ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – The Denver Broncos' 2013 regular season has reached the halfway point – eight down, eight to go.
After dropping their first game of the season in Indianapolis, the Broncos rebounded with a 45-21 win against the Redskins to head into their bye week with a record of 7-1.
"It's great," linebacker Von Miller said after the win. "(It is) a nice break to get some rest and relaxation, and get that bad taste out of our mouths from last week."
Many of the players after the game said that the bye week comes at a good time. Like every team at the midpoint of the season, the Broncos have players that are a little banged up.
The extra time before the next opponent will help those players get back to full strength.
"It's a great time," wide receiver Eric Decker said after the Redskins game. "I know a lot of guys are beat up. That's the game of football, too. You've got to play with some injuries. But to get some rest in the middle of the season, after a victory, is going to be huge for us."
Through there is just the one blemish on the Broncos' record so far this season, running back Knowshon Moreno made it clear that he wasn't satisfied yet, saying, "We still have a lot to work on."
Five of the Broncos' remaining eight games are AFC West matchups, including two games in three weeks with the division-leading Kansas City Chiefs. The week of rest will be important for the Broncos as they look to track down the top spot in the division.
"I mean, we'd like to be 8-0, but we've played some tough ball teams," Decker said Sunday. "But I thought this win, especially is big going into the bye week. We've got to stay with Kansas City, we've got them coming back from the bye, so it was a big momentum win for us."
Head Coach John Fox gave the players the day off Monday and used that time to grade out the Redskins game and the Oakland game because it happened on a short week. In practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, Fox said the team won't be preparing for a particular opponent – just focusing on improvement.
"We'll go Broncos versus Broncos the next two days, so it won't be scouting reps versus an opponent," Fox said Monday. "So just work on some areas that we need to improve at. We'll look at some younger guys, hold out some guys that are a little sore or somewhat injured. Typical bye week – that's what we've done here in the past. By league rule, or CBA, they have off Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We'll also give the coaching staff that time away, as well.
"(We will) get recharged and get ready for the second half of the season."
