The Broncos are 1-5. The season appears to be over.
Coach Sean Payton isn’t ready to throw in the towel. Asked by reporters on Wednesday for the message he would send to Broncos fans, Payton pointed to a team from last year that was in an even worse predicament.
“There’s a fine line here between a groove and a rut,” Payton said. “You take a look, and I’ll give you an example — Detroit. A year ago, I watched it as a media member, covering a handful of tough losses. They were 1-6. I know [coach] Dan [Campbell] well, and you keep fighting. There’s a grit element involved. Some mental toughness that’s involved. Pretty soon, here they are at the end of the season. They were eliminated before [they played their final game], but they were in contention. Here they are now as one of those teams. We’re kind of in that position. We’re bowing up, and we have to.”
Teams that are struggling keep trying to turn it around. The turnaround often is just one game away.
For the Broncos, the first opportunity comes on Sunday, when the Packers come to town. And it will be important to avoid falling to 1-6, because the next game on the docket is a visit from the Chiefs.
