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Speaker 1: Hello everyone, Welcome back Insite Centure Held Training Center for

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Speaker 1: another episode of Broncos Now. I hope you all had

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Speaker 1: a wonderful Thanksgiving. Coming up on today's episode, the Broncos

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Speaker 1: are set to face the Cleveland Browns ad in Powerfield

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Speaker 1: at Mile High this Sunday, and we'll hear from head

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Speaker 1: coach Sean Payn and in all three coordinators as they

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Speaker 1: look ahead to that game.

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Speaker 2: All that more coming out.

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Speaker 1: Broncos were inside the indoor practice field today as they

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Speaker 1: continue to prepare to face the Browns this Sunday, and

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Speaker 1: we heard from head coach Sean Payan as he detailed

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Speaker 1: Cleveland's defense and what they did at practice this week

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Speaker 1: to prepare.

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Speaker 3: You can take any statistic, you know, third down numbers,

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Speaker 3: they're at the top of the league. Passing efficiency, they're

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Speaker 3: at the top of the league, and so you have

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Speaker 3: this unique imbalance right now of snaps that they're getting

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Speaker 3: on offense, snaps they're defending on defense. We did the

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Speaker 3: red zone report today, so in order to have a

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Speaker 3: red zone opportunity, you cross the twenty. They're fewest in

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Speaker 3: the league and defending red zone opportunities. So one of

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Speaker 3: the keys we felt like at the start of the

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Speaker 3: week was you know, our first and second down efficiency

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Speaker 3: versus this defense and trying to minimize the minus place.

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Speaker 1: Offensive corninator Joe Lombardi added to that, discussing how critical

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Speaker 1: first in a second down efficiency will be.

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Speaker 4: You know, when you look at this defense, you know,

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Speaker 4: the third and shorts, there's not a lot of clips

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Speaker 4: compared to most teams, third and two to three, third

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Speaker 4: and four to six, and then you get to that

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Speaker 4: third and seven plus, and there's way more than you're

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Speaker 4: used to watching. And that's kind of how they've been successful.

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Speaker 4: You know, they're they're good on early downs. They get

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Speaker 4: you in that third and seven plus and then they've

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Speaker 4: got a pass rush that's fear so staying out of

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Speaker 4: those third and longer it's all. You know, we say

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Speaker 4: it all the time. You know, there's certain fundamentals that

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Speaker 4: no matter who you're playing, you want to you want

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Speaker 4: to execute, you want to stay out of third and longer,

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Speaker 4: regardless who you're playing. But this team's so good in

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Speaker 4: those situations that that first and second down efficiency will be,

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Speaker 4: you know, even more key.

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Speaker 5: Maybe.

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Speaker 1: He also went on to talk about what to expect

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Speaker 1: from the Browns secondary with quarterback Denzel Ward ruled out

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Speaker 1: of Sunday's game.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, it'll be interesting something that we're gonna have to

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Speaker 4: watch early. You know, just common sense would tell you

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Speaker 4: that they'll probably play a little more zone. I know

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Speaker 4: that Schwartz has always done a good job of protecting

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Speaker 4: his corners when he doesn't feel like they're you know,

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Speaker 4: you know, maybe the guys that he wants to have

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Speaker 4: and man a man a lot. So you know, we'll

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Speaker 4: definitely be watching early to see if his tendencies are changing.

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Speaker 1: Coach Sean Payna also talked about Brown's quarterback Dorian Thompson

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Speaker 1: Robinson and what he's seen on tape from him.

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Speaker 3: Look, I remember him because we watched a lot of

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Speaker 3: them on film, you know, in the draft process. You know,

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Speaker 3: he's come in there. They do a great job with

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Speaker 3: what they do offensively. He's athletic, he's he's a guy

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Speaker 3: that can stress you, you know outside the pocket. He's

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Speaker 3: got a strong arm, and you know he's done what

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Speaker 3: you want from a backup come in and the team

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Speaker 3: has continued to win. So but certainly there are some

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Speaker 3: things that he does like the ones before him, even Deshaun,

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Speaker 3: where you've got to be ready when plays extend.

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Speaker 1: And defensive coordinator Vince Joseph talked about the Browns run game.

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Speaker 5: It's a good scheme. You know, they have a great

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Speaker 5: whole line, coach, have good backs. It's a really good scheme.

