Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - BIG WEEK: Denver Broncos Can REPEAT HISTORY vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos are AFC West champs and the number one seed in the AFC is theirs for the taking. You are locked on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. The Denver Broncos are AFC West champions for the first time since 2015. Broncos country, a lot of history repeating itself and we're going to break it all down as well as all of the. action that went down in the AFC over the weekend on today's episode of Lockdown Broncos. And we're also going to talk about what this team needs to do after what we saw against

Starting point is 00:00:45 Kansas City to take that number one seed in the AFC. Get that by week and hopefully continue repeating history all the way to Santa Clara. But welcome in Broncos fans. We're so grateful for every single one of you that makes Lockdown Broncos your first listen of the day every single day right here on the Lockdown podcast network. one sports podcast network and for all you every dayers out there go ahead check out the show notes we want you to join the every dare all access club if you haven't done so already we'll talk more about that later but cody we got to break down something really exciting obviously the broncos

Starting point is 00:01:21 winning the division title it's kind of been expected for the last handful of weeks but i think broncos country got to sit back over christmas weekend after that win against the chiefs We got to kind of watch it all unfold, right? We got to watch the Houston Texans take down the L.A. Chargers, but this isn't about any help that the Broncos got. Let's talk about how the Broncos themselves earned that AFC West title for the first time in a decade. They just kept finding ways to win games, Sarah. That's the most important thing.

Starting point is 00:01:51 And look, you're going to see a lot of people say, oh, well, they had such an easy schedule. Listen, I always think that narrative was so lazy, right? Because the idea about the schedule, that's all based on a schedule. how teams finished last year. Who cares? Every year we see NFL teams rise and fall, and we've seen that. The Denver Broncos are very much a team on the rise. And what they did, they won 11 straight games. They've won 13 games total on the season. And now it sets up for a chance for them to get to 14 in week 18. And I like how you mentioned history, maybe kind of repeating itself a little bit. So many parallels with maybe this regular season finale and this

Starting point is 00:02:29 Denver Broncos team compared to where they were at in 2015. It's exciting, but we don't know how this week is necessarily going to go. And forgive me, Broncos country for my voice. I'm overcoming the flu, but this is the Cody Warc flu game here. They couldn't miss this. AFC West Champions show here, but stare, anyone trying to diminish this, they're filthy casual. They know nothing about the game.

Starting point is 00:02:52 The Broncos, they deserve exactly to be where they're at. And it was almost a prophecy from Sean Peyton that was almost a year ago. at this point where he did his end of season presser back in January. And he talked about this exact thing, winning the division, hosting playoff games, right? That's the next step for this team. And I think at the time, especially after losing to Buffalo in the playoffs on the road, it still felt like there was that separation. Remember when Sean was asked about that after that game and talking about,

Starting point is 00:03:22 hey, did you kind of sense that separation between you and the bills? And he was like, well, I didn't, I didn't sense it at all until they basically started to put us, way in the second half, right? But it's, it's that mentality that I think the Broncos felt like they were further away after that playoff. Remember what he said right after that too? Sorry to interrupt you.

Starting point is 00:03:40 No, what he said about if they had won that game against Buffalo, how he felt? Yeah, I remember that. He's like, we felt about beating Kansas City right after that. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:03:49 And he's put feet to all of these words, right? If you can walk it, but you can't talk it, I have a problem with that. But Sean Payton, he talks the, talk and then he walks the walk. He said, we got to go win the division. And what have the Broncos done now for the first time since 2015? They've won the division. And it wasn't the other teams

Starting point is 00:04:11 doing this for them. It wasn't, well, you know, we got to send a thank you note to the Houston Texans. The Broncos took care of business. Like you said, they won 11 straight games. And they did that against a wide variety of teams. I think that's the thing that's really, it can irk you if you're in Broncos country, hearing all these things about, hey, this team is on fraud alert, right? They haven't really beat anybody. And I think that's so, such a bogus claim, Cody, when you look at just the way that the Broncos have, have played throughout the course of this season, the way that they've maybe endured through difficult situations, short weeks, international games, playing against getting everybody's best effort. You know, last year, that wasn't necessarily the case.

