Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - SECURED: Denver Broncos LOCK UP No. 1 Seed in AFC Playoff Race

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos are the number one seed in the NFL playoffs, and the road to the Super Bowl has to come through the mile high city. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos country? Welcome into another episode, Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, the number one sports podcast network in the country.

Starting point is 00:00:32 As the Denver Broncos clinched the number one seed in the AM. FAC playoffs and now they'll have home field advantage the rest of the way. If they could take care of business starting in the division around just two weeks from now, we'll go through and tell you how the Broncos earn the number one seat in Sunday's game against the Chargers and the defense stepping up in a big way. We'll talk about the offense and how they didn't inspire a lot of confidence against the Chargers backup. What was that by design?

Starting point is 00:00:56 We'll go through that. Plus we'll hand out our game balls to players like Nick Benito, J-Quan Macmill, and more here on today's episode of the show brought to you by our friends over there at prize picks. Download the price picks app today and use code locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. I'm Cody Rourke, credential Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. Jordan is always by Sarah Beninger, site expert over there, predominantly orange.com. Sarah, it wasn't pretty, but you know what? The Debra Broncos, they win in week 18, the one thing that they had to do in order to clinch the number one overall seed. And now they have home field

Starting point is 00:01:27 advantage plus the number one seed first round by in this year's NFL playoffs. And I have a feeling, this might have come at the right time here because the team still has some things that they got to iron out. But you know what? 14 wins on the season, Sarah. It's been a while. It's been a long while, Cody. In fact, I don't think there's been very many teams throughout Broncos history that I've been able to win 14 games in the regular season.

Starting point is 00:01:50 I know that not every team has had, you know, 17 games to play with. But at the same time for this Broncos team to win 14 games, if you had told everybody in Broncos country before the season, hey, this team's going to win 14 games. They're going to win the AFC West. They're going to have the number one seed in the AFC. First of all, I think a lot of people would have said, you're drinking the orange Kool-Aid,

Starting point is 00:02:10 you're wearing the orange-colored glasses. And second of all, I think that a lot of people would have probably said, ain't no way that's happening with the Chiefs, with the Ravens, with the Buffalo Bills. Well, guess what? The Denver Broncos, they did exactly that. And you know what?

Starting point is 00:02:25 I agree, Cody. I mean, I'm as guilty as anybody during the game, being frustrated with the way things are going. My wife even was like, why are they doing this? Why can't they just punch the ball in? And I'm thinking to myself the same thing. I'm wondering why are the Broncos not dominating this game?

Starting point is 00:02:41 But the reality of the situation is this team played this game, as Sean Payton said, a certain type of way. And I think ultimately the goal is what the goal was to be the number one seat. And that's what the Broncos accomplished with this game, no matter what way they got it. We did see a lot of things, especially though, from the defense that we've been waiting for a long time. time to see this season. Yeah, I mean, it was nice to see the defense kind of come out this week

Starting point is 00:03:08 and kind of bring forth their best effort. I'd say defense and special teams, but the Broncos in this game here in Week 18 was good. It was exactly where it needed to be. And look, coming into it, I think there was kind of this unknown as to like, how do you play Trey Lance? Look, he's athletic. We saw he's not afraid to throw it. But obviously, you know, he doesn't have the experience, I think, to really test this Broncos defense. We kind of saw that here in Sunday's game. And obviously, no Justin Herbert, no Ladd-McConkey, no Orranda Gadsden in this game. But, you know, Keenan Allen played. They still had a handful of other players on both sides of the ball, to be honest with you,

Starting point is 00:03:41 you know, guys that weren't necessarily like full-time starters but rotate in. And, you know, they had some starters having to play in this game because guess what, you don't have a 90-man roster in the regular season. But I just like how Denver's defense played all day, really from their first drive. They kind of set the tone. They never really gave Craig Lansing Company any life. And I think to me, considering how the offense played, which we'll get into. that a little bit later on here in the show.

Starting point is 00:04:03 To me, that was refreshing to see here. Let's talk about the Broncos defense. What was one of the biggest keys? Sean Payton emphasized early on this week, and we even touched on our show and our buildup to this game was you have to find a way to create takeaways. Well, the Broncos, they created a couple of takeaways and they scored on one of them. Jaquan Macmillan's pick six, obviously off the tip drill.

