Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos had a brutal ending to a game last week, but have a chance to snap right back on track with an improbable road win over the AFC West leading Los Angeles Chargers. To do that, however, they have a whole host of issues to clean up.
Head Coach Sean Payton was asked about how the team has progressed towards cleaning up those issues and the sense I got from his answer is that the process is an evolving state in search for a perfect game.
“It began in earnest; it began throughout the preseason,” Payton said. “You’re searching for that perfect game, and it’s an imperfect game. That Shangri-La that you’re always looking for, now you play some that are close but it’s an imperfect game. I think the one thing that’s very important for the player is to get on to the next play. Get on to the next play. Don’t carry that snap. We’ll address that snap. So that’s kind of a constant message: Let’s get on to the next play.”
They’ll need a perfect game, because the Chargers are looking like a legitimate contender here early in the season.
“They’re all important,” Payton said of this game being pivotal. “It’s Week 3. I’m waiting for, ‘Is this a must win?’ It’s an important game. It’s a division game. It’s an important game, obviously.”
The reason I think the Broncos might have a good shot in this game is because the Chargers are in the middle of a three-game run through the AFC West. Division games — even against the worst divisional teams — are usually hard-fought physical affairs.
If Denver can clean up their issues on defense and play more like they did against the Tennessee Titans than they did against the Indianapolis Colts, then they could catch the Chargers a little weary after such a physical against against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs coming in hot next week.
That the Chargers are are playing three straight against AFC West rivals caught Payton off-guard too. Seems like something he found unusual too.
“It’s funny,” he said. “When the schedule comes out, over the years I’ve learned… I just look at oddball travel. For them to have played the division by the time they get to Week 4, that’s unusual.”
Maybe I’m coping and the Broncos are about to get rolled tomorrow, but the NFL can be weird sometimes. I’m pulling for some weird on Sunday and for the Broncos to elbow their way into a first-place tie in the AFC West after this week.
