Broncos HC Sean Payton gets real on escaping near-losses to race to 4-2 start appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Denver Broncos sit at 4-2 after six weeks, but Sean Payton is not pretending the record tells the whole story. Denver survived another nail-biter on Thursday night, edging the Seattle Seahawks 17-14 in overtime at home. The Broncos led 14-3 before Seattle scored 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to force the extra period.
Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian then intercepted Sam Darnold on Seattle’s opening overtime possession, and Wil Lutz drilled a 53-yard field goal to win it.
Payton said he is proud of how his team navigated the opening stretch, but he made it clear he knows how thin the margins have been. “I’m a little bit of a realist to know that 4-2 could be 2-4,” he said.
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The numbers back him up. Three of Denver’s four wins have come down to the final minutes. In Week 3, the Broncos erased a 16-0 halftime deficit against the Los Angeles Rams, took the lead on a Bo Nix keeper with 47 seconds left and sealed the 30-26 win when Talanoa Hufanga intercepted a pass in the end zone.
Last Sunday, Denver trailed the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10 early in the fourth quarter before a defensive stop on fourth-and-1 swung the game. Nix found Courtland Sutton for the tying touchdown, and Lutz added two late field goals in a 23-17 win.
Denver’s other win came in Week 2, a 20-13 home victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Denver opened the season with a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and fell 24-14 to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4.
The defense has carried much of the load. Against Seattle, Denver posted five sacks and three takeaways despite playing without Patrick Surtain II and Hufanga in the secondary.
The offense remains the bigger concern. Payton took back play-calling duties ahead of the Chargers game, but the unit managed just 17 points against Seattle, including Lutz’s game-winner.
Escaping close games is a skill, but Payton’s comments suggest he does not view it as a sustainable formula for a team that reached the AFC Championship Game last season. Denver will now get extra rest following the Thursday night win before returning to action.
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