It appears highly likely the Chiefs will come to Denver and put their backups on the field to close out the regular season.
Sean Payton and the Broncos have no plans to change the preparation regardless.
“I don’t know that it changes the game plan because the scheme is still the same. I think you have to approach it like you’re seeing starters at these positions,” Payton said Monday, noting that NFL backups aren’t poor players. “It’s not like you have a college roster. I’ve been in this position before on the other side of it. I think you’re looking at the scheme relative to the game plan, and then planning on seeing the player that you’re watching on film. If someone else is in that spot, then so be it.”
The bigger issue for the head coach might be keeping the players from getting too discouraged after two tough losses in a row — an epic collapse in the second half against the Chargers and an OT letdown after so many second chances.
“I told them after the game, I said, ‘This is part of it. We don’t get to choose,’” Payton said, referring to whether they can win or lose and go to the playoffs. “You have to keep fighting. I like the grit on this team and I like the leadership on this team. I think these guys will respond appropriately.”
The players insist they will.
After the loss to the Bengals, Bo Nix was asked about how he felt about the team battling back to make it a competitive game after a mediocre-at-best first half.
The answer “was complicated,” he pointed out because losing didn’t feel good at all.
“So I think the only good thing that comes out of games like this is you see us battle, and you see us compete really hard,” he said. “And at the end of the day, if you compete really hard and fail, it’ll bring you flat on your face, but at least you’re out there competing. It creates a good team, and you won’t always be flat on your face.”
The goal this week is obviously the opposite of battling hard and falling flat. But it’s also the same as the past month — get to 10 wins.
“Obviously, the margins are lower and lower, so we’ve got to find a way to win next week,” Pat Surtain II said of the Week 18 matchup. “You feel that going into next week, but I believe in all the guys to get this done. We’ve just got to sit back, refocus and get our mind right.”
And he is “very confident” in that outcome.
“I think we’ve got a great bunch, a great team that’s resilient, that’s eager,” Surtain added. “Obviously, the agony of defeat is not a good feeling, but we just need to focus on next week and make sure we secure this victory, because that’s what counts.”
Mike McGlinchey believes that it takes those “lows” to achieve and appreciate the highs.
“Proud of the fight. You can’t have huge triumphs without incredible losses. There is no good without the bad. This league tends to humble you, and certainly guys who have been in the league a long time, and certainly coach, have had our fair share of heartbreaks. That’s just what football does,” he said. “It just makes when you climb the mountain that much sweeter. To be a winning culture you’ve got to win and lose with class and grace, and be able to learn about what went wrong and figure out a way to never let it happen again.”
Riley Moss, who had a rough game back after being on IR, believes the Broncos should approach Sunday’s game just like any week because the goal is always to win.
“We should go about this like we’ve got nothing to lose, play free like we were doing when we went on our little win streak,” he said. “I’m excited. I think we’ve got a great group of guys that can handle adversity. [Cincinnatti] hurts. You put so much time and effort into the season, and to go out like that, it sucks, but again, to look glass half full, we have a whole other opportunity next week and we’ve got to be ready to roll.”
Most of the pressure will fall on the rookie quarterback to make this must-win game a success. But Nix doesn’t think that’s any different than the past two weeks.
“It’s been like this for two weeks,” he said. “So you just have to put everything in to go win the game.”
