I’m also not surprised he’s bounced back. Last year was such an anomaly. Even in the moment, it was clear that Hackett was awful and set up the team to fail. What kinda surprised me is how Russ’ game has evolved this season. He’s more conservative, quick to take check-downs, and more confident working the middle of the field. It’s as if Payton did a hard reboot and stripped his game down to the very basics.

What’s scary about this Broncos team is that they have managed to rip off five wins against top teams while playing highly restrained offense. As the season goes on, I expect Payton will open up the playbook more, which means opposing defenses will have to adapt on the fly.