Broncos' Sean Payton's late-game script has become a weekly clinic in patience, information gathering, and perfectly timed aggression. For three quarters, he prods for tendencies with motions, screens, and tempo shifts, then in the fourth quarter, he leans into what the defense has shown, pairing quick answers for Bo Nix with run game looks that stress tired fronts.
The result has been a steady diet of efficient closing drives, the kind that make a young quarterback’s life easier and turn one-score games into Denver wins.
Here is the number that captures it best, and why it has the league’s attention. Plus 60, that is Denver’s fourth-quarter point differential through nine games, with only Carolina and the Jets even in the same neighborhood at plus 37.
According to ESPN, plus 60 is the fifth-best fourth-quarter margin through nine games this century, behind the 2015 Texans, the 2009 Saints, and two other Broncos teams from 2012 and 2016. That Saints entry is notable because Payton orchestrated it too, a season that began 9 0 and ended 13 3 with a Lombardi Trophy.
The caution flag is simple. Over the first three quarters, those Saints were plus 60; these Broncos are minus 1. Fourth-quarter dominance is real, but history says some of it can drift back toward the mean as the sample grows. (ESPN)
Even with that context, the profile fits what we see on Sundays. Denver’s offense stacks first downs late, Nix’s fourth-quarter efficiency pops, and Vance Joseph’s defense has delivered short fields with timely stops.
The close game skill has shown up against contenders as well as scrappy underdogs, which is usually a sign of coherent situational football rather than pure luck.
As the trade deadline nears, the subplot is whether Sean Payton stands pat or tries to add juice. CBS Sports framed Denver as a potential firework show, noting the six-game streak and a league-wide belief that the Broncos still covet another pass catcher.
Payton has never been shy about spending picks when he sees a fit, yet the current run also gives him cover to protect chemistry and roll with what is working in the fourth quarter.
