Inside the play that perfectly encapsulated the Broncos' resurgence

DENVER — Belief is one helluva drug.

For weeks, belief was hard to find in the Denver Broncos locker room, as the team saw loss after loss pile up.

Then, something changed.

On Sunday, as Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end Xavier Grimble caught a pass without a Bronco within 20 yards of him, belief was absent. There wasn’t a single fan in the stands or player on the sidelines that believed he wasn’t going to the house.

Then, something changed.

As 70,000 plus thought about a 7-3 score, Broncos’ safety Will Parks had a very different thought.

“Knock his ass out.”

With the belief that he could make a play, Parks peeled off of his double team and sprinted towards the pylon where Grimble was headed. But before the 6-foot-4, 261-pounder got there, he ran into a wall.

“Pop!” Parks described of the sound he heard when he collided with the tight end.

The ball popped out of Grimble’s hands and right over the pylon. Touchback. Broncos ball.

Game. Changed.

“We have the mentality to never give up, and that’s the perfect play to describe it that,” Bradley Chubb explained after the game. “Everybody in the stands, everybody on the field probably thought that was a touchdown, but it was just one guy changing the whole thing.”

With the big-bodied tight end just inches from barreling into the end zone, it would have been easy for Will Parks to give up hope. With the team sitting at 4-6 coming out of the bye week, it would have been easy for them to give up hope. In both cases, they kept fighting.

“That’s who we are,” said quarterback Case Keenum. “That’s our identity, and we believe in each other. We’re going to fight for each other no matter what.”

On Sunday, it was Parks’ play that changed the game. On the whole, it was a win over the Chargers that changed the team.

By their own admission, even in the game against the Chargers, the Broncos weren’t playing freely or playing with much confidence, but after that gritty victory on the road, a 10,000-pound gorilla was lifted off of their shoulders.

In the building throughout the week leading up to Sunday’s, there was a positive energy that was palpable. In the team walkthrough leading up to the game, Emmanuel Sanders planned out a touchdown celebration. Similarly, the defense set out a plan for when they make big plays.

Let me tell you, a team that’s lost six out of seven games doesn’t get to do that stuff.

“Our big-picture focus today was to just go out there and have fun,” Justin Simmons explained. “When we get a sack, run to the nearest camera and take a picture with the team. Just have fun, that’s demoralizing when other teams see stuff like that. That’s why every turnover we got, you saw guys running and having fun. That stuff is contagious.”

The fun was absolutely contagious, as was the play-making. On defense, the team had plenty of chances to pose for a picture, forcing four turnovers, including a game-clinching interception. On offense, Matt LaCosse—of all people—executed Sanders’ planned ode to “Dem Franchise Boys” to perfection in the end zone.

“We’re supposed to have fun,” LaCosse said afterward with a massive smile underneath his admirable mustache. “People forget we play a game for a living.”

It was the most fun anyone had had at Mile High in weeks, and it all started with belief.

“You get a win, and you get this momentum going,” Simmons explained.

“I could tell everybody woke up with confidence this morning,” added Parks.

On the heels of Parks’ game-changing play and all that fun, the Broncos beat the Steelers 24-17. Now, they find themselves just one game out of a playoff spot and one game under .500. Next week, heading to Cincinnati to take on a team that’s lost three in a row and five out of six.

“It’s a domino effect, man,” said Wolfe. “If you keep losing, you’re gonna keep losing. If you start winning, you’re gonna keep winning because you have the winning formula. You just keep going and keep pushing, that’s what we’re doing.”

Belief is one helluva drug.