Starting point is 00:04:52 This year it is. This Broncos team has, has, has. vastly significantly improved from last year's squad, especially situationally. Well, and everyone tries to move the goalposts on this team too, because you look at other performances. You know, there's been performances this year from Josh Allen where he's been up and down. C.J. Strout, heck out, even mentioned C.J. Stroud from this past week, it's game against the Chargers, where people will, if Bo Nix had those type of performances, right, people will completely bury him. Bo Nix has a good performance. Well, then everyone puts an asterisk nearer, right? And I think the thing that stands out to me, and this was something coming out of the win against Kansas City.

Starting point is 00:05:29 Bo Nix, 23 wins so far in his NFL career in the first two seasons. The only quarterback in NFL history to throw for 7,500 plus yards, 50 passing touchdowns and have 20 plus wins in his first two seasons. That right there is great. I mean, he's the guy that the Broncos have been looking for. And does both struggle at times? Absolutely. Which quarterback this year, Sarah has struggled? we've seen Mahomes struggle.

Starting point is 00:05:56 We've seen Burroughs struggle. We've seen all the elite guys struggle. So why is it that people continue to disrespect Bo Nix? I hope the Broncos take this and all that disrespect. And I hope they use it as fuel going forward. I really do too. I think that it's been a year of kind of just wondering like Mugatu on Zoolander. Am I taking crazy pills?

Starting point is 00:06:17 Like I'm watching Bo Nicks play as well as any quarterback the Broncos have had since Peyton Man. And not just since. Peyton Manning, but I mean, you go back to the, this is since Elway type stuff. I mean, there's three quarterbacks that have ever won as many games and made the playoffs in each of their first two seasons. And Bo Nix is one of them. Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson are the other two guys. It just doesn't happen. 10 plus wins, playoff appearances in each of your first two seasons. That does not happen, Broncos country. So what we're witnessing is not just the Broncos

Starting point is 00:06:50 getting back to, hey, this is what the team does. This is the expectation for the team. They're winning. like Sean Payton talks about this how, you know, there's certain things that are for like previous iterations of the team, right? Those are somebody else's demons. They got to exercise. What the Broncos are doing under Sean Payton is making ridiculous history. I mean, with the biggest dead cap hit in NFL history from Russell Wilson, arguably the worst trade in NFL history.

Starting point is 00:07:16 I know that the Deshaun Watson one will always take the cake, but the Russell Wilson trade is up there among the worst in NFL history. Certainly the contract is. up there among the worst in NFL history for Sean Payton to come in and turn this thing around and get a quarterback, the sixth quarterback taken in the 2024 draft, go to the playoffs with a rookie quarterback, go back to the playoffs as a division champ in his second season when you're obviously got a bigger target on your back. It is, it's coach of the year type stuff, Cody. And I don't think Sean's going to win it because of how good the Broncos were last year.

Starting point is 00:07:53 that's always an award that's given to the worst to first team around the league. But I feel like what he's done this season warrants that award absolutely 100%. When it's hard to overcome some of those things, right? You talk about dealing with the dead cap. You talk about having a pretty young roster. And I would even say last year you didn't have as many playmakers as I would say that you have right now. Denver has some young playmakers here. Troy Franklin is still emerging, still growing.

Starting point is 00:08:21 Marvin Mims, we know he's gay. of it. It's just about usage here with him. Pat Bryant, man, he's been fun to watch as a rookie. You do have a guy in Evan Ingram who hasn't been used. I would say to the point in which you want to see him use, maybe that gets unlocked during the playoffs. But arguably, and RJ Harvey, J.K. Dobbins, talk about those guys. Denver has the foundation. They had that in place. And now they got a coach who says, hey, this is our vision. He's drawing a line in the sand. And he is saying, we're not crossing this. We're going to go out there. We're going to set the standard. We're not going to let other people dictate it. John is very much running things his way. And it's an exciting thing to see.

