Russell Wilson: ‘We set the standard today by how good we can be’

The streak is over.

Following a sequence of an unprecedented 16 straight losses to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos knocked off their division rivals 24-9 Sunday afternoon in Denver to put an end to the one-sidedness.

“We set the standard today by how good we can be,” QB Russell Wilson, who threw three touchdown passes, said after the game. “We have a lot more season left. I’ve been saying to you guys, it’s a process, it’s a journey, but we believe. We believe in who we are. We believe in the players that we have. We believe in the coaching staff that we have. We believe in the determination and resilience that we have. We believe in this organization and where we can go and what we can do. We’re going to stay the course.”

The perhaps surprise difference in the game was not Wilson, or the offense, however, but the defense. Remember them? The group that surrendered 70 points to the Miami Dolphins just a few weeks ago? Yes, following a solid performance vs. the Green Bay Packers a week ago, the unit was able to thwart Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense all afternoon, including four forced turnovers.

“I thought our defense played lights out tonight,” Wilson said. “They’ve been getting better and better every week. I think [Defensive Coordinator] Vance [Joseph] has done a great job with really continuing to push those guys. Those guys made unbelievable plays. I get to go against those guys every day and see just how challenging they are every day, how talented [they are] across the board. They gave us a short field, and we capitalized on our opportunities. It was awesome to battle. It was a heavyweight fight it felt like, and we came out on top.”

The Broncos now enter a bye week with a new outlook, winning two straight, including one over the best team in the division. Wilson, though, says not to expect the team to let up with the week off.

“We’re going to keep [the momentum] through the bye week—going to stay focused on what we can do,” he said. “It’s good to catch it right here for us because we feel like we’re climbing at the right time. I think to get rested up mentally, physically, emotionally [and] spiritually, [and] being ready to get going for this next stretch is going to be really key. We have a lot of good, great football teams ahead of us. We know how great we can be. We showed that today and we’ll be ready to go.”

The Broncos will return from the bye week two weeks from Monday to face a very dangerous Buffalo Bills team on the road for Monday Night Football.