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Speaker 5: It's a it's an outside zone scheme that runs the

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Speaker 5: gap schemes very well, you know, and they committed to it.

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Speaker 5: It's a it's a team. It's a team strategy, running football,

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Speaker 5: playing great defense, you know, and winning football games. So

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Speaker 5: it's it's working for him.

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Speaker 1: And last but not least, a special teams coordinator Ben

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Speaker 1: kottwe talked about the special team's performance last week a

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Speaker 1: versus the Vikings and how they hope to continue that

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Speaker 1: this Sunday. Yeah, to go five for five, hit a

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Speaker 1: fifty two yard field goal, that operation, you know, has

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Speaker 1: it was smooth and we've seen that this week.

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Speaker 5: So don't expect anything less from those guys.

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Speaker 3: And when the numbers called them, you know, confidence that

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Speaker 3: they're going to notack through.

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Speaker 1: The upright, And now it's time to take a look

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Speaker 1: at this week's final injury report. Running Back at Dwayne

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Speaker 1: Washington was listed as questionable as he did not participate

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Speaker 1: in practice on Friday, and safety PJ Lock is also

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Speaker 1: listed as questionable, though he was a full participant. Now

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Speaker 1: joining me here inside the Broncos podcast studio for a

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Speaker 1: game preview is Broncos lead writer Eric Delaala. Eric, thanks

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Speaker 1: for joining me today.

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Speaker 2: You got it said, Happy belated Thanksgiving? Happy Blayden.

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Speaker 1: How was your Thanksgiving yesterday?

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Speaker 2: It was nice? Nice? How about you mine? Too? Good?

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Speaker 3: Eric?

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Speaker 1: We just finished taking a look at the final injury report.

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Speaker 1: I know there was a lot of talk this week

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Speaker 1: just about who's going to relase Kareem Jackson. We saw

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Speaker 1: PJ Lock. He was a full participant today but is

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Speaker 1: listed as questionable. Just what would it mean do you

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Speaker 1: think to get him back if he is able to

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Speaker 1: play on Sunday?

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Speaker 6: Yeah, you know, I think good sign. First of all, right,

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Speaker 6: I thought he was a full participant on Friday. He

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Speaker 6: was limited on Thursday, not able to practice on Wednesday.

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Speaker 6: Had not practiced since suffering that injury against Buffalo on

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Speaker 6: Monday Night Football. When we talked to him yesterday, he

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Speaker 6: said that it felt good during practice and just kind

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Speaker 6: of needed to take it day by day see how

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Speaker 6: it responded, and needed to be able to run around

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Speaker 6: and move and do all the sorts of things to

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Speaker 6: feel comfortable during a game. So again, good sign that

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Speaker 6: he's a full participant. Sean Payton said, just kind of

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Speaker 6: a day by day situation. If he is able to play.

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Speaker 6: I do think it's a really big deal for this

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Speaker 6: Broncos defense. You know, PJ has only started two games

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Speaker 6: this year, obviously the one and then he makes the

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Speaker 6: big play against Green Bay earlier in the season.

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Speaker 2: You know he's playing good football.

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Speaker 6: I think his range is impressive back there against Buffalo.

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Speaker 6: I think we saw, you know, what he was able

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Speaker 6: to do and what this defense was able to do

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Speaker 6: with him out there, and then when he went out,

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Speaker 6: Buffalo started to find some success and I think maybe

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Speaker 6: some of what obviously had Kareem Jackson there against Minnesota,

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Speaker 6: but but him coming back without Kareem would be a

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Speaker 6: big deal. I think you're facing a rookie quarterback. You

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Speaker 6: know the Broncos are gonna focus on stopping the run

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Speaker 6: first and foremost, but you've got to know that you're

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Speaker 6: kind of short up there on the back end of

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Speaker 6: the defense, that you're not going to give up a

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Speaker 6: game changing play. I think when you have PJ Lock

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Speaker 6: back there and next to Justin Simmons. You feel pretty

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Speaker 6: good about your coverage, the communication, all that.

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Speaker 2: And that's not to say that Agelarian.

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Speaker 6: Turner, Yell or Jail Skinner you know, or whoever else

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Speaker 6: couldn't step in and have success.

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Speaker 2: But we've seen PJ do it. He said.

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Speaker 6: You know, I asked him on Thursday, why are you

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Speaker 6: having more success this year? And he said, just an

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Speaker 6: increased understanding of the game and increased IQ from a

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Speaker 6: football knowledge standpoint.

