For yet another game this season at home, the Denver Broncos are listed as underdogs despite being the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and finishing the regular season 14-3. For players inside the locker room, it’s business as usual. They’ve been there, done that and they aren’t too focused on the outside noise.
Denver Broncos listed as underdogs as team focuses on internal roots
Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen said it best on Tuesday following the team’s first practice of the week when he was asked about the team being underdogs.
“We don’t allow that to be a distraction,” Allen said. “We’ve been there, done that type of thing with that kind of narrative. For us, we’re just process-driven and routine-oriented. We’re just going out there, getting our work done to try and get a win on Saturday.”
This Broncos team is different from last year’s team. For many of the younger players in the locker room, they had their first taste of the NFL Playoffs last year, and there’s a collective confidence amongst them in what a year’s worth of growth looks like. From 10 wins to 14 wins, this Broncos team took huge strides forward this year, and it all comes down to Saturday’s game.
Denver has become a resilient and gritty team, while the Bills remain heavily experienced in the playoffs, led by Josh Allen. Perhaps that’s why Denver is viewed as the underdog against Buffalo. It’s odd to see a No. 1 seed listed as the underdog, especially at home.
“I can’t control that,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said. “I don’t. We don’t pay attention to that honestly.”
The locker room follows the same sentiment, led by Bo Nix.
“We don’t really care,” Nix said. “We’ve been underdogs before and probably will be again in the future. I think good things happen to that last team that was an underdog.”
Talking to players in the locker room this week, it’s been easy to see that they’ve maintained their stance as one of the most mature young locker rooms in the league. Sometimes, when you have a young team, and you have high expectations, and you’re sitting in a spot that Denver is currently in, paying attention to those narratives can serve as a distraction and uproot the focus of a team.
That hasn’t been the case with this Denver team. They’re focused, they’re hungry, and they’re consumed by the work. They’ve followed the process since training camp and this week is just another chance to go a little bit further.