that he doesn't plan to take lightly.
"It's the best of the best in the biggest moments on the biggest stage [under] the biggest lights with everyone watching," Bolles said. "That's what you dream about as a kid. Having those opportunities right in front of us, it's a dream come true. I'm just going to enjoy every minute and get ready to play a big game on Sunday."
And while Bolles is eager to take full advantage of the first postseason game of his eight-year career, even rookie players such as running back Audric Estime recognize the significance of the moment.
"You lose, you go home," Estime said. "It's do-or-die, but pressure makes diamonds. I feel like everyone in this building likes pressure, and this type of pressure is an opportunity that doesn't come along too often. When you have the type of pressure like that, you have to make some diamonds out of it."
As the team prepares to take the field on Sunday, the Broncos plan to attack that pressure head-on by relying on the same internal belief and confidence that has brought them to this moment.
"We feel great, honestly," Estime said. "We're right where we want to be. We might be underdogs, but we know what we have in this building. We know all the talent that's in this room, and we feel like we can compete with any team in the country. As long as we play our A-game, that doesn't matter to us."
