Broncos HC Sean Payton Focused On Minimizing Penalties, Improving Turnover Margin

The Denver Broncos are coming off their bye week tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the second-best record in the National Football League at 9-2.

As inconsistent as the offense has been with quarterback Bo Nix having footwork issues from time-to-time, the unit has been able to come up clutch in the fourth quarter and get the relief of having one of the best defenses, if not the best defense in the league.

The defense has looked sharp even without several key defenders like star cornerback Pat Surtain II and star linebacker Alex Singleton. The Broncos defense leads the league in sacks (49) by a wide margin, but the unit has been vulnerable to penalties. In fact, the Broncos defense is the most penalized (46) unit in the NFL.

This is a major problem that needs to be addressed down the stretch as well as Denver’s turnover margin, which currently checks in at minus-3. Minimizing penalties and improving the turnover margin is at the top of head coach Sean Payton’s list, according to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold.

“Denver has rolled out of its bye week with one of the best records in the league, but this team has two main issues -- penalties and turnover margin,” Legwold wrote Friday. “Coach Sean Payton says that both are at the top of the list to repair. The Broncos entered Week 13 as the most penalized team in the league, with 113 overall (including declined penalties). The defense is the most penalized in the league, with 46, and CB Riley Moss is tied for second most in the league overall. The Broncos are also minus-3 in turnover margin -- the worst of any division leader.”

Despite these concerns, the defense has been able to come through and the Broncos lead the American Football Conference West division by two games.

Against a less than formidable opponent in the Washington Commanders, I expect this defense to terrorize backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. However, if Mariota finds a way to be successful, Nix needs to keep the offense flowing.

If Washington takes a lead, there’s a good chance the offense can overcome the deficit. According to ESPN Research, “The Broncos have overcome a deficit in each of their eight games during their winning streak, tied with the 1980 Falcons for the longest streak of wins when trailing in each game in NFL history.”

I don’t anticipate the Broncos being down much in this game, but if they are, they’ve shown they can win when their back is against the wall.