The Denver Broncos improved to 7-2 on Sunday following a 26-21 win over the Carolina Panthers. Though the Broncos held a 10-0 lead early and looked to extend it, many fans across the league saw it as another lucky win for a team that seems to find a way to pull it off.
Down 14-13 in the third quarter, the Broncos' defense looked for a goal-line stand as the Panthers had first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young dropped back to throw, looking into the back corner on the left side of the end zone for tight end Tommy Tremble. Instead, the ball ended up in the hands of Broncos safety Devon Key for an indescribable interception.
Later in the game, the Broncos survived a near disaster that would have set Carolina up nicely
for the game-winning points.
COLEMAN FUMBLES THE BALL ALL THE WAY INSIDE THE BRONCOS 5 pic.twitter.com/0NWCbSMYH3
— Oate Noats (@OatetheNoats) November 8, 2026
That all led to the Broncos setting a new NFL record for winning their 16th straight one-score game, something that is hard to fathom. So, is this team lucky or good? Head coach Sean Payton was asked that question following the Broncos' latest win.
Sean Payton answers whether Broncos are lucky or good
“Well, when it keeps happening, I think our league is what it is," Payton said. "When those things keep falling your way, that's not by accident.”
In a follow-up question, Payton was asked about the improbability of winning 16 straight one-score games.
“That's a great one," Payton said. "Well, part of it pisses me off because there's been a few of them that you would say shouldn't have been one-score games and then obviously there's some that are, but it's the ones that, like — look, they've been great. We knew coming in Thursday, we just knew the type of team we were playing. They've been doing some really explosive things on offense. They were banged up, certainly, on defense, as we were. But we'll take this break, but we still have to be — and it's not that you're never satisfied, but we still have some work to do. To your question, I don't think I have a great answer. I think we had a decent start. We ended up settling for a field goal.”
Payton talked about how some of those games should not have been one-score games. This one on Sunday against the Panthers fits that description. The Broncos were the better team and they left with the victory. Wins in the NFL are not easy to come by, so you'll always take them any way you can get them.
But as the old saying goes, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Are the Broncos lucky or good? Sean Payton weighs in
