After going 1-6 in one-score games in 2024, the Denver Broncos have flipped the script. The 2025 Broncos are 8-2 this season in one-score contests, the best in the NFL.
On the heels of the Broncos’ wild 27-26 overtime win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, Sean Payton’s team moved to 10-2 on the season, and reclaimed the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC.
After traveling back to the Mile High City, Payton held a conference call with local reporters on Monday morning, and he was asked how the Broncos have managed to improve so drastically in closely contested games this year.
“We talked about this last night and even prior. It starts with the belief and confidence, and that has to kind of be earned,” Payton said. “You can go back to Philly. We were in some close games last year, and our numbers weren’t as good.”
Earning It
Where do “belief and confidence” come from? As Payton has stated before at various podiums, such intangible attributes are derived from “demonstrated ability.”
In other words, the Broncos had to prevail in one or two such games to then believe and, thus, have confidence in their ability to do it again and again. It’s worth noting, though, that failure can also be a great teacher and inspiration.
Those two close losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 and Week 4, respectively, showed the Broncos how close they were to winning. Understanding the margins of error and how to operate and execute differently the next time around are lessons gleaned through defeat, but it takes collective good character for those lessons to manifest for a football team.
That they have manifested for the Broncos is a credit to Payton’s vision and leadership, and that of his hand-picked team captains and locker room leaders.
“At some point, you have to demonstrate it, do it, and then there’s a belief you can do it,” Payton said. “There’s that confidence you’re going to do it, but it starts with the execution. It has to happen and manifest itself.”
No Escape. Only Victory
Nov 30, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) celebrates with fans after the game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
While some Broncos fans were disappointed that the team didn’t blow out the Commanders on the road, one of the greater takeaways from Sunday night’s game was how Payton’s squad once again found a new way to win. It can only help build this team’s playoff callus, and the experienced gleaned in Washington, and in the Broncos’ nine other one-score games, will serve them down the stretch and into January football.
For those saying the Broncos got lucky or that they “escaped” with the victory, Payton has a bone to pick.
“No, no, no. We don’t escape. We won. You know, we won,” Payton said Sunday night post-game. “And so, we won a close game in overtime.”
Hallmarks of a Winner
The Broncos have won nine in a row. This team refuses to lose. I’m not sure the magnitude of this winning streak is being fully reckoned with on either the local or national stage. It’s a tremendous achievement.
It’s not always pretty, but you can’t argue with the results. One way or another, the Broncos get it done, and that’s a hallmark of any championship-caliber team.
As that “belief and confidence” Payton spoke of grows with each victory, the Broncos are forging some formidable football character. Along the way, Payton and his staff will continue to make the small adjustments and course corrections to perfect the operation as the stretch run narrows.
“We began feeling it a long time ago, but when you get on a streak, yeah, I mean, generally, when you have a good team, you win how many games in a row at some point, and when you win nine in a row and then convert that to baseball or basketball, you guys do the math. What would it be? You know, it’s like 45 games,” Payton said. “So, it’s a lot. And so, you do begin to believe it’s gonna happen. But there can’t be that false belief. I mean, there has to be that preparation and corrections so that the next week is better.”
Is there anyone left out there who still laments the first and second-round draft picks the Broncos relinquished to the New Orleans Saints for Payton’s coaching rights? I didn’t think so.
This team will be a nightmare for opponents in the playoffs.
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