Good morning, Broncos Country!
A good dose of revenge is always good for the soul.
The Denver Broncos get their chance at a redo and to deliver a heaping portion to the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. But more than that is what a win does for the Broncos’ goal of winning the AFC West again and, with it, a higher seed in the AFC playoffs. Denver’s odds of winning the AFC West shoot up with a victory.
The revenge is nice, mainly for the fans, but it’s what comes with the win that matters for Denver this Sunday.
As Broncos quarterback
Bo Nix said to the media on Wednesday:
“I think point blank, it’s important to our team. It’s important to us as players. They’ve been a really good team for a long stretch, and they continue to win games … It’s very challenging because they’re such a good football team all the way around. It starts with coaches, and then their players and their scheme.
“They do a great job, and they just know how to win. They built a great culture of winning. For us, it’s about the next-game mentality. We know it’s a big one. That goes without being said. After falling to them already this year, this one is important to us. I expect a good game.”
For Denver head coach Sean Payton, he doesn’t have to do much in terms of sending a message this week. The players know what this game brings.
“I think teams in our league start with goal (No.) 1, win the division, goal (No.) 2 is best playoff seed, and goal (No.) 3 is win a championship,” Payton said to the media earlier this week. “So these division games work towards that first objective, and obviously, we’re playing a good team that has certainly been at the top of this division a long time.”
As to whether Sunday’s game is a “must-win,” especially since it puts the Broncos in a great position to do that, Payton said there is still a path to the AFC West title even with a loss, just because of how much of the season remains. Though a win does make the path “easier.”
“My message really afterwards was just that I said, ‘Look, don’t lose track of goal one, goal two, goal three,’” Payton said to the media. “We’re going to play in bigger games, but this is the next one, and I’m sure they’re looking at it the same way.”