Starting point is 00:04:23 That's exactly what you want to see. But then you want to see guys getting out in front like Riley Moss leading the cavalry and hitting Trey Lance so he couldn't make a play, obviously, on on J-Quon there. That was, that's exactly what we've been needing to see here from this team. And I feel like having this happen in this game plus a Nick Benito strip sack, now that stuff that's like, hey, carry that stuff over into the playoffs now. And if they can do that, I think that the Broncos, they're going to be in,

Starting point is 00:04:45 in a really good shape here, especially playing in front of the home field at Empower Field. Yeah, I believe Sean Payton said after the game that 88% of the time a team wins when they have a defensive touchdown in a game. So, I mean, just to show how important that pick six from, Jaquan Macmillan was not just in terms of, oh, it's a game changing play at the exact right time, but an opportunity for the Broncos to really dominate this game the way that they wanted to, not necessarily offensively, as we saw, but defensively when the Chargers with their backup quarterback were in such a hole, you're able to play your game defensively that you want to

Starting point is 00:05:21 play to be able to shut them down for the majority of this entire game. And so I think that's the thing that I saw with this, Cody, was when you start to force your will and impose your will defensively early on. I think that is a snowball effect. And we also saw, I mean, Alex Singleton probably dropped to pick six in this game. Riley Mops potentially dropped to pick six in this game as well. Jaday Barron. I don't know what's a catch anymore, Cody, but I thought Jade had a forced fumble at the end of

Starting point is 00:05:48 this game. So to me, it's like, all right, now we can really start talking about this team as a postseason contender because I know the offense didn't capitalize in this game. But look, I believe there's better days ahead for the offense, especially if the defense plays at this level, which has probably been my biggest concern in the second half of the season, right? And I think you and I would agree on that. It's like right out of the by, the way that they played against Washington, not good. The way that they played against Jacksonville, not good. Even the way that they played against Kansas City on Christmas night, not good against the Raiders late in that game.

Starting point is 00:06:24 I mean, it wasn't good enough. And this was finally the game, regardless if you're playing the. starting quarterback, starting receiver, starting O-line or the backups, it doesn't matter. This is the first time since the buy that I think we've seen the Broncos defense play at the level that they showed in the first 10 weeks of the year. I agree with you. And look, I would even say Trey Lant is probably more of a threat than Chris Oledokin, or maybe even some of the other guys that they have faced in a sense just because of his athleticism.

Starting point is 00:06:53 They even tried doing some QB design runs with him early on in the game. Denver's defense did a good job of shutting it down. And I think we have to also mention, you know, no JFM in this game. So In Yoma Uwazirica got the start. The Broncos relied on him. They relied on Jordan Jackson and Savian Jones, both those guys getting in the mix here as well. And I just felt like the pass rush, you know, with Nick Benito getting home, Zach Allen getting home.

Starting point is 00:07:14 I thought that the Broncos defense did a really good job of not showing their blitz, you know, or not failing to time it up correctly. I thought they did a really good job of that. And I felt like the coverage and the communication on the secondary was in a pretty good spot. and look, Denver in this game defensively, they lost another player who had to step in to start after Brandon Jones injury. PJ Locke, he kind of bang legs and bang knees with one of the players and he could not come back in the game and finish. Devon Key finished the game here for the Broncos. So now Denver gets the first round by.

Starting point is 00:07:43 You get some time to maybe get some guys back. Greg Greenlaw, we expect, I think, to be back for the divisional game. You know, when Denver did this, I think that JFM will probably be ready to rock and roll. He could have played in this game. But Denver's going to be smart with certain things like that because they're going to need JFF. in the place. I just felt like when the defense was on the field in this game, Sarah, I didn't have a single concern.