Starting point is 00:08:57 Because yeah, the Broncos 13 and 3, AFC West champions, Sarah, they earned this. Nobody had it to them. They went out there and they earned it. So if people want to move the goalpost, go ahead. Enjoy the L, the Broncos, AFCS champions. Yeah, we can't hear you from the mountaintop up here. It's the Denver Broncos in the AFC West. The Broncos, they have returned to their glory that I think that Everybody in Broncos country will agree. This is what we believe can be the norm for this team going forward. But they're not done yet. The AFC West, that was only part of the equation.

Starting point is 00:09:30 The number one seed that is on deck. And the Broncos, they can take it at home rocking the throwbacks against the LA charges who they have yet to beat. Are they going to make it happen? We're going to tell you why they can and why they will. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by prize picks. Whether you're starting a new routine or jumping into player projections for the first time, trying something new can feel like a challenge.

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Starting point is 00:11:16 pressure makes them grumble or makes diamonds but broncos country we're going to break down all that went down in week 17 of the AFC action. Broncos didn't get much help, but they did get enough. And you know what? There's plenty to be excited about. And I think having that pressure is going to be good for this team, especially entering the playoffs. But quickly, I want to say thank you to every single one of you out there, everyday listeners

Starting point is 00:11:39 of the show. We appreciate you so much. I hope you had an amazing holiday weekend and want to invite you if you haven't done so already to join the Everyday All Access Club. If you're already an everyday listener of the show, You're going to absolutely love the All Access Club. We're going to get locker room clips from Cody going into practice every single day. He talks with the players.

Starting point is 00:11:59 You'll get to hear those interactions as well as see all 22 stuff. You'll get to have bonus episodes of the show, locked on merch discount code, all that fun stuff. So check out the link in the show notes for more on that. We appreciate you for considering it. And Cody, let's talk about all that went down in the AFC this week because the Broncos got the help that they, like, If you had to pick one game that the Broncos wanted to, okay, we're rooting for the Texans this weekend, right, against the Chargers. The Broncos got that, not going to complain about anything else that went down, but the Patriots, they beat the brakes off the Jets, the Jaguars. They managed to somehow come back and beat Philip Rivers and the Colts.

Starting point is 00:12:40 It wasn't a perfect weekend in terms of getting the help that the Broncos wanted, but certainly you will take this when it comes to that Chargers game against Houston. it just thickens that pool in the AFC. Yeah, it does. And I think it sets the table a little bit for an exciting week 18 because, as you mentioned, the stakes are high. The Broncos have a little bit more pressure on them here this week. And the reality of it is because of some of the results on Sunday, the Broncos, they can't finish any lower than the third seat, right?

Starting point is 00:13:11 But the hope is you don't have to worry about that because you have a big game against the Chargers this week. A lot of people are wondering, are the Chargers? is going to play their starters this week, considering, you know, they've already locked up a playoff spot. That I think remains to be seen. I don't think that they're going to rest. I think that this is very much a game that they're going to try to go out there and say,

Starting point is 00:13:30 hey, we don't want the easy path. They're going to make things tough for the Broncos. Do they want Denver to have a first round buy? I think secretly, no. It doesn't seem like Harbaugh is cut from that cloth here. But for the Broncos, it's you shouldn't have to worry if they're playing their starters or if you're playing their backups. You must find a way to win this game here.

Starting point is 00:13:48 you mentioned the throwbacks are going to be worn this week, which is obviously exciting. This has the chance, as the time that we're recording this Sunday afternoon, it has a chance to maybe get flexed into Sunday night football, obviously, but we don't know if the information is out there yet as the time that we're sitting here recording is at 405 p.m. Mount time on Sunday. The parallels for this game most here, they excite me because remember 2015, week 17, the Brockoos versus the Chargers in Denver. Denver wins.

