After edging Packers, Broncos pull the ‘no one believes in us’ card

Not many folks believe in the Denver Broncos, and the data gives them fair reason why, at 2-5 with a 1% chance of making the playoffs, it’s not believable that the team is really going anywhere this fall.

The Broncos got that second win by just barely beating the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. And next Denver will host the class of the AFC West Kansas City before a bye week. It’s not going to get easier for the Broncos and the start of the season has been pretty rough, to say the least. No team in the NFL has allowed more points than Denver and only one AFC team has a bigger negative point differential than Denver. To say most are looking down at the draft order rather than up at the playoff standings would be an understatement.

Despite some hopes that they could be good in Sean Payton’s first season, the reason the hope is gone is because of the mostly lackluster play for yet another season. But that’s not stopping the players from rallying behind a cause.

“Everyone believes in each other, we understand it’s a long season,” Courtland Sutton said Sunday. “There were 11 games left going into this week. Everyone wants to write us and nobody believes in us. It was a lot closer than it should be but a lot of people don’t believe in us. At the end of the day, it’s all about the character and the heart in the locker room. I believe in us guys and we believe in each other.”

Sutton caught all six of his targets for 76 yards and a touchdown in the 19-17 Broncos win—it was the lone touchdown as Denver got four field goals from Wil Lutz. Russell Wilson’s favorite target helped him to 194 yards through the air on 20-of-29 passes.

As for going anywhere behind Wilson, Wil and Sutton—less than 10 teams have made the playoffs after starting 2-5, one being the Tim Tebow-led Broncos from back in the day.

To dream the impossible 9-8 dream from the 2-5 Broncos …

Oct. 29: K.C. — W
Nov. 13: at Buffalo — L
Nov. 19: Minn. — W
Nov. 26: Clev. — W
Dec. 3: at Hou. — W
Dec. 10: at LAC — L
Dec. 16 : at Det. — L
Dec. 24: N.E. — W
Dec. 31: LAC — W
Jan. 6/7: Vegas — W

— Matt Schubert (@MattDSchubert) October 23, 2023

***