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Speaker 2: That's helped him have success.

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Speaker 6: And I think you see that in terms of how

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Speaker 6: comfortable he is playing out there, able to play fast,

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Speaker 6: able to make plays again, has that range.

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Speaker 2: So it would be a big deal if PJ lock

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Speaker 2: and play.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, Eric sticking with injuries, I know the Browns

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Speaker 1: they're going to be without a key few key players.

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Speaker 1: I know. The one guy that really stuck out to

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Speaker 1: me was cornerback Dun's All Ward offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi,

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Speaker 1: who talked earlier in the show just about how that

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Speaker 1: would change their secondary.

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Speaker 2: I mean that's going to be big.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, Well, I have to see exactly kind of how

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Speaker 6: the Browns respond. As Joe Lombardi said, they play a

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Speaker 6: lot of man coverage, a lot of single high safety coverage,

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Speaker 6: and you know, will they stick with that, will that

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Speaker 6: continue to be their identity and just kind of slot

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Speaker 6: the next guy in where Denzel Award played and maybe

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Speaker 6: maybe they switch to more zone defense, as Joe Lombardi mentioned,

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Speaker 6: like that's something to watch there.

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Speaker 2: And you know, Denzel.

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Speaker 6: A Ward's a really good player and obviously you know,

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Speaker 6: he was taken right before Bradley Chubb back in the

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Speaker 6: twenty eighteen draft. Good player, one of the best cornerbacks

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Speaker 6: in the league. So they'll be challenged to replace him.

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Speaker 6: It's still a really good defense and a good secondary,

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Speaker 6: and so it'll still be a challenge.

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Speaker 2: A wan Thorne Hill list it as questionable.

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Speaker 6: We'll see if he's able to go, but but yeah,

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Speaker 6: definitely something that could impact this game.

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Speaker 2: And even if it's just you know, is it worth

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Speaker 2: a field goal here or there?

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Speaker 6: You know, is it you know, can the Broncos find

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Speaker 6: success on one deep passing play that puts him in

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Speaker 6: position to get a touchdown? I mean, I think the

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Speaker 6: margins in this game will be pretty slim, and it's

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Speaker 6: a really good defense, so you got to take what

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Speaker 6: you can get. And so yeah, maybe there's an opportunity

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Speaker 6: there for the Broncos, but we know Jim Schwartz really

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Speaker 6: good defensive coordinator, and I'm sure he'll find a way

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Speaker 6: to adjust without Denzel Ward.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Eric, you mentioned it. I mean great defense. I

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Speaker 1: mean one of the best in the league right now.

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Speaker 1: I know they're topping a lot of categories, so just

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Speaker 1: overall that whole unit. I mean, what specific challenges do

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Speaker 1: you think they'll really present.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, I think well, they're really good at the line

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Speaker 6: of scrimmage in terms of the physicality. You know, they're

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Speaker 6: know how to bring pressure and get Miles Garrett in

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Speaker 6: these one on one situations where he can attack you

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Speaker 6: and create problems.

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Speaker 2: They're good on the back end. They're fast.

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Speaker 6: You know teams that try to play side to side

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Speaker 6: or horizontal or misdirection. I mean, the Browns are just

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Speaker 6: fast and so they're going to catch up to you

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Speaker 6: a lot of the time. There are some things that

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Speaker 6: they do that stand out. In terms of three and outs,

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Speaker 6: they force them at a higher percentage than any team

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Speaker 6: since that stat was tracked beginning in two thousand. They've

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Speaker 6: allowed the fewest passing yards in the last forty years.

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Speaker 6: Third down defense they're really good red zone opportunities. They

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Speaker 6: only allow about too a game to each team, which

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Speaker 6: is a fewists in the league. They only allow about

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Speaker 6: eighteen yards per drive, which again is you know, best

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Speaker 6: in decades. They you know, I mean, I can go

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Speaker 6: on and on and on there in terms of what

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Speaker 6: they do, but they just make life really challenging. And

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Speaker 6: I think the key maybe you're able to find some

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Speaker 6: success running the football. The Broncos were able to do that,

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Speaker 6: or excuse me, the Steelers were able to do that

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Speaker 6: a week ago against the Browns and kept things close there.

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Speaker 2: You have to avoid turning the.

