After years of misery, the Denver Broncos finally produced a performance that threw all miseries out of the window. And settled in as the biggest of them all. After a poor 2022 season and a 0-2 start to the current one, few thought they had seen the worst. Apparently, there was still room for things to get worse, and it has. The Broncos’ weekend display against the Miami Dolphins was among the worst in NFL history, and the worst in Denver. It was the most disastrous night in the career of Sean Payton as well.
The Broncos have their upcoming game against the Bears, another team that has hit rock bottom. Maybe that’s why Payton joined the pre-match conference with a rather confident face. Just 8 months into his tenure, this game could decide the fate of the former Super Bowl-winning coach. Payton naturally tried to uplift the team with a ray of hope.
Sean Payton looks beyond the demolition
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The home crowd at Hard Rock Stadium saw the Dolphins completely wipe out the Denver Broncos in game week three. The final scoreline of 70-20 was a complete summary of the Broncos’ 8-year-long downfall. It was a record-setting display from the Miamians as they became the first team to score 70+ points in a game since 1966, and only the fourth in history. There were a bunch of other records set, which kept pouring in almost as fast as the Dolphins’ points.
But what did that mean at the receiving end? Not the end of the world, according to Sean Payton. “Every one of us gets inundated with text messages of support, you know. Oftentimes they’re people that care for you. And you read them sometimes and you’re like man, this is what we do for a living. No one passed away, you know we’ll get through it”, Sean kept the hope alive at a press conference.
In reality, however, things are a little bit different. The entirety of the coaching staff and players have come under scrutiny. Quarterback Russell Wilson hasn’t been terrible, but ‘Mr. Comeback’ has failed to leave a mark so far. Which accounts for offensive displays that aren’t much more convincing than the helpless defense. And the team overall has their mentality dropped to an all-time low.
It’s now or never for the Broncos
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Russell Wilson’s mantras clearly haven’t worked for the Broncos, being 0-3 in the season already. They are well on course to finish at the bottom of the AFC West for a fourth straight year. To utilize the remaining 1% chance of making the playoffs in 2023, they will practically need to win every single game. But for now, the Broncos have a comparatively easier task in hand as the list starts with the Chicago Bears.
Both remain dead last in their respective divisions and need some massive reformations to do ahead. The Bears offense might actually look competent this weekend, and so could the Broncos. Both of them must take advantage of the under-prepared opposition defense and hopefully turn things around. It’s now or never for them.
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Sadly, it also means one of them still remains winless after the game. It will be incredibly interesting to see who that is. Till then, the misery continues.