Starting point is 00:08:03 I just felt like, hey, the defense is going out there. You're not worried about the chargers moving the ball down the field against them. You know, all circumstances considered special teams. I just felt like the tackling is exactly where it needed to be as well. But I'll tell you this,

Starting point is 00:08:15 Sarah, the Broncos offense, they started off this game, exactly how you wanted them to, right? Ball control over almost eight, nine minutes taken off the clock. Unfortunately,

Starting point is 00:08:26 they settled for a field. goal. We'll talk about why the Broncos offense did not inspire in this game against the Chargers. And we're also going to talk about whether or not with Sean Payton being too conservative or are there legitimate concerns here with the office. We'll break all that down here on today's Lockdown Broncos Postgame report. Today's Lockdown Broncos post game is brought to my friends over there at drip drop. Kicking off the year feeling good is the goal, right? And honestly, hydration is the easiest win. And when I stay on top of it, my energy, my focus and my mood, they all level up. But let's be real. Plain water doesn't always cut it, especially when you're grinding through long days, hitting the gym.

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Starting point is 00:09:53 And use promo code, lock. on NFL. Today's postgame show is brought to you by friends over there at 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. But with prize picks, it always feels good to be right. With high pressure football matchups every weekend and elite hoops action almost every night, the action never slows down. And prize picks lets you stay in control. Prize picks is the daily fantasy app that makes watching sports even more exciting by letting you build lineups based on player projections.

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Starting point is 00:10:51 dollar lineup prize picks it's good to be right despite an uninspiring performance against the chargers in week 18 i'm saying the broncos offense there's nothing to worry about going into the postseason in fact i'm not concerned whatsoever i'm going to tell you why on today's episode locked on broncos our post game report here of course cody and i always enjoy getting to chat with you broncos country but it's the first time we've ever been able to chat with you when the broncos are the number one seed in the aFC so we hope you're enjoying it And all you every dayers out there, we appreciate you for rocking with us from the off season to the postseason, hopefully a Super Bowl run here. And if you haven't done so already, you're going to want to sign up for the Every Day or All Access Club.

Starting point is 00:11:33 Cody just drops great postgame interview clips with the players in the locker room that the All Access Club is getting. And you get plenty more of that throughout the week when the Broncos at practice. You also get all 22 breakdowns, bonus episodes of the show, discounted locked on merch, plenty more. So check out the link in the show notes for that Broncos country. But Cody, I'm making a bold claim here. I'm not concerned at all about the offense going forward. I think there's question marks. I think there's valid question marks.

Starting point is 00:12:00 But I'm not concerned about the offense going into the postseason. And I didn't get the feeling that Sean Payton was either. My number one reason for this is that we've seen this Broncos team step up and rise to the occasion. The majority of the games that they've played this season, even in two of their losses, I felt like the offense was perfectly fine. And so here's my thing. I don't have any level of concern right now, even though I would say, I would admit in week 18 against the Chargers and their backups,

Starting point is 00:12:29 they did not play an inspiring game whatsoever. Yeah, and look, to me, I think just initially going back fresh after the game and going through the vibe, like what happened with the offense in this game, because they did struggle to move the football at times, or they struggled inside the red zone. And I think those are some things that we can obviously break down as the week goes about here. I felt like after that first offensive drive,

Starting point is 00:12:51 I don't know what happened, but the offensive line seemingly kind of took a step back because I felt like the chargers generated a lot of pressure. I felt like they had free rushers off the outside head, like O'Dafay O'Way, you know, had a couple of times where he almost got Bo Nix right off the jump. And it's like, wait, why is that guy coming free? Bo Nix is pressing the, you know, Luca Evans tweeted out. It's like he's pressing the circle or the B button on Madden. And he's spinning out to try to avoid that.

Starting point is 00:13:14 You know, you don't want to have that happen in the postseason no matter who you play. I'm interested though. I would say like big picture perspective, I think the offense will be better. I think that they will play much better in the playoffs than what we obviously saw in week 18 against the charges here. I still have, what's the word? I don't want to say like concerns,

Starting point is 00:13:37 but I would say like things that I'm watching closely here, right? And the number one thing, Sarah, is, was this a game plan from Sean Payton? Because it very much felt like the play calling from Sean, this felt so conservative on Sunday because we're not seeing a lot of vertical passes. We're seeing a lot of east-west throws. And in my head, I'm thinking like, okay, I understand.

