Sean Payton identifies two areas where Broncos need to improve

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has two areas he wants his squad to clean up coming out of the bye week.

“I think the easy illustration for us coming off the bye, it’s not like we’re at a halfway point, but nonetheless, here we are in a position to compete for seeding," Payton said. "There are two things that stand out. The penalties stand out. If you said, ‘What’s the low-hanging fruit that you have to clean up to improve your chances of getting the best possible seed?’

"Then, secondly, is harping on the plus-minus turnover [margin], giveaway-takeaway. We ended up [being] up one last week and that meant a lot. We were close to being up two, but in important games, that one possession can be the difference. So that was two of the main topics this morning before we broke up.”

The Broncos have committed 93 penalties this season, most in the NFL despite already having a bye. Meanwhile, Denver has nine takeaways compared to 12 giveaways. That minus-three turnover differential is tied for 12th-worst in the NFL. As the Broncos compete for a top seed in the AFC playoff race down the stretch, cleaning up those penalties while forcing takeaways and protecting the ball will be key.

Denver will close out the regular season against the Green Bay Packers (7-3-1), Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4), Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) and Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), four teams who are all jockeying for playoff spots. The Broncos are in a good spot at 9-2, but they need to play cleaner football if they're going to finish the season on a strong note.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Sean Payton says team needs to improve in two areas