The Broncos’ confidence is as high as it has been all season.
It was noticeable after Denver stood pat at the trade deadline and on Monday morning when head coach Sean Payton continued to preach optimism in the wake of back-to-back wins entering his team’s bye week.
“I feel like we’re a better team today than four or five weeks ago,” Payton said.
After Denver’s deflating 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, Payton said the team needed to look inward to climb out of the 0-3 hole they dug for themselves. Since then, the Broncos are 3-2 with a home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs — which snapped a 16-game losing streak to the reigning Super Bowl champs.
Still, the Broncos are not out of the woods just yet. At 3-5, they still have a ways to go to put themselves back in the playoff discussion, and a difficult matchup at Buffalo looms next Monday night. But Denver’s rushing attack, red zone defense and encouraging play from quarterback Russell Wilson are reasons for hope.
“We’re doing a number of the things necessary to win games that I don’t think we were doing nearly as well at the start of the season,” Payton said.
In a league that now leans heavily toward throwing the football, Denver’s run game has been the backbone of its recent success. The Broncos have averaged 129.8 rushing yards in the last five games after averaging 95 during the first three games.
The Broncos have topped 100 yards on the ground in four straight games, with running back Javonte Williams piling up 80-plus in two straight and 219 yards on 52 attempts in his last three contests.
Denver’s defense has been just as impressive. The Broncos have allowed an average of 15 points and forced seven turnovers since Week 6. The Broncos’ red zone defense has been a testament to the unitap rejuvenation, with three touchdowns allowed on 16 trips inside their 20-yard line over the last four games. The latter stat includes three takeaways, two of which were interceptions.
The Broncos also have done well at defending the run, as they have allowed 98.3 rushing yards per game since giving up 234 to the New York Jets in Week 5.
“I think it is just how we fine-tune the details because that was what we were missing,” safety Justin Simmons said after the 24-9 win over the Chiefs. “You got to continue that communication (and) development as a unit, and good things will continue to happen.”
Payton has been impressed with Wilson, who is playing in his third offense in three seasons. Wilson has already matched his touchdown total from last year (16) and has the fifth-best passer rating in the league (101.7).
Wilson’s off-schedule plays have been encouraging, Payton said. He highlighted Wilson’s touchdown pass against Kansas City at home when the 9-time Pro Bowler stepped up in the pocket before finding wide receiver Courtland Sutton in the back corner of the end zone.
Reducing turnovers also has been an area of improvement for Wilson. He has thrown two interceptions in the last five games. Both picks came in the road loss to the Chiefs.
“There’s a lot of things we’ve been impressed with that he’s doing really well,” Payton said.
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