The Lead

The Broncos may have been nearly 2,000 miles from home, but in the final minutes of Sunday's win in Tampa Bay, it definitely didn't feel like it.

As the clock continued to wind down in the fourth quarter of Denver's 26-7 victory, "Go Broncos" chants could be heard throughout Raymond James Stadium. And for the team and Head Coach Sean Payton, this made the first win of the 2024 season that much sweeter.

"Good following — great following," Payton said after Sunday's win. "It's good to have. … Look, we travel well. So, towards the end of games, when you travel well, you become the majority, not the minority. And you feel that."

Several of Denver's players certainly did. Running back Jaleel McLaughlin, who scored a rushing touchdown in Sunday's win, said he felt the support of the fans before Denver even took the field on Sunday.

"I was taking a walk [Saturday], and I saw a boat with a Broncos flag," McLaughlin said after Sunday's win. "It's Broncos Country. They came up, showed up and showed out. The chants … it riles us on. So, we're excited and we are thankful for Broncos Country, for sure."

For some of Denver's younger players, having this level of support on the road may have come as a surprise. But for wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who is currently in his seventh season in Denver, this support has become the standard for a fanbase that continues to show up in critical moments.

"To hear Broncos Country in an away stadium [was great]," Sutton said Sunday. "… I saw one of the rookies turn around, and they had a shocked look on their face. I was like, yeah … this is how we do it, and this is how it should be."

As the Broncos now look ahead to their second consecutive road matchup against New York, they will once again look for orange and blue throughout the stadium to help fuel the team to its second win of the season.

"We show up and we go to places, we execute [and] we win," Sutton said. "And when we do that, Broncos Country shows up in a way that's hard to explain."