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Speaker 6: Ball over and you know, you can't allow Miles Carrott

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Speaker 6: to get a strip sack. He's tied for the league lead,

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Speaker 6: and it's really good at that. You know, can you

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Speaker 6: prevent a regular sack from being a strip sack? Can

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Speaker 6: you make sure that you don't throw an interception or

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Speaker 6: have a costly fumble? I think those things will be critical.

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Speaker 6: And then you know, I think part of it, too

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Speaker 6: is up to the Broncos, you know, defense being able

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Speaker 6: to get off the field at times and give the

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Speaker 6: Broncos more opportunities. Teams average a lot of possessions against

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Speaker 6: the Browns, they're not able to sustain them. But you

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Speaker 6: hope that, you know, first second down, you're able to

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Speaker 6: find some success stay on the field because part of

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Speaker 6: the reasons, part of the reason the Browns are so

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Speaker 6: good and why they find success is they average eighteen

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Speaker 6: more plays and their opponent, and in time of possession

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Speaker 6: they dominate it. And so I think you've got to

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Speaker 6: You've got to find a way to bring that closer.

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Speaker 6: You've got to win the field position battle again, you know,

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Speaker 6: find a way to play clean football and not hurt

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Speaker 6: yourself with penalties or turnovers, and then just make some plays.

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Speaker 6: And it's a long list because it's a good defense.

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Speaker 6: But you know, I do think, as Mike McGlinchey said

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Speaker 6: earlier this week, they're a really good group. But we

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Speaker 6: have confidence in our group too. We feel up to

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Speaker 6: the challenge.

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Speaker 1: Ork Looking at the Broncos offense, you know, how do

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Speaker 1: you hope to see them get the run game going again?

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Speaker 1: And how critical do you think that will be to

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Speaker 1: this offense? It's success.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, again, I think the run game will be important

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Speaker 6: just to keep this team in second and manageable, third

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Speaker 6: and managible. You know, last week I think was maybe

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Speaker 6: a bit of an anomaly in terms of the run game.

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Speaker 2: Not having a lot of success.

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Speaker 6: If you look back kind of the five six weeks

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Speaker 6: before that, this team was running the football really well

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Speaker 6: and sticking with it, having consistency. I do think again

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Speaker 6: they might be able to find some of that success

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Speaker 6: against the Browns, and it'll be important just in terms

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Speaker 6: of again the time of possession, staying on the field,

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Speaker 6: maintaining drives, maybe wearing this defense down a little bit.

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Speaker 6: And then you know, I'll have to see kind of

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Speaker 6: in the red zone, are they able to get the

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Speaker 6: run game going a little bit down there. They haven't

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Speaker 6: run it particularly well down in the red zone, but yeah,

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Speaker 6: you know they're gonna have to run the ball well,

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Speaker 6: They're gonna have to throw it well in spots. This

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Speaker 6: is just a game where it feels like a kind

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Speaker 6: of a grinded out sort of game. I think Patser

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Speaker 6: Tanner earlier this week said, we know this is going

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Speaker 6: to be a battle on both sides of the ball.

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Speaker 6: It feels like a physical you know, the Browns obviously

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Speaker 6: play these games a lot in the AFC North, where

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Speaker 6: it's a defensive oriented run the ball. The Broncos are

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Speaker 6: built in a lot of ways like an AFC North

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Speaker 6: team this year, and I think it could feel like

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Speaker 6: one of those AFC North battles.

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Speaker 3: Eric.

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Speaker 1: We heard earlier in the show from head coach Sean

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Speaker 1: Payn and defensive Cornea or advanced Joseph. They talked about

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Speaker 1: how strong the Browns run game is. So what do

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Speaker 1: you really just hope to see on the other side

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Speaker 1: of the ball for the Bronco goes. You know, they're

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Speaker 1: run defense specifically.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, I think they've got to be good on early downs.

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Speaker 6: And it's not a it's not revolutionary or anything like that,

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Speaker 6: but I think you've got to put Dorian Thomas, Dorian

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Speaker 6: Thompson Robinson in second and long, third and long. You know,

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Speaker 6: last week in the first half against Pittsburgh, the Browns

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Speaker 6: ran the ball well on early downs. Steelers didn't really

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Speaker 6: challenge Cleveland's receivers all that much, and he was able

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Speaker 6: to dtr was able to fire off these kind of

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Speaker 6: easy five, six seven yard completions. Nothing down the field,

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Speaker 6: nothing in huge chunks. And certainly there's a benefit in

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Speaker 6: making a team that can dunk the way its way

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Speaker 6: down the field to try to beat you and hope

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Speaker 6: that a rookie quarterback makes a mistake there.

