ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the calendar page turns, the race to improve continues.
And in the month of October, the Broncos have a track record of making those strides.
A year ago, the Broncos posted a perfect 4-0 mark in the season's second month. Since Bo Nix became Denver's starter at the beginning of the 2024 season, the Broncos are 7-1 in October — and the team is 10-3 in October in Head Coach Sean Payton's tenure.
Payton, whose .761 winning percentage in the month of October is the best in NFL history among those who have coached at least 50 games in the month, referenced that success to his team ahead of a Week 4 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
And he also pointed to the tangible steps the Broncos took — and must continue to take — to play winning football in the month.
"As we called everyone up [in the huddle, the message] was, 'October was good for us a year ago, and that's because you guys made it a priority during the week,'" Payton said Wednesday. "It was kind of back to that. We're early in this race. We have to be finding these areas that don't become another mistake [in] Week 5 or Week 6."
As the Broncos prepare to visit the undefeated 49ers, Payton said the key to the team's improvement lies in the "little things [and] details" that the team didn't succeed at in Week 3 against the Rams.
"We have to be looking for those margins and getting better in that area," Payton said.
Payton and the Broncos have stressed that starting faster is among the areas of needed focus, and the team is emphasizing that aim during the practice week.
"It's in the beginning periods of practice, the opening sequence both offensively and defensively," Payton said. "… Believe me, there's a lot we're doing to create those scenarios of starting [fast]."
Payton said the Broncos aren't concerned with league-wide rankings just three weeks into the season, but he did stress that the way Denver has started games "isn't good" and that "it has to improve" as the team enters October.
Asked to evaluate the slow starts, tackle Mike McGlinchey believes the key lies in improving the execution in the early moments of games.
"It's that first third down," McGlinchey said. "It's moving the chains. We have to be better in those areas. It didn't feel like last week was catastrophic, other than the fact that we just couldn't convert the third downs. We just didn't run enough plays in the first half, and it was because we couldn't move the chains. The efficiency [on] first and second down and when it does become third down, convert those and keep the ball in our hands. It just comes down to executing the play that's called."
Payton also pointed to the team's lack of consistency in running the football in the first halves of games, and he said improving in that area can help both Nix and the team's defense.
As the team looks to build on a 2-1 start and replicate their October success from a year ago, Nix knows there's value in the team's resiliency. But he is also aware of the consistency the team must find in the early stages of Week 4 and beyond to play their best football.
"I think we know we're going to be able to always be in the football game and always be able to come back," Nix said. "That's one of our strengths. We're never out of the game. I do think starting fast is key, and it always is. The really good teams that win the whole thing, they have games where they start fast and they don't just rely on getting to the second half."