Starting point is 00:13:58 Like that's part of the playbook. The Broncos have been running that all season long. But there wasn't like this concerted effort to throw the ball downfield, not even like 10 yards. You know, we saw, you know, a couple of shot plays, you know, last week against the chiefs that Bowdox capitalized on. We didn't even see that type of downfield emphasis in this game, especially when the Chargers played that.

Starting point is 00:14:17 that soft zone shell that they certainly did. But to me, I'm sitting there and it's like, all right, was this Sean Payton calling a too conservative approach? I would say it didn't look pretty here in Week 18, Sarah. And I would say if, and I'm going to put the asterisk on this, I agree with you. I'm not concerned about them in the playoffs. I have questions, but I'm not too concerned. My only level of like pause or hesitancy right here would be like if the Broncos

Starting point is 00:14:44 offense plays in the playoffs the way that they did in week 18 with that same type of tempo the same type of results it isn't going to be good for them they have to find a way to shore some things up offensive line communication did not look like it was great in this game in particular especially against the charges backups and then the run game kind of teetered off a little bit after they got off to such a hot start on that first series yeah not to mention i mean finishing in the red zone right when you did get down there when you you know nick bony at you up with like yeah friend zone in the red zone as you always say. I mean, yeah, there's, like you said,

Starting point is 00:15:17 if the Broncos offense plays like this in the postseason, number one, I'd be surprised and number two, they will lose. There's just no question about it. I think there's, that's fair to say, right? I mean, field goals and not capitalizing on turnovers, like that's not going to cut it in the postseason, nor do you necessarily, you know,

Starting point is 00:15:36 I think the intensity just, it felt like the Broncos were playing not to lose this game. And I think they knew, that the talent margin was such, you know, just a huge chasm between them and the Chargers backups. Although I think they kind of got whipped up at the line of scrimmage, I hope it was another wake-up call for this offense, right? And not to say that, you know, they came out there with their best possible game plan and they just got beat straight up by the Chargers. I think it was a very concerted effort to play conservative. Like you said, lots of East West stuff, lots of quick passing games, screens that we don't even normally see the Bronco.

Starting point is 00:16:13 was run against, you know, the expected, and the Chargers, they're attacking. Jesse Minter, this is another, you know, notch on his belt, I would say, in terms of that head coaching candidacy for him, because you look at what the Chargers were able to do in this game with a lot of reserve players. And they were just, I mean, rally, tackle, rally, tackle, attack the line of scrimmage, make Bo Nicks uncomfortable. And it did make Bo Nicks uncomfortable. So I think that what we've seen from the Sanco's offense at times of the season,

Starting point is 00:16:40 it's just a, they have these sorts of games. They just, they, they've had them all year long, you know, throughout the season. But then there's stretches of play like you and I talked about before we started the show where shoot, that offense can go out there and be dominant in every fate or every, you know, aspect. And so that's what gives me confidence going into the postseason. And Sean Payton said it after the game, we'll get these things figured out for the playoffs. And I believe, I believe the Broncos offense is going to be able to figure these things out. Yeah, no, I agree.

Starting point is 00:17:10 And if I had to throw in maybe a suggestion, it's like something I would like to see is a little bit more Jalilu McLaughlin. I mean, Sarah, just felt like at least in Sunday's game, you needed some sort of positive play. Jalilil is finding a way to get those extra yards north-south, right? Like, he's falling forward and he's getting four or five yards of carry at this point. I liked what we saw with Bo in terms of using his legs, but don't you get a little weary sometimes?

Starting point is 00:17:33 Just like, you know, seeing what we saw in this game in particular with Alex Forsyth going down, Garrett Bull is going down. Luckily, both those guys came back in and finished the game. but at that point I was just like, hey, just protect Bo at this point. Like you don't want to take a shot. Like there was a, you know, a time or two, both slid and got hit by a defender, no flag, which I was like, man, if that was Patrick Mahomes, they would have had like a, you know, rooftop guy just, you know, send somebody in.

