Broncos confident they can bounce back after loss

Almost any NFL team that wins five straight games has to do a lot of things well and also catch a little bit of luck along the way.

Such was the case for the Broncos between Oct. 19 and Sunday, when they reeled off victories in all kinds of ways — lastsecond heart-stoppers, grind-itout slugfests and convincingly powerful wins against Kansas

City and Cleveland.

Perhaps underrated as a strong point for Sean Payton’s team in that run: The Broncos jumped out to a lead in all five games, allowing themselves to play from ahead and, thus, play exactly how they wanted to.

They led Green Bay 9-0, Kansas City 7-0 (and 14-3), Buffalo 9-0, Minnesota 3-0 and Cleveland 14-0. The only points the Broncos surrendered in the first quarter came on a field goal from Chiefs kicker Harrison

Butker and only the Vikings led at all in the first half.

The defense otherwise had come out of the gates humming, and the offense more or less figured out a way to put at least some points on the board early in games.

Until Sunday.

Houston rolled out to a 10-0 lead and racked up 178 yards to Denver’s 23 in the first 15 minutes.

“It was tough. We got down in the beginning, a few plays didn’t go our way and we got down, had to change up our plan from what we wanted to do going in,” Denver center Lloyd Cushenberry said. “… We’ve just got to come out flying early.”

Against Houston, the defense started with a three-and-out but then gave up 13 points on three possessions. It gave up completions of 27 yards to Brevin Jordan on the first of that trio of drives, 52 to Nico Collins on the second and 59 to Collins on the third.

Meanwhile, the Broncos offense generated just two first downs over their first four drives and finished all of them by punting. They mustered just 48 yards over those possessions before finally managing 56 and a Wil Lutz field goal with 1 minute, 24 seconds left in the first half to put their first points on the board.

By that time, Houston led 13-3.

“What I said to the team a little bit earlier was, ‘You’re going to play 17 games, and are you going to be gunpowder ready for each one of those?’ I’m not so sure that you are,” Payton said Monday. “(Sunday), despite how