On Christmas Day last year, the Denver Broncos made the typically dreaded trip to Arrowhead for a late December game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite Patrick Mahomes being on injured reserve, the Chiefs put up a spirited fight holding Denver without a touchdown until late in the third quarter and held a tie midway through the fourth. In the end, Bo Nix produced a game-winning drive and they would win the game to move to 13-3 on the season.
They wore their all-white Summit White uniforms in
that game and they’ll run them back to open the season on Monday Night Football in Week 1.
I like the threads a lot more than the regular ole away uniforms they usually go with. And if it means they beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead for the second straight year, then I’m definitely all over it
Broncos daily recap
Broncos announce they have named 9 team captains
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton met with the media today and announced that they have named a total of 9 team captains. These captains were voted on by the players and feature veterans and leaders from the offense, defense, and special teams.
Broncos Release Unofficial Week 1 Depth Chart ahead of Chiefs showdown
The Denver Broncos have released their unofficial Week 1 depth chart ahead of their Monday Night showdown vs. their division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. It is an “unofficial depth chart”; Head Coach Sean Payton isn’t giving away everything, but we still can learn a few things about the Broncos roster from this depth chart reveal.
Broncos at Chiefs preview: Denver aims for fast start
The wait is over. This is true on multiple levels. The Denver Broncos will open the season. And quarterback Bo Nix is set to return to the field after an ankle injury ended his and the Broncos’ season.
Potent Quotables
Wil Lutz
On what it means to be named a team captain
“It means a lot. I think when you’re voted as a captain by the guys that you come to work with every day and you spend a lot of time with, I think that’s the ultimate sign of respect and I don’t take it lightly. It’s pretty cool.”
On the team’s overall leadership
“We have a lot of leadership, and that’s kind of what I said the other night. I think this team is built to lead by committee. It has nothing to do with the ‘C’ [captain’s patch] on our chest. I think we have veterans in the right group. I think as a kicker being a captain, my job is to be a good teammate and make field goals. So that tells me I accomplished that, most of it so far. Yes, we have leadership at every position, and the team feels a lot older than it is, which is a good problem to have.”
On the players’ excitement about QB Bo Nix’s return
“Yes, I think everybody’s just ready to play. Obviously [QB] Bo [Nix] is one of our leaders, and we know what Bo’s capable of and he’s obviously a super talented quarterback. I think the hardest part about playing on Monday night is we have to wait. So I think everybody’s champing at the bit right now and Monday night will be here before we know it.”
On the emotions that go into kicking game-winning field goals
“You trust everything you’ve done throughout the season, throughout training camp, throughout the week, that your body knows what to do in every situation. I’m fortunate to have played long enough to have seen every situation, have been in every situation. So I just trust my preparation, trust my routine that when it is tight, when the game is on the line, that your body kind of takes over and what you do works. I think for the most part I’ve been able to do that.”
Courtland Sutton
On what it means to be named a captain for the sixth consecutive year
“I’ll tell you all the same thing I told the team. There’s an immense amount of gratitude that comes from being named captain. To be able to have your peers and the guys that you share work with, locker room, practice, film, games, bus rides, flights, the whole nine, you share those moments with, for them to, not just myself, but the rest of the guys that were named captains, to look at us and say, ‘We trust that you guys are going to help guide us in the right direction and we believe in you guys to be the anchor for us, for the ship to be going into the direction we want to go towards.’ I just have a lot of gratitude and thankfulness that, I know it’s the same, but that comes from being named captain for another season.”
On what it says about the team to have so many players as captains
“Yes, I think something I was telling the guys after we got done with the dinner, whether you have the ‘C’ [captain’s patch] or don’t have the ‘C,’ everyone has an opportunity to lead. Everyone leads in their own way. You may not have the ‘C’ on your chest, but we all have moments that our leadership shows. I think to answer your question, I think that it speaks volumes of what [Head] Coach [Sean] Payton has done and what Mr. [General Manager] George [Paton] has done in terms of bringing the right guys into the locker room. To be honest with you, we could have 15, 20 guys be captains on this team because we have such… I think there’s such a standard that’s been set amongst the locker room and amongst the guys to understand what it takes to be able to have success and to have productive days at work, whether it’s at practice, whether it’s in the locker room, in the weight room, in the film room. I think we have the right guys in those places, and it allows us to be able to have nine guys named captain. For ‘DK’ (S Devon Key) to be a new member of that group, I speak super highly of him. I probably don’t tell him this enough in person, but I tell all the other young guys to see him come in and to watch his journey, the way that has transpired and for him to never complain. There was one time when I think his rookie year, he was on ‘P’ [practice] squad. I never heard one complaint, he just came to work, got out there and did what he needed to do to be able to have success. Then to watch him grow, and mold into the player that he’s become, and then ultimately into this leadership role, into this captain role it’s truly inspiring to be able to watch that happen. Guys that are undrafted, guys that are drafted in late rounds, guys that get put on ‘P’ squad early on should look at his story and take that and run with it and say, ‘Look, if I keep my nose to the ground and keep working and keep developing myself, the sky’s the limit.’ I’m happy for him to be able to be in that ring and in that realm with us.”
On what makes Arrowhead Stadium a difficult environment and the keys to handling that atmosphere
“They have a passionate fan base. They have a very passionate fan base, and they come, they show up, and they show out and they lean into what makes them them. They say they have the loudest stadium, and it’s a good environment to be able to go play in. It’s a loud environment, it’s a place where they love their team and their team has had success. So therefore, they show up for their team and you just have to go out there and put your best foot forward. It’s a divisional game. I think everyone’s going to show up for a divisional game, and it’s on us just to go in there and execute one play at a time, one quarter at a time and see where the chips lie at the end.”
On opening the season on Monday Night Football
“Honestly at the end of the day, it’s exciting to be able to have the opportunity to open up the season, Monday Night Football, all the games are going to be done, college is done, everyone’s played Sunday, Sunday night’s done. The only game that’s going to be on is Chiefs-Broncos, and that’s what’s exciting. Yes, we have an extra 30 hours as you would say to wait to be able to get that first game off, but it’s exciting though. It’s exciting. It’s a privilege to be able to open up the season on Monday Night Football. They don’t just hand that out to anybody. I think that it speaks volumes to where our organization is getting back to and where people view the Broncos. I’m looking forward to watching the boys go out there, us and the boys go out there and put on a show for everyone on Monday Night Football.”
Under the radar
The Feed
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The first game of the season is kicking off tonight. I’m personally rooting for the Seattle Seahawks, because any AFC team needs to fall to an NFC team is there is a game. I am a selfish Broncos fan in that regard, though I dislike both the Seahawks and the New England Patriots fairly equally.
Who do you hope wins tonight?
