After returning from their bye week, the Denver Broncos are focusing on improving penalties and turnover margin as they enter a critical phase of the season. Head Coach Sean Payton addressed these areas during a team meeting on Monday, emphasizing their importance for postseason positioning.
“Here we are, in a position to compete for seeding,” Payton said Monday.
Payton highlighted penalties as an immediate area for improvement. “The penalties stand out, if you said, ‘What’s the low-hanging fruit that you have to clean up to improve your chances of getting the best possible seed?'” he said. “Then, secondly, is harping on the plus-minus turnover [margin], giveaway-takeaway. We ended up up [plus] one last week, and that meant a lot. We were close to being up two, but in important games, that one possession can be the difference.”
This season, Denver has recorded double-digit penalties five times and exceeded 100 penalty yards in three games. Payton noted this is not an issue with just one player: “The penalty thing is not just one player… When you look at the totality of it, and you do your homework on it, and you look offensively and defensively, that’s something that we as a collective have to get better at.”
On turnovers, Denver’s offense has committed 12 giveaways—tied for tenth fewest in the NFL—while its defense has only nine takeaways so far this year. Despite ranking among the lowest in takeaways league-wide, the defense has maintained strong performance.
Kicker Wil Lutz expressed confidence in both Payton’s leadership and his teammates’ ability to make necessary improvements: “The guy wants to win,” Lutz said of Payton. “He’s addicted to winning, and he’s brought in guys who are addicted to winning. We’ve kind of approached it like that all year. He’s been very adamant, when you start stringing these wins together, it becomes addicting — and you don’t want to feel the other side of it. He knows he has the right guys in here that we can talk about it, we can be excited about our success this far, and at the same time continue to work, continue to get better. We have a full fourth quarter of this season to go. I mean more than that, I guess. No one’s looking in the rearview mirror. We’re all looking forward… We’re trying to get the history of the Denver Broncos back to the winning ways they had for so long in the NFL. We have the right guys to do it. We have the right leadership to do it. It starts at the top, and it just kind of trickles down to everyone. It’s been fun, and I think everybody plans on continuing that.”
Lutz also signed a three-year contract extension with Denver after joining ahead of last season—a move he described as positive for himself and his family: “Obviously, I think the cool part of anyone who’s been here the last few years is just seeing but also feeling the change that’s kind of going through this building over the past couple of years. I think that started with new ownership… Mr. [Greg Penner] and Mrs. [Carrie Walton] Penner have been great. The word ‘no’ really isn’t in their vocabulary for their players… You look at that new building every day that you’re out there at practice and you feel change that’s happening…”
He added praise for his relationship with Coach Payton as well as team personnel staff: “I have a great relationship with Coach Payton… This is place you want be… My family it’s just been such welcome change for us over last three years… We’re just really excited be part future here…”
Lutz admitted some surprise at receiving an extension mid-season but reaffirmed his commitment: “I think it was mutual,” Lutz said.” The whole process was fairly easy.We were all on same page about where I stand in this building and that I want be part this going forward.”
