It was anything but perfect. It was even further from pretty. But a win is a win is a win in the NFL – and with that Denver BroncosThe team celebrated its first victorious season since 2016 at the latest.

Head coach Sean Payton discussed the significance after Sunday’s 31-13 comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts.

“The appeal for me was the tradition here, the years of continued success here and the importance of this game here,” Payton told reporters. “You can only find a few cities that you can say that about, and then you find the right ownership group.” . There were certain things that were really important. The football tradition and history here really appealed to me. I’ve known (Pro Football Hall of Fame QBs) Peyton (Manning) and John (Elway) forever, but back then the fan base’s expectations were high. If you’re in the entertainment business, you want to be in New York, Los Angeles or Las Vegas, not Rhode Island. If you’re in this industry, you want to be where it really matters and the expectations are high. It’s nice to get your ninth win. We’ll have some cupcakes for you when you leave and we can go from there.”

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In addition to securing its ninth win, Denver also received some conference help as Houston defeated Miami and Tampa Bay defeated Los Angeles. The Broncos are now in sixth place in the AFC and, if the playoffs began today, would travel to Pittsburgh to face the Russell Wilson-led Steelers.

The Broncos (9-5) can officially clinch a postseason berth – their first since 2015 – by beating the Chargers (8-6). Football on Thursday eveningsan extremely important event that has been moved to prime time.

“I think a lot was made of it in bending, but it made a lot of sense,” Payton said. “They challenged a team that had this Christmas week schedule and got us involved, which gave us extra time. We’re traveling well to LA, I think it’s a perfect trip for a Denver fan.”

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