Wilson & Simmons Preaching 'Unwavering Belief' to 3-5 Broncos

Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons has earned many individual accolades since arriving as a third-round pick out of Boston College back in 2016. He's a two-time second-team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2020.

Simmons parlayed all of that production into a fat four-year, $61 million contract extension last summer, that, for a time, made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. But despite his individual success, you wonder what he wouldn't trade from his personal trophy case to play on a winning team.

On the heels of their third win of the season, the Broncos sit at 3-5. A playoff berth is not mathematically impossible, but it might be improbable.

Any storybook turnaround has its flashpoint, and Simmons and company are hoping that Week 8's 21-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars will be Denver's.

"Yeah, it's huge," Simmons said following the game. "I told them last time, this is my seventh season. 9-7 is the best I've been, no playoff berths."

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Outside of Bradley Chubb, whom the Broncos traded to the Miami Dolphins two days after beating the Jags, perhaps no player has been more long-suffering than Simmons. Kareem Jackson, maybe, but at least he's played on a playoff team before back in his Houston Texans days.

"I wouldn't say I hurt more than anyone else, but it hurts not to find ways to win," Simmons reflected. "Obviously, a lot of expectations, but the season is not over, as well."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Simmons' gaze hardened, and he wanted a mulligan. This thing ain't over yet.

"You know what? Raw emotions after a game happen," Simmons said. "24-hour rule. You throw that away, you move on, and I'm just proud of the guys. Coaches, players, the way we rally together as a team."

The Broncos' third win of the season, and their first-ever regular-season win in London, saw the team turn in as close to a complete performance as we've seen. And Simmons was instrumental, finishing the day with five tackles and an end-zone interception that wiped Jacksonville points off the board.

Quarterback Russell Wilson revealed post-game that he and Simmons have been striving to help their teammates cultivate the right mindset amid the early-season depredations.

"Just we kept believing," Wilson said post-game in London. "I think 'J Sims' and I, he's standing over here, but I think the thing that we keep talking about is unwavering belief. Unwavering belief, not wavering. I think—I don't think, I know, that's what happened tonight."

Simmons seemed proud of his boys for collectively answering the bell at Wembley Stadium amid a cacophony of criticism and media doom. You know what's good for mindset and confidence? Results. It's encouraging for a young team to heed the words of its leaders and see the right results come out the other side.

The Broncos put in the work and the time. Tuesday is normally the team's day off during a game week, but not that Tuesday.

"Like Russ said, I think the whole team showed up Tuesday night," Simmons said. "It wasn't mandatory, like the dinner we had, and that just shows guys care, and that goes a long way. I'm proud of this team, man. I'm proud of the way we battled. We're going to have to find ways to continue to do that and find ways to win the rest of the year."

Take a look at Denver's schedule coming out of the bye, and after you wince, you'll realize that it would take a small miracle for the Broncos to overcome the hole they dug by losing five of their first eight games. But Wilson and Simmons aren't defeatists.

That's a loser's mindset. Wilson punctuated the Broncos' leadership messaging that night in London by emphasizing how the team still controls its own destiny, as improbable as it might seem.

"What I do believe is with our team, just catching so much momentum," Wilson said. "Every season I've ever played, you've got to catch momentum. There's a moment in time where it clicks, and hopefully, that's the start of it. But we still—the great thing is we still control our own destiny by how much work we put in and the dedication we put into this, and a lot of great games ahead. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Outside of a rematch with the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively, the Broncos still have to face the Kansas City Chiefs twice. Plus, Denver will draw the Tennessee Titans (Week 10), Baltimore Ravens (Week 11), and Los Angeles Rams (Week 16) down the stretch.

The Broncos' margin for error moving forward is razor-thin. Plausibly, this team might be able to afford two more losses. A 10-7 finish might buy the Broncos a ticket to the Wildcard Round of the playoffs, but there's no guarantee.

But miracles do happen in sports. It's a big reason why we watch.

After all, who could have ever expected Tim Tebow to be inserted as the starting quarterback of a 1-4 Broncos squad back in 2011, only to win seven of their next eight games, win the AFC West, and defeat the defending AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wildcard?

How rad would a magical turnaround like that be for a dedicated player, like Simmons, who's done all the right things, both on and off the field, since becoming a Bronco?

Never say never.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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