Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton knows his team will need all the help it can get to take down quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and he wants that help to come from beyond the field.
“I keep saying this: For years we were conditioned to raise the noise level when they broke the huddle. The noise level needs to be loudest when they enter the huddle,” Payton said in a piece written by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “That’s a huge advantage.”
This isn’t just cheerleading, either. Mile High has long been known as one of the toughest places in the league to play, and the crowd noise there can be worth a couple of pre-snap penalties per game.
Then there’s the communication part of the equation. If a last-second change in the protection scheme or the hot route of the moment isn’t relayed accurately, that’s a play that can easily go off the rails.
“Home field is important relative to the crowd noise,” Payton said. “I know our crowd will be fantastic. We’ve got to be ready to play our best game.”
Payton’s comments underscore a hidden factor in this game—Denver’s ability to get off to a fast start and post big plays early. The Broncos have started plenty of games lately with long drives that fizzle in the red zone, and those drives are then easily countered.
That’s especially true with Allen. He’s always been a momentum player, and he’s ruined plenty of playoff games for teams like the Broncos with big plays after an opposition score.
The defense needs to start fast, too. Another tendency that’s surfaced lately is getting plenty of sacks, but very few turnovers. The most recent example of that against a playoff-caliber opponent came against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when quarterback Trevor Lawrence was able to sense pressure and get back close to to the line of scrimmage to avoid a devastating loss.
Tactically, look for the Broncos to open up the playbook more. Payton spent the lat few games trying to develop the run game, but it never really happened. Running back Jaleel McLaughlin had some slashing runs that showed he can be an effective weapon in the future, but this year it’s all about quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix has been stepping up and silencing doubters all year long, but they’re still out there. If he can conquer his issues with inconsistency and go toe-to-toe with Allen for four quarters, it will go a long way toward silencing them for good.