Getty Sean Payton has the Broncos snapping a three-game winning streak.
The Denver Broncos won their third straight game with a 24-22 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. In back-to-back games, head coach Sean Payton has helped the Broncos end two long losing streaks against AFC teams.
The Broncos hadn’t beaten the Chiefs in eight years.
They hadn’t won in Buffalo in 17 years.
Sean Payton has broken that winning streak in consecutive games
– Sayre Bedinger (@SayreBedinger) November 14, 2023
After the game, Payton told reporters that Denver had “a good road win” but acknowledged some things needed to be cleaned up.
“We felt the revenue margin would be significant,” Payton said Nov. 13. “And that was the case. When you finish with plus-three you usually win by more, but we hurt ourselves on offense with penalties. I mean, we were third-and-10 or more four times in the first half, and there’s a penalty on the drive that puts us in that position.”
The Broncos were only able to score six points with four turnovers. Overall, Payton was “proud” of Denver for how they “fought and persevered.”
“Defensively we did a lot of good things against an explosive team. They are a tough team to beat here, especially when they suffer defeat. I think they’re 33-1. With this quarterback and this head coach, if they take a loss, it’s pretty good and we felt good about the plan the week before. We’ll get to see a lot of good tape,” Payton said.
Denver has forced a total of nine turnovers in consecutive games against offenses led by quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
With the win, the Broncos moved closer to their terrible 1-5 start.
Buffalo’s self-inflicted wounds gave the Broncos a surprising win
GettyJosh Allen and the Bills had four turnovers against the Broncos.
Buffalo had four turnovers against the Broncos on the night. Running back James Cook fumbled the ball on the Bills’ first offensive possession after a four-yard reception.
Allen threw two interceptions, both in the first half. The All-Pro quarterback also lost a fumble on a failed handoff to Cook with 1:19 left in the third quarter.
Amazingly, things got worse for the Bills on the Broncos’ winning drive. Two crucial errors prevented the home team from getting a much-needed victory.
First, cornerback Taron Johnson had a 28-yard pass to Buffalo’s 45-yard pass on third-and-10. The foul on wide receiver Jerry Jeudy gave Denver the ball at the 17-yard line.
Then the Bills thought they had won the game after Wil Lutz missed a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left. Buffalo ultimately had too many men on the field during the miss.
Lutz made the most of his second chance by nailing a game-winning 36-yard field goal to seal the victory.
Broncos can even their record by defeating the Vikings in Week 11
GettyDenver can move to .500 with a win over the red-hot Vikings in Week 11.
The Broncos picked up a primetime win over the Minnesota Vikings, evening their season record at 5-5. Denver can reach .500 for the first time in 2023 if it beats the Vikings on Sunday Night Football.
The turnaround for Payton’s team was remarkable given its 0-3 start to the year. This is not the same team that the Miami Dolphins outscored by 50 points.
Two consecutive wins over playoff contenders did enough to change the narrative in Denver.
The Broncos will have to overcome a red-hot Vikings team to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. According to the New York Times, Denver’s win over Buffalo increased its postseason chances to 10 percent. They can increase their chances to 14 percent if they beat the Vikings.
Minnesota has endured a similarly difficult start to the 2023 season. The Vikings opened the year 1-4 before rattling off five straight wins.
Despite losing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles tendon, Josh Dobbs has carried the load for Minnesota. Dobbs has scored five total touchdowns with the team since being acquired at the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
The Broncos have exceeded expectations with their three-game winning streak. Denver will get another chance to continue to surprise in front of a national audience in Week 11.
Evan Craig covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Denver Broncos. Since 2021, he has also covered the NFL for SB Nation’s Turf Show Times. More about Evan Craig
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