After an ugly 1-5 start to the season, the Broncos have clawed their way back to .500 with a four-game winning streak. And it’s not coincidence that the Broncos have won the turnover battle in all four games.
In the five games the Broncos have won this season, they’re plus-13 in turnover margin. In the five games the Broncos have lost, they’re minus-7. In Sunday night’s win over the Vikings, the Broncos were plus-three, and Payton says that’s why they won.
“If you just looked at the stat line you would see Minnesota did a lot of things better than us. We really struggled offensively, especially on third down,” Payton said. “The one thing we did, we took the ball away three times and we didn’t turn it over, so that becomes the trump card in a game like this.”
Payton acknowledged that there are things the Broncos have to do better, but as long as the offense isn’t turning the ball over and the defense is taking it away, he thinks they’re going to be a tough team to beat.
“We were fortunate to win. I’m proud of our fight. There’s still a lot we need to clean up, but the turnovers and the takeaways can do that for you when you’re not playing how you want to,” Payton said.
A season that looked lost a month ago now looks like it could end with a playoff berth. And turnovers are the biggest reason for that.