WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The Broncos are stepping back up to the plate.
After earning their first win of the 2024 season, Denver is looking ahead to another road matchup with the New York Jets on Sunday. And while the team has been able to ride the high of earning the all-important first win, Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi stressed that the work has only just begun.
"Every day is a new day," Lombardi said Thursday. "Every game is a new game. I think Babe Ruth said, 'Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games, and yesterday's strikeouts don't lose today's game.'"
For rookie quarterback Bo Nix, this seems to be a message that resonates.
"I think that's kind of his mentality," Lombardi said. "I don't think he'll ever get too high and start taking things for granted. He's just been back to work like he has the first two weeks."
Nix is not the only one that has committed himself to this constant self-improvement. Cornerback Riley Moss, who had a standout performance on Sunday and provided a glimpse into his strong potential this season, noted that there is plenty of room to improve as he continues to navigate his first year as a starter in Denver.
"There's still things to improve on and it's a long season, there's ups and downs," Moss said. "We had a saying at Iowa: 'The hay is never in the barn.' So, you're always working and trying to be the best you can be."
Guard Quinn Meinerz believes he has already experienced some of those ups and downs. The fourth-year player noted that he was not satisfied with his performance and that of the offensive line through the first two weeks of the season. However, his forward-looking mindset played a key role in allowing him and his unit to get back on track in Week 3.
"We knew that what we were doing wasn't good enough to win," Meinerz said of Weeks 1 and 2. "I said at the beginning of the year, games are won and lost on us and our room. So, we were just extremely motivated with this away game [vs. Tampa Bay] to put some of our best stuff on tape and take control of the game and do what we're supposed to do."
The unit did that and then some, contributing to Denver's most productive offensive outing yet against Tampa Bay. But even with a strong performance now under his belt, Meinerz said his commitment to self-improvement has remained unchanged.
"I'm looking to keep continuing to grow," he said. "[I'm looking to] keep playing my game, my brand of football and get back to doing the things that I do."
Moss echoed this sentiment, noting that while the win provided "a lot of confidence" for the team and his defensive unit, Denver is still planning to approach this week's matchup against the Jets with the same high level of energy and focus.
"We've got to go into this week hungry and ready to continue to improve," Moss said. "It's going to be a great test for us."
The Broncos' second consecutive away game comes against a Jets team that features several weapons on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And while Moss noted that the matchup will definitely provide its fair share of challenges for the team, it will also present a good opportunity for growth.
"You want to be able to play the best," Moss said. "You want to be able to compete against the best. It makes you better as well."
As the Broncos step back up to the plate in Week 4, they will look for the opportunity to add another win while embracing the challenge to continue to elevate their game.
"Great teams [have] got to stack [wins], and stack them early," Meinerz said. "Especially being behind the eight ball, per se, with [an] 0-2 [start]. So, great teams are going to be stacking practices and they're going to be stacking wins, and that starts with execution."
