The Broncos finally put their long playoff drought in the past.
Almost nine years after Super Bowl 50, they’re back in the AFC postseason field.
Now comes the hard part.
Trying to go to Buffalo to knock off an MVP candidate in quarterback Josh Allen and the 13-4 Bills.
“Everybody’s ready to go and everybody understands that getting to the playoffs is nice, but we don’t play football for consolation prizes and moral victories,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “You play to win. I think our head coach has hit that on the head ever since the game last night and that’s going to be the message moving forward.
“We’re really excited for the opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl. All you have to do is get in. Anything can happen in the next couple weeks.”
McGlinchey in his five years with San Francisco said he’d been on teams with high seeds and low seeds and made it to the NFC Championship Game from both positions.
“It’s something that we’re ready for and it’s just an awesome opportunity to compete,” He said.
The NFL life cycle always spins quickly, but never faster than this time of year. The Broncos could have been conducting exit meetings, cleaning out their locker room and heading for warmer climes on Monday. Instead, they had morning team meetings to start preparing for the Bills.
The excitement and energy, McGlinchey said, was palpable.
“Garett Bolles was smiling ear to ear in our meeting this morning because it’s the first time in his career he’s getting the chance to play for the team that he loves in the playoffs,” McGlinchey said. “Courtland Sutton, the same thing. Our trainers who have been here for years, our equipment staff who have been here for years. It’s an opportunity to change people’s lives. That’s what the playoffs do.
“It’s a really cool feeling to be a part of that and hopefully we do make a lot of noise in the playoffs as they come around here because I think the excitement in our building right now is something that you don’t want to go away.”
McGlinchey said feeling the pressure but keeping consistency is the key to preparing for a postseason game. Too much change puts you out of your rhythm, but urgency is also required.
“Yeah, getting in the tournament is part of it, but then put your best foot forward in preparing to play your best game against a real good football team,” coach Sean Payton told reporters Monday. “That’s where the focus is.”
The Broncos will go to Buffalo as a big underdog — opening betting lines pegged the Bills as between 7.5-point and 8.5-point favorites — but Payton and players think they can make a run anyway. They’re happy to be playing at least one more week, but they don’t want it to be just a week.
“When it’s win or go home, you never know when your last practice is guaranteed or when the last time you step on the field together is,” McGlinchey said. “… You want to make sure you play as long as possible and that’s what we’re going to try and do.”
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