Starting point is 00:17:59 I just, I just felt like this was such a weird feel for the offense, right? And I think that they're trying to get R.J. Harvey, obviously, some more touches and some more looks. I just really think that you're two primary backs and you and I've been saying this for a while. It has to be Jalil and it has to be RJ. Those guys should be on the field primarily and nobody else should come on. Unless J.K. Dobbins magically returns at some point,

Starting point is 00:18:22 like no offense, but the Tyler Badei experiment needs to be done with the offensive flow and the rhythm. Yeah, I agree with you. And I think you want RJ getting those touches anyway because he's your most elusive back. So if you have a guy that's coming out of the backfield that you're setting up a screen for,

Starting point is 00:18:38 I would think you would, wanted to be R.J. Harvey. So that's why I did have a drop. He did have a drop on a swing pass. And that's the other thing, too, is like the drop passes this season. I mean, that has been, that is the one thing that I would say, I'm not talking about week 18 necessarily. I'm talking about the season overall. That's the one thing that would give me a huge concern for this team. But like, we didn't see Cortland. So like, did Cortland Sutton even play in this game? Did Troy Franklin even play in this game? There was nothing for those guys. Marvin Mim. barely got any action.

Starting point is 00:19:10 I mean, I know they played, but you know what I'm saying. I mean, it just, there was so much of this offense that was non-existent in this game that I don't think you can make any sort of sweeping evaluations, although I do think the Broncos will be able to go into this postseason, the divisional round with a big chip on their shoulder. Because like Bo Nick said after the game, so many people in the national media are going to give you every reason why the Broncos are going to lose in the divisional round. And I think that's going to be some more fuel to their fire.

Starting point is 00:19:40 Alex Smith was already popping off on whatever pregame show he was on. I remember seeing hours in the morning show here. Look at the targets right here, okay, in terms of Sunday's game. Evan Ingram had four. Pat Bryant led the team with five targets and four catches. Tyler Biday had two catches on two targets. Jillil had one catch on two targets. Marvin had two catches on three targets.

Starting point is 00:20:01 Cortland Sutton had one catch on two targets for five yards. And then RJ Harvey had four targets and one catch. Troy Franklin had a one target, no catch in this game. So this was not one of those games where the Broncos really just tried to come out and throw the football. It was really weird at times. It almost seemed like it was such a vanilla approach. I do wonder if that's what Sean was thinking. But then again, it's like being around Sean, that doesn't strike me as like who Sean is.

Starting point is 00:20:25 Like we're going to be as conservative as possible. And we're going to just wait for the playoffs to unleash everything. I don't know. But then again, we'll have to wait and see. Come to the division around, the Broncos offense explodes. I'm not even going to be thinking about it. So hopefully that is the case here in just a week and a half, two weeks time from now. Broncos country, Denver is the number one seed of first round by here.

Starting point is 00:20:44 And we're going to have our game balls from Sunday's game against the Chargers. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. The new year doesn't require a new you, maybe just a less burdened you. We all carry things that weigh us down or hold us back. And therapy can help you identify what those things are by offering an unbiased perspective to better understand your relationships, your motivations, and your emotions. That's where BetterHelp comes in, making it easy to get match online with a qualified therapist who can help you work through what's holding you back. I've used BetterHelp therapy before and it was super easy to sign up.

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Starting point is 00:23:22 There's a lot of good performances to obviously highlight in this game here real quick. I want to say thanks once again to everyone in Broncos country, all the everydayers out there for making us your first list and tuning. And we appreciate you so much. Your Sarah, let's start off with you. You know, there are a handful of players you and I talked about, especially on the ride home from the game. Who are you going to hand your game ball out to?

Starting point is 00:23:41 Well, I think we've got to start with Jayquan Macmillan, right? The pick six in this game, exactly what we've been asking for for weeks. Can this Denver Broncos defense force turnovers? Heck, can they score off a one of them? And Jayquan Macmill did it all in one fell swoop, right? You get a pick six like that. You go make a play with the ball. That's what he's been doing ever since he steps foot on the field for the very first time, Cody,

Starting point is 00:24:03 against the Chargers way back when in his first NFL game when he should have had a pick six. Maybe this is just a poetic, you know, sort of justice for that first game that he played once upon a time. And I think that Jay Quinn is one of those guys that can be that sort of catalyst for your team in the turnover department. He was in 2023 when he came onto the field and that was his first year as a starter for this team, kind of replacing. I can't even remember who it was at the time. must have been saying Bassi back in that year. So when he came on and he became that catalyst for the turnover parade,

Starting point is 00:24:35 now maybe he's going to be that for the Broncos as they get ready for the Super Bowl run. I like that game ball pick. And look, if Broncos country wants to hear from Jay Mack, if you have the everyday or All Access Club, you're an All Access member. We have Jayquam Macmillan talking to us post game. We're talking about, you know, really his journey, you know, what happened on the play, including I felt like it was funny.

