The Denver Broncos are approaching the final stretch of the regular season with a strong position in the playoff race. With five weeks left before the postseason, the team is in control of its destiny and does not need to rely on other NFL teams’ results.
“We worked for this moment and opportunity,” said cornerback Pat Surtain II on Wednesday. “… We [don’t have to] wait for teams to do this and that to get into a spot. I feel like we control our own destiny.”
This weekend, Denver has a chance to secure an important playoff tiebreaker with a win over the Raiders. The Broncos have built their case as contenders by winning nine consecutive games and recording the most one-score wins in the league this season. They have also joined the 1986 New York Giants as one of only two teams to win four straight games by three points or fewer, with the Giants going on to win a Super Bowl that year.
Quarterback Bo Nix commented on the team’s progress: “I think it’s important to not lose track of that. It’s a good perspective to have — that no matter what’s going on, you’ve worked hard and you’ve gotten yourself to a 10-2 record. We believe we could’ve been even better. It’s all about moving forward. It’s the next mentality. It’s the next game. We’ve got an important one this week, divisional game on the road. Those are always important to go out there and get. They’re a tough team, they’re a hungry team, they have veteran players who are going to play really hard, and I think at the end of the day, you’ve just got to keep moving on. But at the same time, don’t forget how far you’ve come and where you are as a team.”
The team’s performance allows them to focus fully on their upcoming opponent without distraction from broader playoff scenarios. Surtain emphasized home-field advantage but cautioned against looking too far ahead: “Home-field advantage is very important,” he said. “I think it’s key in the playoffs. But also, we’ve got to take it one week at a time. We can’t have our eyes set on it just yet, because we’ve got a lot of season to finish.… We’ve got some good opponents coming up. I think the key is to understand that that’s a great thing to think about, but also understand that this season, we’ve got to finish out the season the right way.”
Nix added that continued success will keep them in contention: “if we just keep winning football games, we’re going to be just fine.”
As they prepare for their divisional matchup against Las Vegas, Surtain noted opponents will be motivated against Denver: “We know teams are going to give us their best shot, just because [of] the record.… We know we’re up [high on] the totem pole, and we’ve just got to keep on executing and keep on putting our best foot forward each and every week.”
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton reflected on what’s at stake for Denver: “the preparation and mindset is a little different when you know that you’re playing for something bigger than anything that you can imagine.”
Looking ahead at what remains possible this season despite already reaching double-digit wins early, Nix concluded: “10-2’s hard to do,… We won 10 games last year at the end, and we’re not at the end yet and we’ve already won 10.
“That’s an improvement, but we didn’t work this hard to just win 10.”
