The Denver Broncos are 5-3 and second in the AFC West. Next on their schedule, they will hit the road to face two AFC powerhouses in the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite riding the high of a dominant win over the Carolina Panthers, the Broncos know they need to get back to work and clean up some mistakes.

“That is why we have to get back to work. I do not feel like we put our best out there [today],” Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper said after the win over the Panthers. “I still feel like we have not played our best football yet. We have to make sure we go back and clean up some things to get right on point because we have two big games ahead of us. We have to make sure we are ready for them.”

The Broncos defense gave the Panthers and Bryce Young the fits for the majority of the game. The defense would hold the Panthers to only 14 points. However, some Broncos players were still not happy with how the game started and how it ended. The only successful drives the Panthers had were at the beginning of the game, as well as right at the end in “garbage time.”

“I feel like we are ready for the big games. We just have to play four quarters,” Cooper continued. “On defense, we cannot give up a drive like that at the end of the game. Not even in the beginning of the game. I feel like our start and our finish just was not there. When we go against these really good teams we are about to go against, our start and our finish have to be on point.”

Broncos feel prepared for Ravens-Chiefs gauntlet

Up first, the Broncos will face the 5-3 Ravens. They are fresh off a bad loss to a miserable Cleveland Browns team, so there is no doubt the Ravens will be fighting hard to get that taste out of their mouths.

The Ravens also have one of the league’s most potent offenses, boasting a 7.1 yards-per-play average. On the other hand, the Broncos have one of the league’s most dominant defenses, allowing the fewest yards per play at 4.4.

“We are really prepared,” Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian said. “We’re going to treat it like another game. Go into the week and prep for the [(opponent] and watch film like any other game. We’re not so much worried about the opponent, we just want to play our game.”

Both the Ravens and Chiefs games could have huge playoff implications. It will be interesting to see how the Broncos fare against these big teams, and it may give us some insight as to how this team could look in the playoffs.

“We’ve been building to games like this. We want to play in big games. We want to play in games that matter,” Broncos offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey said. “We want to play in games that have a great effect on the big picture of how the postseason works out. I think it’s a great opportunity for us to show what we’re capable of on a big stage and against a great opponent, and we’re going to try to keep improving week to week like we always do and take it one game at a time.”