The Denver Broncos just played in London on Sunday, but there’s no relaxing after flying across the pond.
Just one week after playing in England, the Broncos are set to host the New York Giants on Oct. 19. That will mark the first time in NFL history that a team has played a Pacific or Mountain Time Zone game one week after playing in London.
“It will be unusual,” coach Sean Payton said of the schedule. “In the years past, when you played here, it was always a bye.”
The team specifically requested not to have a bye after the London game so they could instead have a bye later in the season (their bye is scheduled for Week 12, Nov. 23).
Sunday will mark a key road mark following a hectic schedule for the Broncos. After playing on Monday Night Football on Sept. 29, the team had a short turnaround before an East Coast road game on Oct. 5, then they traveled to England for a game on Oct. 12. Now they’re back home and set to host a game on Oct. 19 after recovering from the jet lag.
“Take into account the past weeks,” cornerback Pat Surtain said. “We had a Monday night game, then had to travel to Philadelphia on a short week, going into a hostile environment like that, then travel from Philly to London, even though it’s not ideal. I think it just a credit and a testament to the staff and the team being able to lock in no matter what the circumstances are. We came to secure one thing and that’s a win. It’s very important in this league. Most wins you get. Confidence sets you up great for the future. We knew what the main thing was and that was to win.”
Denver beat the New York Jets 13-11 in London, and they’re 3-0 over the last three weeks despite the hectic travel. They’ll look to keep the positive momentum going this week as they return to a more normal schedule.
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