‘There’s a narrow line here between a groove and a rut,’ say the Lions, who might serve as a model for the Broncos in 2022.
ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO – The next opponent on the Broncos’ schedule will be the Lions in eight weeks.
However, for the time being, Detroit may serve as a model.
Last season, the Lions began with a 1-6 record, including four one-possession losses and two three-point losses.
The poor start included a five-game losing streak from Week 3 to Week 8, leaving the Lions facing an uphill climb toward the playoffs.
Detroit ultimately fell just short of the playoffs, as they were eliminated on the final afternoon of the 2022 season. And yet, despite being out of postseason contention by the time their “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the Packers kicked off, the Lions earned a 20-16 win to keep their division rival out of the playoffs, as well.
The Lions finished the season with a 9-8 record as they closed the season with an 8-2 run. They strung a pair of three-game winning streaks together as part of the second-half success, and they nearly became just the second team in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting 1-6.
In 2023, that success has only continued. The Lions upset the defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs in Arrowhead in Week 1, and they’re one of five teams to hold a 5-1 record entering Week 7.
As the Broncos (1-5) approach a matchup with the Packers, Head Coach Sean Payton pointed to the Lions as an example for Denver to follow.
“Look, there’s a fine line here between a groove and a rut,” Payton said Wednesday. “… [Detroit] had a handful of tough losses. They were 1-6. I know [Lions head coach] Dan [Campbell] well. You keep fighting. There’s a grit element involved, some mental toughness that’s involved. And then, pretty soon, here they are at the end of the season, they’re eliminated before that game [was] played, but they were in … contention and here they are now as one of those teams.
“We’re kind of in that position where we’re bowing up — and we have to.”
Denver’s own path isn’t so different from Detroit’s in 2022. The Broncos have lost a pair of games by a combined three points, and their 10-point margin of defeat to the Jets came as a potential game-winning drive went awry.
Led by a veteran quarterback — as Detroit is in Jared Goff — the Broncos have seen elements of offensive success that the Lions showed even as they struggled to earn wins to start the 2022 season. The Lions surpassed the 30-point mark in three of their first seven games; Denver, meanwhile, has twice eclipsed that mark in its first six contests. The Lions averaged 24.7 points per game through that stretch, as they struggled in consecutive outings against the Patriots and Cowboys in which they were shut out and scored six points, respectively. The Broncos, by comparison, have averaged 21.5 points per game.
The Lions allowed 32.1 points per game as they started the season 1-6. In its own rough start to the season, Denver has allowing 33.3 points per game.
The Lions, on the other hand, improved in the second half of the season. The offense scored 30 or more points in five of its final ten games, while the defense held opponents to 20.2 points per game.
Should Denver’s offense find early-season success while the defense improves on their Week 6 performance, the Broncos could position themselves for second-half success.
While the Broncos will have a difficult time replicating the Lions’ continuous success from the later part of 2022, their immediate focus is on beating the Packers at home. And, as the Broncos try to change the course of their season, the mini-bye following their Thursday night setback could pay rewards.
“I think it can kind of help you refocus, reset,” defensive According to Justin Simmons. “I know it’s not a great start, but there’s still so many opportunities in front of us to be able to turn this thing around and to get this thing going.”
Simmons noted the extra days as being beneficial for healing, film review, and self-scouting.
Then, he continued, the decision to turn the page and move forward must be taken.
“You’ve just got to be able to put them behind you,” Simmons added. “You have no choice. Things cannot linger and drag on. You can learn from them, but you cannot dwell on it.
“[It’s] definitely a blessing having those extra days — and [we’re] looking forward to turning this thing around.”
