The Denver Broncos just experienced the highest of highs after beating the Chiefs last week. Their euphoria could quickly fade away in Week 10 when they face another Super Bowl contender in the Buffalo Bills.
The Broncos-Bills Monday night matchup has most NFL fans grumbling -- not another Broncos primetime game. Didn't the NFL learn its lesson last year?
In any case, Broncos head coach Sean Payton is treating the upcoming matchup as an uber-competitive one. He reportedly hired a crew to paint the Bills logo on the Broncos' field this past week as a somewhat unconventional way to fire up his players.
Payton told reporters about the field touch-up: "I've done that for years. It was always to acclimate our players. We used to do it all the time in New Orleans."
Payton added, "If I could have made it 48 degrees with a 10-mile-an-hour wind, I would've done that, too... We're going on the road. It's nothing to do with the opponent, it's more of us just getting in the mindset."
Sean Payton and the Broncos are fired up for MNF vs. Bills
A small adjustment like playing on an opponent's logo may feel trivial in the grand scheme of things, but as Payton reiterates, "every detail matters."
Both the Broncos and Bills have differently-sized chips on their shoulders going into Week 10's matchup. Russell Wilson will never escape mockery for as long as he's in Denver, and Sean Payton's hire hasn't made things much better so far this season. Contrary to the beliefs of Russ sympathizers and delusional Broncos fans, one win against the Chiefs does not magically turn the 3-5 team into playoff contenders.
As for the Bills, Josh Allen and Co. fell short against the Bengals last week, and more questions are swirling around the sustainability and potency of Buffalo's post-Brian Daboll offense.
A blowout win over the Broncos should inject a much-needed dose of confidence in the Bills, but the Broncos are doing everything in their power to make sure that won't happen.