Starting point is 00:14:17 they are the number one seed in the playoffs because at that time, the New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins. You don't have to worry about that in this case. However, the Patriots are right there behind you. They got the same exact record as you. And so you want to take care of business here. But a win gives Denver the number one seed,

Starting point is 00:14:33 home-filled advantage and the parallels. Once again, just very, very exciting. A lot at stake here for this Broncos team. It's massive stuff. I mean, they do have that tiebreaker in their back pocket against the New England Patriots, of course the Patriots losing all the way back in week one to the Las Vegas Raiders of all teams who may lock up the number one pick at some point.

Starting point is 00:14:55 That looms large for them. So I think with the Broncos having that in their back pocket, it gives you a little margin for error, but you really don't have the ability to lose this weekend and feel good about potentially getting the number one seat, right? Because obviously Jacksonville is looming behind you. They play the Titans and they have that head-to-head tiebreaker. So if you finish with the same record as Jacksonville, you'll drop behind them for sure.

Starting point is 00:15:19 But then there's also, I mean, the AFC South, Cody, that battle is going to come down to the wire. If the Jags do, maybe Cam Ward and the Titans, they've been playing some decent football lately. Maybe they can upset the Jaguars in week 18. We'll see what happens.

Starting point is 00:15:33 But then the Texans, obviously, they play against the Indianapolis Colts. And I don't think Philip Rivers is going to be playing in that game. So it's going to be a photo finish for many of these AFC, battles and two divisions up for grabs, right?

Starting point is 00:15:47 I think that's, I think that's the case with the Patriots and the bills and the bills, obviously, we'll see what happens with them. But like you said, we're recording this kind of in the middle of all the action. So we'll definitely have more AFC reaction on Monday. But certainly for the Broncos, it's simple. When you get the number one seat,

Starting point is 00:16:04 that's it. I mean, point blank, you don't have to worry about anything else if you win this game. And frankly, I kind of like the fact that up to this point, Sean Payton has yet to beat. Jim Harbaugh as the head coach of the Denver Broncos with Harbaugh, the coach of the Chargers. He's 0 for three so far.

Starting point is 00:16:21 I kind of like, and Bo Nix pointed that out actually after the Chiefs game. He's like, I haven't beat them yet. That's in the back of everybody's mind right now is that this team has yet to get past the Chargers. So I think they're going to play with the chip on their shoulder regardless. Yeah, look, I think you're going to get everybody's best. This week on, it's playoff football. You have to have that mentality. You've got to start getting in there now.

Starting point is 00:16:43 you can't just say, hey, once we get into the playoffs, like if Denver wins the number one, see it's like, all right, come to the division around, we're going to flip the switch, and then it's our best. You want to be playing your best when you get to the division around, when you get potentially to the AFC championship, when you get to the Super Bowl.

Starting point is 00:16:57 Hopefully, that is obviously the goal here for Denver, but you don't want to lull into the playoffs, right? And it isn't going to be easy. And one thing that Sean Payton pointed out, too, when you talk about how the Broncos win, I don't think we're going to highlight this much in our post game, but he said it doesn't have to be aesthetically, pleasing. Certainly, I think we would all like it to be a little aesthetically pleasing.

Starting point is 00:17:16 I think the fan base certainly would as well. But the only thing that matters is going out there and beating the Chargers and look. And Houston was able to get after Justin Herbert left and right. But man, he still made some plays. Like here's the thing that I'll say about the Chargers. Justin Herbert is not the problem for that team. They have a handful. They have a good defense. They have a good quarterback. But man, the offensive line for them is in shambles. They have really good playmakers. The fact that they were able to get as far as they have, with all those circumstances, I think is a testament to how good of a quarterback Herbert is. Now, Denver, they don't have to care about any of that.

Starting point is 00:17:51 They just need to go out there and dominate. They need to run the football against him. They need to protect the football. They need to get after Herbert, not let him use his legs to extend plays up the field the way he hurt the Houston Texans. To me, I'm very curious to see how the Broncos come out this week from a game plan standpoint. The many buy week certainly helps. But I think it really sets the table for what we're obviously going to talk about

Starting point is 00:18:10 as to what they must fix in week 18 to lock up the number one seed. I'm very, very curious to see how they approach this game this week. Yeah, I am too. And to your point about the Broncos coming off a mini-buye, we saw the benefits of that earlier this season when they played that pretty, I mean, talk about a win not having to be aesthetically pleasing the 10 to 7 game against the Raiders. I would say that was probably the low point this year for the Broncos, Cody, in terms of they haven't really had that many of them.

