Broncos have tall task vs. Bills: “There’s no better script”

There’s never a bad time for a bye week in the NFL, especially in the middle of the season.

But if ever a team might have wanted to play through, it’d be the Broncos. They finally put back-to-back wins on the board late last month. Their active roster is almost entirely healthy. They finally vanquished Kansas City. They finally, maybe, figured out their recipe for winning.

Then they went 15 days between games.

So, what will Denver look like when it takes the field Monday night in Western New York? Like a group that flashed and reverts to early-season form? Or like a team on an upward trajectory?

“You can’t start saying something like you’re beating the world after two wins, but we’re starting to believe,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “That’s the only thing that matters is this team believes it can win, and when it gets in those moments, it doesn’t back down, doesn’t cower, doesn’t emotionally check out. It’s alright, we got this. We can do this.

“We trust in the coaching and what the call is, and we’re going to go execute it to the best of our ability with fire in your gut.”

If the Broncos are to make an unlikely run to the postseason, they’ll likely have to win several straight games at one point or another — and the sooner the better.

That’s difficult to do in a league full of parity, to say nothing of playing the Chiefs and Buffalo back-to-back and entering each game as a touchdown-plus underdog. But Payton said earlier this week his message to Denver coming off the bye week has been about what it takes to go on an extended run.

“I think it’s important to understand what needs to happen week-to-week so you’re not just a win one, lose one, or win two, lose two,” he said. “What’s required mentally and physically to play your best. This week, it’s a much different type of challenge. This is a team that — they’ve had some injuries, but this is a team that’s been contending for the last however many years.”

The Broncos’ biggest on-field progress over recent weeks has been defensively, where they’ve swung form the worst in the NFL over the first month to a much stingier group in recent weeks. They’ve got a tall task on their hands this week against a Bills offense that features quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs and enters Week 10 fifth in scoring (26.7 points per game) and tied for second in the NFL in EPA/play overall.

Simmons, though, said he thinks Denver can get hot if it continues its recent trend defensively.

“Once we communicate well, it helps us execute at a higher level,” he said. “There’s less explosives, less touchdowns being given up in the red zone, and we’re finding ways to get off on third down. It’s just because guys are lining up, getting in the right spot, we’re communicating at a high level, and it’s helping us execute at a high level. That’s really what it comes down to.

“In order for wins to stack up for us, those things have to happen.”

Offensively, Payton on Friday said the Broncos have to take care of the football.

“If you look statistically speaking, they cause more fumbles than pretty much anyone in the league,” Payton said. “I think they’re second, and they’re coached well. … I think Sean (McDermott) and Josh (Allen) are like 33-1 when they win the turnover battle. So you can have your best plan and effort and everything else, but that’s kind of the trump card that can keep you from winning.”