The Denver Broncos secured a 27-26 overtime victory against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, marking another close win in their season. Head Coach Sean Payton compared the game to a similar comeback he experienced with the New Orleans Saints in 2009 at the same stadium. Reflecting on that past game, Payton said, “We were down a bunch of points and came back and won in overtime, and almost like [we] wanted to sprint in the locker room and shower so they couldn’t make us come back.”
Payton emphasized the importance of such wins for teams with championship ambitions. “It’s a great game to win; it’s a tough one to lose,” he said. “… The journey of a good team’s season involves games like this, and then you believe you can do it again.”
This season, Denver has demonstrated resilience in tight situations. The team has now achieved an 8-2 record in one-score games and is currently holding the No. 1 seed position in the AFC following Sunday’s results. In recent weeks, each of their victories has been by three points or fewer.
Tight end Evan Engram commented on the team’s ability to handle pressure: “We’ve been in these close games,” Engram said. “We’ve been in these pressure moments. Guys just stay calm, stay present and we just answer the bell.”
Key plays throughout Sunday’s game contributed to Denver’s win, including Dre Greenlaw’s first-half interception, Alex Singleton’s pass breakup downfield, Bo Nix’s touchdown pass before halftime, Engram’s 41-yard catch-and-run setting up a decisive score, and Nik Bonitto’s defensive play during a two-point conversion attempt.
Quarterback Bo Nix tied John Elway for most game-winning drives in a single season for the franchise. Afterward he stated: “We got incredible belief no matter what,” Nix said. “We just feel like we’re going to figure out a way to win the game, make the next play.”
Nik Bonitto highlighted how unpredictable results across Week 13 made every victory significant: “Even if you look across the league this week, I mean, a lot of the teams that were supposed to win those games lost a lot of them,” Bonitto said. “You know, that’s what the championship teams [do] — you’re going to find ways to win, and we did that today, so we’re not going to take any wins for granted. We know this was a game that, you know, we wanted to win, and we found a way.”
The Broncos’ tenth victory increased their chances of winning the AFC West division title as well as improving their odds for securing home-field advantage throughout playoffs.
Coach Payton summarized his perspective on Sunday’s result: “We [didn’t] escape,” Payton said, “We won.”
Looking ahead after another narrow victory this season Nix added: “There’s something special, but we also feel like there’s more in the tank,” Nix said. “We also feel like there’s more to grow from. As much as we feel like we’ve had success, there’s a lot of guys in that locker room that are eager to perform better. We know that there’s a higher ceiling that we could play up to.”
