LANDOVER, Md. — Sean Payton's mind darted back.
In the wake of the Broncos' 27-26 overtime win over the Commaders, Denver's head coach recalled another dramatic win in the same stadium.
Sixteen years ago, an 11-0 New Orleans team trailed by double digits to a 3-8 Washington outfit.
Then, a field goal to cut the lead to seven. A 53-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem. A takeaway in overtime and a field goal to earn a 12th win.
"We were down a bunch of points and came back and won in overtime, and almost like [we] wanted to sprint in the locker room and shower so they couldn't make us come back," Payton said of that win.
The 2009 Saints played in bigger games than that, to borrow a term from Payton. But the path to a Super Bowl XLIV title required wins like that one in Washington, and that's true for most teams that eventually hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
As the 10-2 Broncos look to chase their own championship aspirations, that's the message Payton shared with his team.
"It's a great game to win; it's a tough one to lose," Payton said of Denver's prime-time victory. "… The journey of a good team's season involves games like this, and then you believe you can do it again."
The Broncos would have no reason not to believe that. Six times this season, the outcome has hung in the balance in the final moments and Denver has pulled through to earn a win.
They've done it with defensive stands — as they did against the Eagles, Jets and Commanders — and sealed wins with field goals at the horn against the Giants, Texans and Chiefs.
En route to the No. 1 seed in the AFC through Sunday's action, the Broncos have posted an 8-2 record in one-score games. Over the last four weeks, each of Denver's wins has come by no more than three points, and the four victories have come by a combined 10 points.
"We've been in these close games," tight end Evan Engram said. "We've been in these pressure moments. Guys just stay calm, stay present and we just answer the bell."
Those plays — the ones where the Broncos rise to the occasion — don't all happen in the final moments. They come in the form of a first-half Dre Greenlaw interception to wipe points off the board or a downfield pass breakup from Alex Singleton. They look like an end-of-half touchdown drive, capped by a Bo Nix touchdown pass where he felt like he was "floating for a second."
Then, of course, there are Engram's 41-yard catch-and-run to set up the game-winning touchdown and Nik Bonitto's pass breakup on a two-point conversion attempt.
Those moments are all accompanied by a resolute internal confidence that the Broncos will find a way.
"We got incredible belief no matter what," said Bo Nix after tying John Elway for the most game-winning drives in a season in franchise history. "We just feel like we're going to figure out a way to win the game, make the next play."
The Broncos did that on "Sunday Night Football," earning a win that counts the same as any other — and may feel particularly validating given the results around the league. Seven underdogs earned wins in Week 13, but the Broncos found a way to stave off another.
"Even if you look across the league this week, I mean, a lot of the teams that were supposed to win those games lost a lot of them," Bonitto said. "You know, that's what the championship teams [do] — you're going to find ways to win, and we did that today, so we're not going to take any wins for granted. We know this was a game that, you know, we wanted to win, and we found a way."
The Broncos celebrated appropriately. The smoke poured out of the locker room. The speakers blared, providing the soundtrack to a victory celebration. There was certainly no apologizing for a 10th victory that pushed Denver's AFC West chances to 85 percent and the team's odds of getting the No. 1 seed to 36 percent, according to The Athletic's playoff simulator.
"We [didn't] escape," Payton said, "We won."
On a chilly Sunday night in Landover, the Broncos continued to show their mettle in tough spots — and they'll look to turn an already memorable season into something greater.
"There's something special, but we also feel like there's more in the tank," Nix said. "We also feel like there's more to grow from. As much as we feel like we've had success, there's a lot of guys in that locker room that are eager to perform better. We know that there's a higher ceiling that we could play up to."
