The Lead
After Sunday's game against Baltimore, the Broncos wasted no time getting back to work.
"Even on the plane ride [Sunday], we had really positive conversations," defensive end Zach Allen said Monday. "Guys were watching the film on the plane [saying], 'I could've done this better.'"
The Broncos were handed their first loss on the road since Week 1 in Seattle, but the team took the loss in stride, immediately focusing on areas for improvement with key matchups on the horizon.
"It's really encouraging when you have guys that are taking ownership like that instead of just trying to blame others or anything like that," Allen said. "We had nothing like that. Everyone kind of looked in the mirror and said, 'what can I do better?'"
As Denver looks ahead to another tough road matchup with the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, Allen knows this mindset will be necessary to help get the job done not only this upcoming week, but over the next crucial stretch of games.
"If we want to go where we're going to go, we have to be able to have those conversations," Allen said. "So, I think we're in a good spot. ... We'll bounce back, knowing this group, and we'll be fine."
With half the season now in the rearview mirror, the Broncos have continued to discover their identity as a team and set goals that include making a postseason run for the first time since 2015. And with the NFL trade deadline approaching on Tuesday, Head Coach Sean Payton emphasized Monday that the focus remains “on the guys in this building,” stressing that “Superman’s not walking in.”
This focus extends across the locker room, with both Allen and running back Jaleel McLaughlin expressing their belief that all the necessary pieces are already in place for the Broncos to accomplish their goals this year.
"It's definitely here," McLaughlin said. "It's definitely all here in the locker room. It shows on film, and we're going to just keep working. We're going to keep working as a unit to build our team camaraderie."
As the team gets back to work this week and continues to focus on development and improvement, Allen believes maintaining a game-by-game mentality will play a key role in getting the Broncos to where they want to be.
"I think in this league, you can't ride the highs, and you can't ride the lows," Allen said. "And obviously we've shown this year that we can play at a very high level. I think if you look at every team through a full season, they have weeks like that. ... For us, we're just taking it one week at a time. We're on to Kansas City."
