ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As Denver returns from its bye looking to revitalize its season and make a postseason run, Head Coach Sean Payton and the Broncos understand the importance of consistency.
After a slow start to the season, the Broncos know they must find a way to stack wins and continue a two-game win streak during a "Monday Night Football" showdown in Buffalo.
"I think it's important to understand what needs to happen week to week so you're not just a win one, lose one, or win two, lose two," Payton said of improving in the second half of the season. "[Knowing] what's required mentally and physically to play your best. … The attention to the details, the preparation and all the little things that we have to be maniacal with and understand. I use that term, 'the fine line between a groove and a rut.' You're always that one step away from one or the other. That sense of urgency, it's transforming how to do things. So we need to continue with that type of emphasis and details. Obviously, ball security. Those are things that come to mind."
The Broncos have not won three consecutive games since Weeks 1-3 during the 2021 season, and they'll look to win their first road prime-time game since 2020.
"I think it would be huge," tackle Mike McGlinchey said of beating the Bills. "Winning consecutively in this league is very difficult to do, and to … obviously get the monkey off our backs with Kansas City two weeks ago and then to go up against one of the AFC favorites in Buffalo on a Monday night. There's no better script to get a season turned around than that. It's the only show in town on Monday night. The whole league will be watching. If you can sneak out a win and play our football up there, I think all of a sudden people look at the Broncos a little bit differently."
The Broncos' margin for error is small — and McGlinchey said Denver's only option is to continue to stack wins.
"It's all we can do from here on out," McGlinchey said. "We obviously didn't give ourselves very [much] of a cushion to start the year and padding wins, but we're starting to figure out who we are. We're starting to figure out what we're capable of, and we've just got to keep getting better. That task is at hand against Buffalo this week, and I think if we continue to grow and play the games that we've been playing [then we'll find success]. Our defense obviously coming to [life] and who they've become and getting back to being a top-five unit in this league makes it a lot easier for us on offense. You control the game on defense, you run the ball well, you convert on third down and those things equal success. That's what we're going to try to do."
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton noted the opportunities the Broncos will have in the coming weeks, and safety Justin Simmons said opponents like the Bills are ones Denver will have to beat to reach the playoffs.
"If we want to get to where we want to get to, we've got to go through teams like Buffalo," Simmons said. "It's going to be a fun one."
