Sean Payton has a winning team that does not yet feel like one. Before the Denver Broncos left for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, their head coach told reporters on Friday that a 4-2 start is only worth something if the team keeps getting better from week to week, saying Denver “can’t be a yo-yo.”
The record and the scoreboard tell different stories. Denver has won four of six, yet it has scored 114 points and allowed 125. Winning at State Farm Stadium would give Denver three wins in a row and show that a narrow escape against Seattle can turn into something steadier.
#BroncosCountry LIVE: HC Sean Payton meets the media https://t.co/KxfvSn6Q79
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 23, 2026
What Payton wants to fix
The clearest example came on Thursday night, October 15. Denver led Seattle 14-3 at halftime after two short touchdown runs by J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, then did not score again in regulation. The Seahawks tied it with three seconds left, and Wil Lutz needed a 53-yard field goal in overtime to win it 17-14. The Broncos finished with 168 yards of offense, 2.9 yards a play and 3 conversions on 14 third downs. Bo Nix completed 17 of 27 passes for 107 yards.
Payton’s message this week was about steadiness more than any single fix. “We have to be ascending, improving,” he said. Offensive coordinator Davis Webb made the same point in narrower terms: the offense has to finish games the way it starts them, especially in the fourth quarter. Nix, who said on Wednesday that he has to play better, has talked about pairing aggression with good decisions, and Webb said he expects his quarterback to get on a run.
Leaning on the backfield
Payton also wants more balance, which means more running. Denver ran 28 times for 74 yards against Seattle, 2.6 a carry, and the head coach described his group of backs as both deep and talented. Dobbins and Harvey have been sharing the work, and rookie Jonah Coleman, activated from injured reserve this week, is listed as questionable and could add a third option. Cornerback Pat Surtain II is also questionable after another limited week of practice.
The Arizona problem
The Cardinals are 2-4 and have been outscored by 52 points, but Payton singled out two things that worry him. The first is tight end Trey McBride, whom he compared to Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers as a matchup that is hard to cover with either a linebacker or a safety. The second is Arizona’s defense, which Payton called a pressure group, a test for an offense that has struggled to protect Nix and sustain drives.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s focus is the run and the explosive play, because the Cardinals like to grind out long drives. The numbers favor Denver near the goal line: Arizona ranks 27th in red-zone offense. The Broncos are also 11-2 against NFC opponents since the start of the 2024 season.
What comes next
Denver plays at Arizona on Sunday, October 25, at 4:05 p.m. EDT (Game Center). The Broncos then return home to face the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, November 1, at 4:25 p.m. EST, a division game that will look very different depending on whether Denver arrives at 5-2 or 4-3.
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