Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, especially when it comes to winning close games in the NFL. For many, the Denver Broncos' 9-game winning streak has been unimpressive because they've been "escaping" with wins. For others, the team is showing incredible mental fortitude, clutch factor, and finding a way to win.
After the game, Broncos head coach Sean Payton sent a clear message when it comes to the idea of his team "escaping" its Week 13 matchup against the Washington Commanders with a win.
He doesn't view it as an escape at all.
Sean Payton not a fan of the idea that the Broncos "escaped" with a win vs. Commanders
"No, no, no. We don't escape. We won. You know, we won. And so, we won a close game in overtime..."
- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
Payton wants to make it clear that there's a distinction between what it means to "escape" and what it means to "win". Escaping can happen by accident or because of circumstances out of your control. Escape requires luck and gives the credit to your opponent for losing more than it does to your own team for winning.
And this is a message that Payton has to send because of the implications it has for his locker room. The message to this Broncos team is that they are finding ways to win. They were 6.5-point favorites against the Commanders, but there were a few things at play in this game that led to the game being tighter than many expected it to be.
Despite the Commanders being on a six-game losing streak, they are a much better overall outfit than their record indicates. Keep in mind that this team was in the NFC Championship Game last season, and they were also coming off of their bye week.
This was also probably the last week in which the Commanders had to realistically keep hope alive for competing for a Wild Card spot in the NFC, or maybe even scraping and clawing their way back into the mix for the NFC East. As minimal of a chance as they had of doing that, that was their mentality coming out of the bye, that it was at least possible.
You also had the return of Terry McLaurin to the lineup, as well as a number of veterans on the defensive side of the ball for this Commanders team. The Broncos got their best effort, and that was especially true in the case of quarterback Marcus Mariota.
I still remember watching Mariota get pulled from a game for Ryan Tannehill when he was the starter for the Titans, playing in Denver. What we saw from Mariota on Sunday Night Football was probably one of the best games he's ever played as a pro. Even if Jayden Daniels was playing, and playing at a high level, I'm not sure the Commanders could have possibly asked for more from the quarterback position in a game like that.
There's no escaping with a win in the NFL. You make the plays necessary to win games. The Broncos were not fortunate that Nik Bonitto batted the two-point conversion attempt by Washington, because the implication of being fortunate in that instance is it happened by accident.
To win games in the NFL, you have to force the issue. The Broncos overcame some bad plays to get the win, but they drove down the field for seven points in overtime. They made a play on the two-point attempt, and the Commanders didn't.
Sean Payton is doing his best to shut down the narrative that the Broncos are luckier than they are good, because the reality is, this is a very good team.