Starting point is 00:24:54 I don't know if the broadcast showed it, Sarah, but his celebration, like they were, they were practicing things throughout the week. You know, if they get a forced takeaway, Pastor Tanned ended up throwing an alleyup to J-Quan, and, you know, it didn't end up turning out how they wanted it to. So hear Jay Mack talk about that if you're an everyday or all-laxis member. Check it out today, become one if you haven't been already.

Starting point is 00:25:13 I'm going to give one to Nick Benito here, right? He's the other guy that generated, I think, a key takeaway here for the Broncos. And what I think, Sarah, the first time this year, I think that's the first strip sack that the Broncos defense has had all season long, 18 weeks into it. And man, Bonito came off the edge with the quickness. And the number one thing to I saw, he brought that club back and pop. He punched that ball out of Trey Lance's hands.

Starting point is 00:25:38 And Savion Jones, the rookie falls onto it, being in the right place at the right time. And the Broncos, you know, they generated those two takeaways. They won the turnover battle in this game, which was such an important emphasis for them coming into it. I liked what I saw from Benito. There was one play, too. He almost had Lance again and Lance somehow escaped it. but like that Benito keeps chipping away. And I think for him now, if I'm not mistaken, what?

Starting point is 00:26:00 He had 12 and a half sacks coming into this game here. He finished the game overall with one and a half. So, okay. So now we know, Nick Benito, 14 sacks in the regular season here for the Broncos defense. That's the most really since what? Von Miller last? How many did Bradley Chub have his rookie season? I think he, I want to say he had 12 back then because I think he and Vaughn combined for 30 or so.

Starting point is 00:26:25 that year. 26 and a half. 26 and a half. So it's a career high for Benito because he had 13 and a half sacks last year. And shoot, he should have had 15 like you said, Cody, because he had Tray Lance hard on that one. I thought for sure that was going to be another one there. This was maybe the most.

Starting point is 00:26:43 I know that the Chargers trotted out a bunch of backup linemen as well. So again, we take everything with a slight grain of salt. But I felt like this was Benito's best game that he's had in quite some time as a pass rusher affecting the quarterback, affecting throws, and making plays in the backfield. That was big time. What about offensively? I mean, you mentioned Jalilil McLaughlin. I feel like he deserves a game ball for this one, Cody, just the way that he kind of

Starting point is 00:27:07 navigated traffic out there, the way that he helped get drives started, extend drives, you know, moving the chains. I feel like Jalil is going to be a key piece of this offense in the postseason until the potential return of J.K. Dobbins. Yeah. Look, I know, I agree with you. And I think even when JK returns, you have to find a way to keep Jalil in the mix. I think he offers too much of this explosiveness, this burst nature that you need four or five yards on a plate.

Starting point is 00:27:35 Jalilil is going to find a way to get it. And I love how patient he was. There's times where it's a stretch player and he's trying to, you know, bend it out to see, okay, hey, can I get the edge if it's blocked right? Well, if it's not, then I know where my cutback is. And then he just fell forward for, you know, those extra yards. I mean, what was it outside of Bo Nicks scrambling and using his legs? Jalilil in this game was the leading rusher, six carries, 41 yards in this game.

Starting point is 00:27:59 And once again, I just think you see him play with a chip on his shoulder. Ben Powers was talking about it after the game, just how much he loves Jalilil. And Jalilalil's got this underdog mentality to him the same way that he does. And they bond over that. I agree. I think given one to Jalil McLaughlin, you know, if we're going to hand the offense one, which the offense didn't do a lot today, Jalil, I think was a pretty big bright spot. I also think it was great to see Pat Bryant back in his.

