The Denver Broncos took advantage of the bye week after they beat the Kansas City Chiefs, with many players opting to stay in-state. After having a week to reset mentally and physically, the Broncos were back on the practice field Wednesday and are on the field once again today as they prepare for the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football.
“I think just rest,” Bo Nix told us Wednesday. “When you get back, and you’ve got the ability to have a strong finish to the season, that rest is really important. So getting away for a while, not really thinking about it, not really working too much on it, but watching other games, watching some college and just getting away from it. Being ready when you get back to be full go again and start back up, and you don’t get these opportunities twice. It’s going to be here, and you get one shot at it, so you’re going to make the most of it.”
Sometimes the best thing to do is take a step back, get away from the noise, and then come back ready to roll. That appeared to be the mindset of players we spoke to in the locker room after practice.
Entering Week 13, the Broncos are getting good news on the injury front, with Patrick Surtain II, Alex Singleton, and Jonah Elliss getting back on the practice field.
Surtain and Elliss were limited on Wednesday, but we’ll see if they upgrade to full participation here today on Thanksgiving Day.
Jahdae Barron continues to grow in rookie year
When Surtain went down in Week 8 with a pectoral injury, the Broncos relied on their revamped depth in his absence, with rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron, Riley Moss, Kris Abrams-Draine, and Ja’Quan McMillian.
You can’t replace the impact or production of a player like Surtain, but you can sprinkle that production out amongst a group of players, and Barron is one name that has impressed and has grown constantly in the nickel/dime and outside when the team goes to their base package.
Barron came up big in the run game, he had a pick six that was unfortunately wiped off the board due to a penalty, but his on-field football IQ was on display. It drew the praise of Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who talked about him on Wednesday.
“He’s a twitchy mover and gives you good flexibility,” Payton said. “He has high football I.Q. which helps when it comes to leverage, understanding the defense. I think he’s just… So when you lose a guy like [CB] Pat [Surtain II], then you draft to your strengths, it’s one of the reasons you do that. That additional playing time is just more time on task for him. We knew skill set, good ball skills. He has the pick-six now the other day… I’m pleased with his progress.”
That progress will help Denver out as they move forward.
Homefield advantage is the goal, but Denver Broncos aren’t looking too far ahead
One of the goals for the Broncos coming into this season was winning the AFC West and securing a home playoff game. As it stands today, the Broncos would host a playoff game if the season ended today, and they are atop the AFC West right now.
But the climb continues with six games left in the regular season. One thing that stands out about this locker room and their mentality is that they do view things week to week. They’re not focused on last week or next week, just this week, and for a young team, that’s an important mindset to have.
They are in the right place to achieve those goals, but there are still plenty of opportunities to lock it down and that requires them to finish strong in the month of December.
“Well, we put ourselves in this position now to put ourselves in that position then,” Nix said. “I think the job is definitely not even close to being finished yet, but we have put ourselves in a spot to obtain it, and so that’s part of the journey. You’ve got to put yourself in a situation to get it there at the end and grab hold of it. But it’s right there in front of us. Like I said, you don’t get these opportunities a lot. They’re definitely hard to come by, so you’ve got to make sure that you take it and not miss it. You don’t get these a lot. Obviously this is my first time, and definitely excited and eager to keep going about it, and you find a way to get it done.”
The work and the climb, ultimately, continue.