Starting point is 00:18:40 I know the Jacksonville game maybe rings a little bit, maybe ranks higher for Broncos country, but I think that Raiders game is about as bad as this team has played overall, and they still found a way to win that one. But we did see, to your point, coming off that mini buy after that, I felt like they played excellent in the very next game against Kansas City. And they kind of played their best stretch of ball that we've seen this season for maybe four or so games after that point. So that mini buy looms large for the Denver Broncos. At this point in the season, wholesale changes.

Starting point is 00:19:12 They're not going to be made, but we've seen this Broncos team make adjustments all throughout the year. What adjustments do they have to make? Well, it starts with finishing in the red zone, especially early in games. And Cody and I can give you a handful more adjustments that this Broncos team needs to make coming off this mini by, heading into a week 18 matchup against the Chargers.

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Starting point is 00:20:27 That's right. Three months of free payroll at gusto.com slash locked on NFL. One more time, that's gusto.com slash locked on NFL. So finishing in the red zone early in games, especially, is key for the Denver Broncos against the Los Angeles Chargers in week 18. And going forward to the postseason, but Cody and I have a number of other keys that the Broncos are going to have to make some adjustments here coming off this mini buy, which we've seen them do before Broncos country. So I think there's reason to be hopeful that they can get some of these things corrected for the playoff run and hopefully be playing their best football all the way to Super Bowl 60. and we want to thank you for rocking with us every single step of the way. You know that your boys, Cody and Sarah,

Starting point is 00:21:11 we've been with you through the highs and the lows, the off season, the postseason. Hopefully now we'll be with you through a Super Bowl run Broncos country. So we appreciate you everyday listeners out there. And want to once again encourage you to hit that subscribe button wherever you listen to podcast as well as on YouTube. Cody, let's talk about what the Broncos have to improve. We teased it. Let's talk first about the red zone.

Starting point is 00:21:34 they were 0 for two to start that game against Kansas City in Red Zone opportunities, which I think you look after the game, you look at points per drive because the Broncos, I mean, they were top tier in terms of points per drive. But when you have extended drives that are lasting 13, 14, 15, 16 plays, you don't want to finish those drives with three points. You want to get seven on the board. And they could have put the chiefs away early in that game with two touchdown drives that were long drives.

Starting point is 00:22:05 What do they got to do to finish better in the red zone? What is that missing thing right now? Yeah, I think one of the biggest things has to be the drops offensively. There were a couple when going back and watching the Chiefs game where it's just like you have the beautiful throw, which I feel like for Bo to throw to his left on the run, throw a little bit of a dot to little Jordan Humphrey, the DB makes a great play and it tips it into the air.

Starting point is 00:22:28 Can't get mad at that, right? But then, you know, Coralind has a drop across the middle of field on a third down that, you know, Bo had to throw it with pressure in his face. It felt like it was, you know, maybe a little in front of court, but it hit both of court's hands and he just lost it going to the ground. Then you have the shot in the end zone where Cortland catches it. Then it gets kicked out. Like, those are just missed opportunities.

Starting point is 00:22:47 And I like that Cortland shook it off in the second half. And I like that Bo kept going back to him. You know, I think that's the one thing about this team is like, if something's not working, they don't just give up on it. You know, they're going to keep going, but they're going to be methodical. I thought Bo Nix was excellent. Sarah, you talked about those long drives against Kansas City. Look, we know they finished with 39 minutes time of possession in this game.

Starting point is 00:23:08 Of their four scoring drives that they had, two touchdowns, two field goals, that took 32 minutes of time, right? So those were efficient drives. You want to see more of that. I think what we saw and how we saw it, the run game balance between Bo, R.J. Harvey and J. Loflin, I liked what I saw from all three of those guys. That has to be key. And on top of that, you talk about moving the chains for a first. down in some of those short-yarded situations.

