From the mean streets of Philadelphia, to the Sleepy Hollow of Waltham Abbey in Essex, England, the championship ambitions of the Denver Broncos are already well traveled.
After a very professional visit to the City of Brotherly Love, the 3-2 Broncos chose a more relaxed backdrop before facing the winless New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
As the Broncos fought their way into Elite Company by Defeat the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles On Sunday, overseas distractions won’t be tolerated by head coach Sean Payton.
“It’s going to be just like a week of practice. Exactly,” Payton said Sunday. “You want the schedule? We’re staying in the middle of nowhere, no visits. Honestly, a fair question. So, we’re arriving Monday. Tomorrow we’re going to run, lift, watch tape. They’re gone Tuesday. We have that schedule.
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Last season, starting camp’s approach to keeping the team together worked wonders when the Broncos opted to stay on the East Coast to beat the Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Jets in Weeks 3 and 4, respectively. Payton is aware of the temptation that boredom in a big, vibrant city can bring, so he keeps his team focused on the job at hand.
“There are two other times we’ve done this trip,” Payton said. “One time, (former Saints Te Jeremy) Shockey tried to get all the passports and take the team to Amsterdam. So we put the kibosh on that. We played the Chargers, I think, one year, ’07, ’08. And then we played the Dolphins in ’17 or ’18. The guys will have a dinner, I’m sure.
Amid the euphoria of the Broncos’ statement victory over the Eagles, it felt like, deep down, Payton’s team always believed they belonged in Elite Company. The Broncos have more winnable games on this next stretch of the schedule, but Payton could demand things from his team with more confidence than ever.
The last thing Payton wants is to become complacent and fly to London to be slept on by the winless Jets. Additionally, Payton knew that looking past a formidable opponent like the Jets could have hindered the Broncos’ chances of securing a memorable victory.
The NFL viewed Broncos-Eagles as a litmus test. Turns out Payton did it too.
“I think you always have a chance to see where you are,” Payton said of beating the Eagles. “And we talked about it a lot. One of the challenges is playing this game before we go to London. You heard me say, away teams before London, it’s not really good. So, it wasn’t in the itineraries. There wasn’t a thing about the L word, nothing.
“I said something about bringing him an extra bag on Friday and that’s it, and then we’ll figure it out. Because it’s very easy to find you, if you’re not careful, next week and you had to be put in today. I have very good instincts as a coach.
With the AFC West suddenly back in Denver’s favor, the last thing Payton plans to do is hand it to the Los Angeles Chargers or Kansas City on a silver platter.
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