Russell Wilson 'never doubted' midseason turnaround for 'resilient' Broncos team

The Denver Broncos are streaking — through the quad and into the gymnasium.

With Sunday’s 29-12 victory over Cleveland, Sean Payton’s club has won five straight games, turning a 1-5 start into a 6-5 record to put Denver into contention for an AFC playoff bid.

The five victories weren’t against minor teams. Four out of the five wins were against teams currently in playoff position (Kansas City, Buffalo, Minnesota, Cleveland), and the fifth was against a Packers team that could potentially make a comeback into the race.

Indeed, the Broncos have gained an advantage by playing against backup quarterbacks in the last two weeks. However, considering the number of quarterback injuries across the league, this could be said about most teams.

The Broncos’ turnaround has been remarkable, especially after starting the season 0-3, which included a 70-20 loss in Miami.

“I’ve never doubted. I’ve never doubted our football team [and] where we could go,” Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson said Sunday, via the team’s official transcript. “I think the biggest thing is just understanding that we’ve lost some close games, and we lost some tough games early but that helps you prepare and understand that it’s a long journey. We have a lot more ahead of us — lots more football. A lot more great teams ahead of us. We have to stay focused on us. The biggest thing that Broncos Country is feeling us as players organizationally, inside that building, and most importantly inside that locker room is a relentless belief in each other. A relentless belief in the coaches and who we are and where we’re going — and what it takes to win. I think that we’re starting to learn what it takes to win. That’s a good thing in this building and we need that. We have to stay the course there.”

According to NFL Research, Wilson has become the second Broncos QB since the 1970 merger, following Peyton Manning (2012, 2013), to win five straight games with a passer rating of over 90 in each.

Recently, the Broncos offense has shown improvement in moving the ball, with Wilson demonstrating a magic that was previously missing during his early days in Denver. However, it is really the defense that has made a significant turnaround.

Vance Joseph’s defense has shown significant improvement, allowing nearly 20 less points per game (PPG) in their last six games compared to their first five, in which they had the worst record in the NFL, allowing 36.2 PPG (Weeks 1-5). Should this pattern continue, it would represent the biggest improvement in PPG allowed in the first five games of a season compared to the rest of the season in NFL history (a difference of 19.7 PPG), according to NFL Research.

If we exclude the 50-point loss to Miami, Denver’s point differential through Week 12 changes from -34 to +16, which is similar to other playoff contenders.

“Primarily, our resilience defines us,” said Wilson. “Our greatest trait is our consistent resilience throughout all these games. We’ve competed against some fantastic teams, the cream of the crop. We’ve faced Kansas City in the AFC and Buffalo on their home turf which is a challenging environment. Cleveland has been consistently strong this year, boasting a formidable defense among other things. However, I believe what truly sets us apart is our unity and collective spirit.”

Our defense has been outstanding, possibly one of the best in the world. The team has been performing at an exceptional level, largely due to the great work of Vance Joseph in preparing them every week, even with tough challenges. In professional sports, adversity is inevitable. How it’s handled determines the team’s character and potential. We’ve managed to overcome adversity, but we know we still have a lot of games to play. It’s important for us to stay humble, eager and focused. We’re just beginning, there’s still much to be done. We need to stay on track, maintaining a neutral mindset, focusing on one game, one week, one practice at a time.

With a cluster of teams sitting at six wins in the AFC, the Broncos must keep stacking Ws to complete the improbable turnaround. Given where they were a month ago, it’s a stunning U-turn for the Mile High club.