Starting point is 00:23:32 I just thought Bo Nix was playing really good football. He's got to maintain that. But man, the drops have been killer, sir, for this Broncos offense, not just in this last game, but all throughout the entire season. They can't have that against the Chargers here on Sunday. Yeah, they've been the worst team in the NFL this season when it comes to dropped passes, at least going into that game against the deep they were. So I'm assuming after that game, it's not any better.

Starting point is 00:23:57 So, Cody, that's, that is huge. that was one of my biggest things when it comes to what do they got to fix going into this game against the charters? It's the dropped passes. How do you fix that in one game? Well, you got to start batting a thousand if you're the Broncos receivers. I mean, there's no there's no other question about it. This is the thing that I can't stand. And I'm not going to sit here and say that Bo Nix never makes off target throws or anything like that. But for NFL receivers, you are the one that's getting paid millions or hundreds of thousands or whatever it is to go out there and make those catches. If your quarterback puts a ball on a spot that you can get it or that you have an opportunity to make a play on the ball, you have to make those plays more often than not. What are we seeing for quarterbacks like Drake May or even Trevor Lawrence right now with Jacoby Myers there? We're seeing surehanded receivers that are making plays for their guy that's making the quarterback look really good.

Starting point is 00:24:51 I mean, people are talking about Jacobi Myers now because there's a clear before and after moment there for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season where Trevor, I said it before that game. He wasn't playing the greatest football until they acquired Jacobi Myers. Now all of a sudden, he's playing like an MVP. Drake May gets Stefan Diggs. All of a sudden, that dude's skyrocketing. I mean, even last year, we talked about it with him. It's like, man, he could take that leap if they could get somebody who could catch all offseason.

Starting point is 00:25:19 Now he gets Stefan Diggs in there. He's making ridiculous catches even against the Jets. So the Broncos, they just don't have that guy that's consistently making those. I don't want to say it's always a ridiculous catch, Cody, but I think it is those plays that are like, man, you've got to make that play for your guy in the red zone when he puts the ball on a spot like that. And that's happened way too often this season.

Starting point is 00:25:41 Yeah, I would say before they got Jacoby Myers in Jacksonville, I mean, I think it was Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix at the top of the list of yards missed due to player drops. Obviously, now that leads to Boe Nix because Bo has had so many receivers drop passes this year. I wonder if it opens up the door for George Pickens to Denver, which I don't know about the locker room fit. Maybe that's something that could be massaged or something like that.

Starting point is 00:26:02 But I mean, I love the group of young guys that Devere has. I think us talking about the drops and saying, hey, like Debra needs to get rid of these guys. No, these guys fit into what you need. But maybe adding another guy in the off season that can be a sure-handed weapon that takes the pressure off a court, allows those other guys to thrive, how we've seen Jacksonville thrive since Jacoby has now come over in that trade. I agree with you. I think that's important.

Starting point is 00:26:25 I think we've got to talk about the defense here. Look, the defense hasn't been pretty coming out of the biweek. There have been moments they've buckled down, but they've got to find ways to get stops on third down. They've got to find a way to be better in the red zone. And look, obviously against Ola Doken this past week, they found a way to win, but there were just a couple like sustained moments where he just made some plays and it's like, ah, this is not what you want to see happen. Justin Herbert, against some of those same looks would absolutely pick apart the defense. It's like so Denver's going to have to have a game plan in place. I think that they will.

