ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For defensive lineman Zach Allen, there's no better way to spend the Broncos' Week 10 bye than by giving back to the community that has given so much to him.
"I kind of fell in love with Denver the minute we came here," Allen said Tuesday. "With me and my family, they've been so incredible and great to us. Any way you can kind of give back in a small way, you want to be able to do that."
On Tuesday, the defensive lineman continued to showcase his commitment to the Denver community, joining Food Bank of the Rockies' mobile pantry to distribute turkeys and other food items for the Thanksgiving holiday. It marked the second consecutive year that Allen has partnered with the organization to participate in a Thanksgiving meal distribution.
"I think it's a cool opportunity where the bye week aligned near Thanksgiving," Allen said. "Thanksgiving is a time where you want to make sure everyone has a special meal with family and friends. Very fortunate that it worked out this way and we were able to do it. Food Bank of the Rockies, they do such a great job. Super special organization to partner with. This is the second year we're doing it, and it's been a lot of fun."
While Allen spoke about the prime opportunity this week provides to take a step away from football and spend more time volunteering in the community, he also shared that Denver's Week 10 bye will be an important time to reflect on what the team has accomplished and where the group hopes to go. The Broncos enter their break amid a five-game winning streak, and they currently hold the second seed in the AFC. With a 7-2 overall record, the team currently sits atop the AFC West.
"I think 7-2 is definitely a good spot," Allen said when reflecting on the team's opening stretch of games. "… The fact that we've won tight games is good. I think we still have our best ball ahead of us, still have things to improve on. [We] just hopefully will use this week to kind of rest up, reset and just finish strong these last eight weeks."
With a 26-21 win over the Panthers in Week 9, the Broncos earned their 16th consecutive one-score win, which is now the longest winning streak in regular-season one-score games in NFL history. According to Allen, a huge part of Denver's success in critical moments can be attributed to the culture that Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton have built.
"I think no matter what's going on, guys don't really let the roller coaster of emotions affect you, which is important," Allen said of winning close games. "Especially when the playoffs come, that's huge, because there's going to be adversity. We have a bunch of guys that don't blink at that adversity. You know you have the right makeup. … Culture is a huge thing. It's a really special group to be a part of."
As Denver looks ahead to the second half of the regular season, and as the team continues working toward its goals of winning the division and earning the best seed possible, Allen said continuing to build on early-season momentum will be important.
"When you have a chance like this to have a special season, you really kind of [have] to seize the opportunity," Allen said. "… We've really got to capitalize. It's a mature group, it's a special group. I'm really excited to get back to work next week."
Before the Broncos get back to work, though, Allen said approaching the bye week the right way will be of the utmost importance.
"There's always things to improve on," Allen said. "This bye week gives us a good chance to see those things — the specifics of where we want to be better. I think the bye came at a perfect time, and guys are handling it the right way."
