ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos are still chasing their goals.
Denver may have clinched a playoff berth with a 34-26 win over the Packers on Sunday, but merely earning a spot in the postseason isn't on the list of objectives the Broncos are working toward.
"Goal one is try to go win your division," Head Coach Sean Payton said Sunday. "Goal two is try to get the best seed, and then goal three is try to win a world championship. So, we still haven't really accomplished one, two or three. So, remember, one is win the division. We're still going."
Payton reiterated that message Monday, emphasizing the Broncos' focus has not turned to the postseason. Rather, the team is set to prepare for a key AFC matchup against the 10-4 Jaguars, who currently hold the No. 3 seed in the conference.
"We're not preparing for the playoffs right now," Payton said Monday. " … We're focused on Jacksonville. Goal one is not [to] make the playoffs."
The Broncos' ability to keep a singular focus as they work toward bigger goals has served them well on their 11-game winning streak, and defensive end Zach Allen said it's been a trademark of this team.
"I think the whole team's really process-driven," Allen said Monday. "For us, we've kind of all year been kind of handling it like that, where it's just try to go 1-0 that week. Jacksonville, everybody knows how explosive they've been. No one's looking past that at all. A lot of respect for what they're doing there."
If the Broncos can pass a difficult test against Trevor Lawrence and the Jags, Denver would take a significant step toward reaching each of their first two goals. If Denver earns a win on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High and the Chargers fall in Dallas against the Cowboys, the Broncos would officially clinch the AFC West in Week 16. Pair those results with a New England loss to Baltimore and a Buffalo loss to Cleveland on Sunday, and the Broncos could also clinch the top seed and a first-round bye as early as Sunday.
Denver, though, won't need to scoreboard watch as the season continues. With two more wins in the final three weeks, the Broncos would be guaranteed to clinch the top seed in the AFC, regardless of how other results unfold around the NFL.
The Broncos' locker room, though, will look to maintain their granular approach as they turn toward Week 16.
"I can't tell you what the future holds, it's just one week at a time," safety Talanoa Hufanga said Sunday. "So, next week we've got a good team in Jacksonville, and we've got to go out there and prove it again."
As the Broncos continue to work toward making their AFC West and seeding goals a reality, their focus remains on being the best version of themselves to earn crucial wins down the stretch.
"I don't feel like everybody's satisfied with that — just that," outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper said Sunday of making the postseason. "We've still got things we've got to clean up. We still want to play our best ball when we get to the playoffs. So, it's important for us to go back in the film, see what we can get better at. Coach [Payton] says all the time, the things that we don't tolerate in a loss, we can't tolerate in a win.
"So, we have to make sure we look at the film, get better, keep climbing, keep stacking these wins."