Starting point is 00:26:58 I'm hoping to find out this week when I talk to players like, hey, what has been going on with the defense? I probably won't be able to share that information publicly when I have that conversation. It'll probably be an off-the-record one. But how can the defense get back to what we saw weeks one through 11? If they can find a way to do that and get takeaways here, Sarah. Like that's definitely one of the bigger things. The takeaway factor that has not been there has definitely led to some sustained longer

Starting point is 00:27:22 drives for them being on the field. that has to change in the playoffs, and I think that it will. I do too. I have to believe it. I just do. I mean, that's the toughest part right now about this Denver Broncos defenses, that they have 12 takeaways this year, actually just 11 because one of those 12 takeaways was the Jonah Ellis takeaway on a fumble against the Chargers back in week,

Starting point is 00:27:44 two or three or whatever that was. But yeah, that's 11 takeaways so far this season. I mean, for a defense with this kind of talent, when you've got 64 sacks, and you've got, I mean, probably multiple hundred quarterback hits at this point. I mean, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it feels like that, right? That's what everyone talks about. Pressures, quarterback hits, sacks. The Broncos get to the quarterback.

Starting point is 00:28:06 They've got to start popping that ball loose. They've got to start creating turnovers. They've got to start making plays on the ball. And I think that can be something that does shift in an instant, right? It's not something that, hey, we've got to go to the drawing board here in the off season and try to figure that one out or we've got to acquire the right. player. You've got the players. You've got the defensive scheme to be able to do it. You're getting to the quarterback consistently. It's just a matter of time, hopefully. And right now would be the best

Starting point is 00:28:34 possible time because the Broncos need that kind of, I guess, to get the ball rolling in that way, going into the postseason, they need to have takeaways. I would argue, Cody, that might be the biggest reason for everybody's frustration with the offense this year is the defense's lack of takeaways. Now, that's not to say the defense hasn't had games this year where they have absolutely dominated and they've given the Broncos offense opportunities to come back in games where the offense has struggled, right? The defense has done its part. I'm not saying that they've affected in any sort of way. But what I'm saying is that when you have those takeaways, you're creating those extra possessions for your offense. That's why the Broncos have played in so

Starting point is 00:29:14 many one score games. They're not forcing turnovers. They don't have takeaways. They're having to play tight games. They're having to come back. They're having to fool around with, all right, well, it's coming down to the wire because they're not getting those takeaways. So that's got to be the biggest thing for me. I think for both all phases of the game, special teams, offense, defense, creating takeaways is the number one thing that I think could sink this ship or propel the Broncos into a Super Bowl win this season. My final thoughts that I have here today, I mean, it really, Sarah, it is simple. It's the offense, the one thing I like about them, to the point you of them being in these one score games, they're finding ways to win.

Starting point is 00:29:52 They're finding ways to be clutch to make those clutch plays. Like that last scoring drive that Bo Nix led against the Chiefs this past week, that was a methodical drive there. He made some tough plays, used his legs, RJ came up big. I mean, that play where he's scrambling and it has to throw because the safety is trailing RJ and RJ has to kind of read and they're just in sync there. Like, that's a tough play. That's a tough play to make.

Starting point is 00:30:14 And they find ways to do it. And I like that, Bo's got some confidence. He's got some swagger here. we get to this point of the season. And hey, Denver's AFC West champions. That's step number one of their three step goals that they had here. When the AFC championship, next one, highest C possible. When on Sunday, you get that. Then when a Super Bowl, there's some work in between all of this in order for them to get that. I like that it's very much weekly focus. They're not looking too far ahead. And that is, I think, the difference as to why this Broncos team has been so good this year.

Starting point is 00:30:45 They're not buying into their own hype. They're not looking too far ahead. They're taking it one week at a time. Can they play better at times? I think we can all agree about that. They're playing. They're winning. That is the only thing that matters.

Starting point is 00:30:58 And they're AFC West champs because of it. They're AFC West champs. The number one seat is theirs for the taking. And we'll see if they can do it against the charges. We're going to have a lot of fun this week here on Lockdown Broncos breaking down. What's got to happen? In order for them, we've already talked about some keys that they have to get better at. We'll get to hear from Sean Payton.

Starting point is 00:31:16 Obviously, we'll get to hear from the team throughout the course of the week. And we'll have plenty of coverage for you besides that Broncos country. But we appreciate you so much for tuning in today. We'll catch you on the next episode, Lockdown Broncos.

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