The Lead
Following Denver's largest margin of victory of the season, the Broncos are ready to get back to work.
"It's definitely huge to sit with the win for the 10 days," defensive end Zach Allen said Tuesday at a coat giveaway event. "But I think everybody's bodies came back really well, so we're really excited about that. We're on to Carolina, and we're really excited about that matchup."
Denver will host the Panthers at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 8, and the team will look to build off one of its strongest performances of the season and aim to secure their second win in front of a home crowd.
With several season-highs against the Saints in the rearview, Allen noted that "any team can get beat on any day," and stressed the importance of continuing to prioritize consistent improvement and a game-by-game mentality heading into the matchup.
"I think it's just kind of being consistent throughout," he said. "Even that Saints game, there's probably a couple plays in that last drive that we kind of want back. That's a big part of it. For us to go where we want to go, we have to be a little bit more consistent. We're getting there. We're definitely getting better at it, but you still want to stay on top of it."
Denver's defense has played a key role in the Broncos' success throughout the season, and the unit had another strong performance in Week 7 against the Saints. Denver allowed just 10 points in the victory, seven of which came in the final moments of the game.
The Broncos' defense has also recorded 28 sacks this season, which ranks second in the league, and has allowed 282.4 yards per game, which ranks third in the league. And while the unit has had a fast start and has continued to progress this season, Allen noted that the focus for him and his teammates remains on continuing to improve in the weeks ahead.
"We know if we do things right, then we think we're a top, top unit and we've got top guys," Allen said. "[We're] just kind of focusing on the daily process, the daily grind of it. We're having a lot of fun with it and we're really embracing it — and luckily it's led to some success, but we still think we've got some room to grow."
As the Broncos now prepare for Week 8, Allen said the team will look to "ride the momentum now and just keep on improving."
"We really are all on Carolina," he said. "We have the right guys, and we handle it the right way to where we just focus on what's in front of us, and we get the job done."
