Bold Predictions for Bills vs Saints: Kincaid, Allen, and Rousseau Set to Shine

Courtland Sutton stopped short of categorizing Monday night’s showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals as a must-win affair for the 1-2 Denver Broncos, losers of two straight.

Juuuust short.

“I feel like there’s a sense of urgency in each week. Each week is just as important. I would leave it at that there is no other adjective, adverb, however you want to describe it, used to describe it,” Sutton told reporters Wednesday. “But I don’t think there’s anything else outside of each week is important, each practice is important, each film study is important, every meeting. Everything that we do to prepare for the week is equally as important. I would say, and I’m sure you guys have heard [Head] Coach [Sean Payton] talk about the importance of the debrief. I think that’s something that we have leaned on really heavy because I’m sure you guys have also heard Coach talk about the importance of the race to improve over the first few weeks of the season.

”I would say that if you combine both of those, I think that the urgency would lean towards those two things. Making sure that we have a sense of urgency in understanding the importance of the debrief, and understanding the urgency in needing to improve and eliminate the things that we’re doing to hurt ourselves in these games. Have we played perfect? No. Have we had opportunities to win these past couple of games? Yes. It’s upon us to be able to eliminate those things that are handicapping us from being able to find success in a full four-quarter game.”

Not to suggest the other teams don’t get paid, too, but the Broncos have been their own worst enemy amid a brutal two-game slide in which they were downed by last-second field goals — untimely penalties, turnovers, defensive collapses, and questionable coaching decisions all playing a part.

With a trip to Philadelphia and then to London next on the docket, Denver can ill afford falling to 1-3 against a Joe Burrow-less Bengals squad (another AFC opponent), with the entire country watching, at the friendly confines of Empower Field.

The latter of which is arguably the most significant factor.

“What is it, half of our games we play at home? It’s huge for us to be able to protect the home field,” Sutton affirmed. ”I’m sure everybody at some point has played a sport and has heard somebody say, ‘You’re not going to let someone walk in your house and take what’s yours.’ So it’s upon us to create that mantra, that idea that when we play at home—every game is important—when we play at home it’s important for us to be able to maintain that protection of home field. They don’t call it home-field advantage for nothing. I feel like we have because of our fans, because of the atmosphere, because of the elements, we have a huge advantage playing at home. It’s upon us to make sure that we take advantage of that opportunity when we do get a chance to have it.”

Sutton nor his teams want to say it aloud, but it’s indisputable to the masses: this absolutely is a must-win — and even must-dominate — scenario for the Broncos.