Starting point is 00:28:23 his first game, once again, leading the team with catches and obviously targets in this game here on Sunday. I feel like I'd be remiss if we don't give one to big deal, Will Lutz. Four field goals on the day for him. Perfect. You know, he had the extra point as well. This is what you want to see in the playoffs. You want to make sure you have a clutch kicker. And once again, Will Lutz just coming up big consistently.

Starting point is 00:28:44 That's what you want to see here. And I think that's going to be an important thing for the Broncos going forward, especially as they get to the divisional round, depending on who you're going to play. How big was that in the 2015 postseason, right, when Brandon McManus was hitting kick after kick and just went on an absolute heater for that Broncos team that year. And that was a year where it was similar, right? It felt like touchdowns were at a premium for that offense. And I think that you can have quite a bit more confidence in this offense than that one,

Starting point is 00:29:12 because that was kind of the ghost of Peyton Manning out there. And that team really relied on the defense to score almost weekly in order to be able to win games or to set up the offense with that many more extra possessions. And they went on a little run in the postseason where they caught some defenses off guard with their offense. So I'm excited, Cody, to see. I mean, I think a game ball has to go to Sean Payton to close out my game balls. I think overall, for the last couple of seasons,

Starting point is 00:29:42 inheriting a Denver Broncos team that was arguably at its lowest point in the post-Super Bowl 50 era with the Nathaniel Hackett situation, him getting fired the day after Christmas. Sean Payton inherits a team with Russell Wilson, gets the ownership's permission to cut ties, $85 million in dead cap over the last two seasons. Now you've not only won 10 games and made the playoffs last season, ending a playoff drought,

Starting point is 00:30:06 but you're back into the number one seed in the AFC, despite the fact that Russell Wilson is still accounting for the most cap space of any player on this team at $32 million. It's pretty insane. 11.5% of the team's salary cap, is going to a guy who hasn't played a snap for the team. And to be able to reach the postseason with that figure is insane because of the, you know, just generally injuries that happen in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:30:33 But the fact that you've been able to do that with a second year quarterback with no first round picks in 22 or 23, shoot, Sean Peyton is the coach of the year. And there's no question in my mind. Sean Peyton is the coach of the year regardless of who wins that award. Yeah. And I'd say the timing of it, too. you mentioned that turnaround. If Denver somehow caps this off, Sarah,

Starting point is 00:30:54 let's say they win the Super Bowl, it's a 30 for 30 on this Broncos team, the Sean Payton, George Payton turnaround, that is going to hit. It is going to be something that needs to be created. I'm sure, you know, Sean would write a book about it one day, but also think about it. What's at stake for Sean being a head coach that, you know,

Starting point is 00:31:11 is going to another team, won a Super Bowl already with New Orleans, goes to another team, and within his first three years wins another Super Bowl. That right there, the stories for this Broncos team. And look, I think every Broncos fan listening and watching, they deserve that. This is a historic franchise.

Starting point is 00:31:28 And I think that Denver's in the right spot. Sean Payton's got them right where they want to be. Is it perfect all the time? No, but you know what? Are we going to complain about 14 and 3? Are we going to complain about a first round by, you know, and a chance to have two home games before you have to potentially go to the Super Bowl? No, we're not going to complain about that.

Starting point is 00:31:43 There's evident things with this team that they certainly, yes, have to clean up, but they're not here by fluke chance. They took care of business, 14 games, found ways to win. That is the 2025 Denver Broncos. And with that said Broncos country, we're excited to be with you throughout the entire week. Look, the Broncos are going to be off this week. They'll have a practice on Friday and Saturday. I'll be there at those practices here.

Starting point is 00:32:05 But throughout the entire week here, just because the Broncos have a bye week, lockdown Broncos doesn't have a buy week. We got you covered here at tomorrow's episode of show. We're going to sit down. We're going to talk about three things that give us confidence in the Broncos going on my deep playoff run. We'll highlight that and more on tomorrow's episode, Lockdown Broncos.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - SECURED: Denver Broncos LOCK UP No. 1 Seed in AFC Playoff Race

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