Sean Payton breaks down the key factors behind Broncos’ five-game win streak

Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos have soared up the NFL standings board recently in the midst of a five-game winning streak. After starting the season 1-2 with back-to-back heartbreaking losses on last-second field goals, the orange and blue have flipped the script and shown that they are a team that can compete with the best in the league.

As things currently stand, the Broncos hold sole possession of first place in the AFC West, and they’re sitting at third place in the AFC. Even though they have the same overall record as the New England Patriots, Denver is 3-2 against conference opponents while New England is 4-2, which gives the nod to the navy and red for the moment.

This Broncos team had been looking for ways to put together a full four quarters of football heading into Sunday’s big win over the Dallas Cowboys, and they finally did so with big performances from both the offense and the defense. Payton gave credit to the efforts from both units as to why the Broncos have been able to string five W’s together consecutively, starting with the offense.

SEAN PAYTON TIES BRONCOS EFFICIENCY TO THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

“[Sunday] was the first day where our CFL numbers were good. In other words, we were getting first downs offensively on first or second down. You know, in that league, you’re punting on third down, so, that was important,” he said to reporters Monday.

The Broncos’ offense recorded 25 first downs throughout the afternoon, 15 of which came on first or second down. Payton’s unit did a great job of staying ahead of the sticks all afternoon — something that opened up the playbook and kept the offense humming en route to 44 points on the board, the most in a game for the orange and blue since Week 7 of the 2018 season, a 45-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

BRONCOS’ DEFENSE DESERVES CREDIT TOO

It wasn’t just the offense that was humming, as the defense shut down one of the best offenses in the NFL, even without Pat Surtain II in for the majority of the game. Payton made sure to give that group their flowers as well.

“I think defensively I said this, it was a big test based on the skill and the different weapons Dallas has. And I think we did enough to make the quarterback feel a little uncomfortable in the pocket. There’s two ways you disrupt a passing game. It’s either at the line of scrimmage, with the receivers in the coverage you’re playing or with the pass rush. And I thought we did a really good job of mixing up looks. I thought Vance [Joseph] and his staff did a really good job of giving [Dak Prescott] a certain look one play and then another look the next play. And that made a big difference, I think, in their efficiency.”

Dallas entered the game with a three-headed monster on the offense outside of Prescott in CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Javonte Williams. Neither of the receivers found pay dirt while Williams averaged just 3.2 yards per carry.

Denver’s five-game win streak is tied for the longest in the league alongside New England. They’re pushing towards potentially hosting a playoff game at home, and have two very winnable games on the horizon against Houston and Las Vegas before Kansas City comes to town for what should be a classic AFC West showdown. The momentum that Payton’s squad has built up over the last month is undeniable, and feels more sustainable than the five-game streak that the 2023 Broncos posted after they began that season with a 1-5 record.

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