Denver Broncos’ defense shines, but coach Sean Payton isn’t celebrating yet

By Canadian Press on January 5, 2026.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos may be rolling into the postseason as the AFC’s top seed but coach Sean Payton isn’t exactly exhuberant entering the playoffs.

“Look, am I ever happy? No,” Payton said after the Broncos’ 19-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers’ backups Sunday secured a first-round bye and homefield advantage. “But we shouldn’t be as coaches.”

Still, the Broncos (14-3) tied a franchise record for most victories in a season and for the first time in a decade will host a playoff game in the divisional round next week.

“Yes, we have to clean some things up, and we will,” Payton said. “We’ll be ready.”

As usual, Denver’s defense was outstanding, sacking Trey Lance four times, getting a pick-6 from Ja’Quan McMillian for the game’s only touchdown, recovering a fumble and turning away LA twice on fourth down.

The Broncos offense again sputtered, producing no TDs, four field goals, just 141 passing yards, including 38 in the first half. Top wideouts Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin combined for one catch for 5 yards on just three targets.

“Obviously, we’ll be sharper in some areas,” Payton said, “but we were sharp defensively.”

A win is a win, however incomplete or devoid of flash, and left tackle Garett Bolles planted a giant Broncos flag in the south end zone after the game.

“This place is special to me. This team, this organization, my family grew up here, I grew up here, I became a man here,” Bolles said. “So, to be able to give back to this city and this community to where it belongs and get the Broncos organization back to where it needs to be, it’s a special moment for sure.”

Despite the rocky road, the Broncos get to play at altitude in the playoffs. Payton said the best thing about the top seed is getting to skip this weekend’s games and quarterback Bo Nix said of the No. 1 seed: “Two home games is where we want to be. It’s better than having to play on the road and it’s better than having to play an extra game.

“I think for us, it’s the best-case scenario. It’ll be good to play here because of our stadium and the atmosphere. I think that’ll apply a little bit more pressure. At the end of the day, it’s an open tournament and it’s going to be a really good opportunity to play really good teams. Each one that comes in here is going to be a tough, physical, competitive game.”

And the Broncos have prevailed in those type of grind-it-out games all season.

What’s working

Denver’s defense carried Peyton Manning across the finish line in Super Bowl 50 a decade ago and this unit might have to do the same thing with Nix and the Broncos’ sputtering offense.

What needs help

Nix had one of his worst games of the season, not the kind of playoff tune-up the Broncos were hoping for. But it hardly mattered as the Broncos won for the 13th time in their last 14 home games. He said he’s confident the offense will get back to the red zone efficiency it’s shown at times this season.

Stock up

OLB Nik Bonitto had a strip sack that led to a field goal and teamed up on another sack to finish with a career-high 14 QB takedowns this season. He’s the third Broncos defender to record 13 or more sacks in back-to-back seasons, joining LB Simon Fletcher (1991-93) and DE Trevor Pryce (1999-2000).

Stock down

At 14-3, there is not really anybody in Denver whose stock is slipping.

Injuries

S P.J. Locke (leg) was injured in the second quarter. He has been starting in place of injured S Brandon Jones. Locke was replaced by special teams ace Devon Key, who had two tackles to go with two stops in the kicking game.

Key stats

— 99 consecutive extra points made by K Wil Lutz. That’s tied for the third-most since the PAT was moved back in 2015, behind Justin Tucker (112 from 2015-18) and Tyler Bass (104 from 2020-22).

— 68 sacks by the Broncos this season, breaking the franchise record of 63 set last season. That’s four sacks shy of the NFL record set by the 1984 Chicago Bears.

— 26 special teams tackles by Key, a franchise record, eclipsing the record set by LB Keith Burns (2000, 2003).

Next steps

The Broncos, who were coming off a mini-bye Sunday after playing in Kansas City on Christmas night, get another break with their first-round bye this weekend.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Arnie Stapleton, The Associated Press