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Speaker 2: But in that first half they were they were really

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Speaker 2: a fit.

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Speaker 6: Weren't in second and third and long, and as a defense,

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Speaker 6: obviously we know that's difficult to stop. In the second half,

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Speaker 6: the Steelers were a lot more attacking. It felt like,

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Speaker 6: you know, set up second and long, set up third

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Speaker 6: and long, made dtr.

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Speaker 2: Throw the football down the field a little bit.

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Speaker 6: He gets still got rid of the ball quickly, but

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Speaker 6: kind of contesting those those catches on second, third and

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Speaker 6: long put him in one, third and fifteen where he

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Speaker 6: threw a pick. I think that's got to be the

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Speaker 6: key is you've got to make first and ten, second

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Speaker 6: and ten or second and nine. You can't and we

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Speaker 6: saw this happen against Minnesota a bunch. You can't let

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Speaker 6: them run for five or six yards on first down

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Speaker 6: and kind of keep themselves ahead of the six. You've

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Speaker 6: got to put them behind the chains, you know, maybe

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Speaker 6: a tackle for loss here or there, forcing incompletion on

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Speaker 6: first down and then make Dorian Thompson Robinson beat you.

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Speaker 6: And if he can do that as a rookie, okay,

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Speaker 6: you know, credit to him. But I think, based on

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Speaker 6: what I've seen, is a lot of his throws are

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Speaker 6: passes there.

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Speaker 2: Short near the line of scrimmage.

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Speaker 6: He's not taking a ton of shots down the football field,

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Speaker 6: and you put him in a situation where he's got

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Speaker 6: to execute on third and long. I think in this

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Speaker 6: game you've got to sell out to stop the run

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Speaker 6: and try to put him in some difficult downs and distances.

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Speaker 1: Eric, this feels like a big one in terms of

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Speaker 1: the playoff picture and looking ahead.

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Speaker 2: Really, yeah, it is.

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Speaker 6: I think kind of the exciting thing is as you

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Speaker 6: win football games, they all start to feel a little

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Speaker 6: bit bitter, they all start to get important. And that's

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Speaker 6: the exciting thing about where this team is at five

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Speaker 6: and five. The difference between being five and six and

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Speaker 6: picking up a loss to an AFC opponent versus being

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Speaker 6: six and five and getting another kind of win that

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Speaker 6: will help you in the tie breakers later on, that

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Speaker 6: is a big deal. Listen, It's a good football team.

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Speaker 6: There's seven and three for a reason. It's the best

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Speaker 6: defense in the NFL. But they're led by a rookie quarterback,

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Speaker 6: and so you hope that at home with the crowd

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Speaker 6: going with as much success as as Denver defense has

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Speaker 6: had recently. You hope you're able to keep that momentum going,

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Speaker 6: but certainly no doubt about it. Said, in terms of

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Speaker 6: playoff odds, in terms of tiebreakers and all that sorts

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Speaker 6: of things, this is a big one and you've got

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Speaker 6: to win your AFC matchups down the stretch, especially against

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Speaker 6: teams that are going to be in that playoff mix

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Speaker 6: and be you know, you don't want to come to

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Speaker 6: the end of the year and have the same record

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Speaker 6: as the Browns and let them have the tie break

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Speaker 6: over you. So these head to head games against Cleveland

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Speaker 6: against Houston, you know, don't want.

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Speaker 2: To look in much other than that.

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Speaker 6: But yeah, they're big for playoff seeding, for playoff positioning.

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Speaker 2: So hopefully the Broncos can get a win. Yep, Eric,

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Speaker 2: I hope so too.

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Speaker 1: Should be a fun one on Sunday. Appreciate you joining

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Speaker 1: the show today.

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Speaker 2: You got it said, Well.

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Speaker 1: That's going to do it for today's episode of Broncos

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Speaker 1: Now Broncos Country. Thanks so much for tuning in. Hope

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Speaker 1: to see you all Adam Powerfield at Mile High for

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Speaker 1: the game this Sunday, but if not, I'll meet you

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Speaker 1: right back here on the Broncos Podcast Network in YouTube

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Speaker 1: on Monday, so you all then