As the Denver Broncos attempted to close out the Los Angeles Chargers to clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed, cheers would have appeared to be a fitting background noise. Instead, coach Sean Payton and his offense garnered boos in the regular season finale. What should have been a celebration felt like a wake-up call instead. The Denver offense is still not playoff-ready.

Today’s Hottest Take: Payton needs to change offensive mindset in playoffs

Payton’s offense for the past two years has been a work in progress. Unfortunately, it hasn’t progressed enough, and it’s because of how Payton plans for a game.

Payton wants to play his brand of football. That means controlling the pace, slowing the game down and running the ball, and on the defensive end, their job is to just keep opposing offenses out of the endzone; they can live with field goals.

The Broncos’ offense is ninth among all playoff teams with 23.6 points per game, according to ESPN. For a No. 1 seed, one would expect better than that.

While Payton surely would be happy getting on the scoreboard more often, he prioritized winning close games all season long. Denver is 11-2 in one-score games this season, which is objectively a positive. It’s important to know how to win close games.

But refusing to blow a game open is too risky a strategy. Denver’s contest against the Chargers on Sunday, a 19-3 victory, wasn’t a one-score game, but it was much closer than it needed to be.

If the Broncos continue to play this way, it will be much easier for a talented team to oust them in the playoffs. Knowing how to win close games is important, but Payton should be forcing so many close games, especially when he could wrap the game up earlier.

Payton’s playcalling is what kept most of the Broncos’ regular-season games so close. He continues to prioritize the run game and short pass attack when it is not the best way to maximize the Denver offense.

He routinely takes playmakers like Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin off the field in favor of Lil’Jordan Humphrey or an additional tight end. This makes Denver’s margin of error much less favorable.

The Broncos have to execute down to down, or Denver’s slow approach will stall drives and keep the team from getting in the endzone. In a game where Denver’s starters played against Los Angeles’ B Team, the Broncos totaled 240 yards, 20 yards per drive and 19 points.

The team has pulled this strategy off enough to make Peyton believe in it, but if the defense is not at the top of its game, it has gotten the team in serious trouble.

The losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers were early in the season, but in large part because of this approach, and the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars just a few weeks ago was proof that good teams can take advantage of those opportunities.

What You Need To Know: The Denver defense still is an elite unit

While maybe not the top defense this season, the Broncos’ defense was an elite group this season, and the Denver team revolved around it.

Denver didn’t quite break the NFL sack record, but its 68-sack season was the fifth-best mark in league history. The Broncos ended the season second in total yards allowed, second in rushing yards allowed and third in total points allowed.

The offense was allowed to be subpar because the defense gave up just 18.3 points per game. Now that the team is going into the playoffs, there will be even more pressure on the defense to succeed.

On days when the defense didn’t look elite, Denver lost or came close to doing so, but this defense has what it takes to lead a team to the Super Bowl. Denver proved an ability to come up with key stops almost all season, and the playoffs will demand more clutch play from the team’s better half.

Before You Go: The Broncos most likely will face Houston or Buffalo in the second round

Denver currently has the second-best chance of winning the Super Bowl, according to The Athletic, but they have to get there first.

In a playoff race that feels wide open and full of newcomers and underdogs, Denver certainly belongs in the group, and winning the first-round bye was huge.

Almost every first-round match feels like a toss-up, and Denver will have one less game it will have to get through, but whoever is waiting for them in the second round will be a more-than-worthy opponent.

The Chargers are not likely to beat the New England Patriots, but it’s possible. If the Buffalo Bills upset the Jaguars in Jacksonville, which feels possible, Denver would have to bounce former MVP Josh Allen in their first postseason game.

If the Jaguars hold strong, it seems likely that the Houston Texans would have to travel to Denver, which may be an even scarier matchup. The Texans have shown an ability to win playoff games over the past couple of seasons, and with them having the only defense that appears better than Denver’s, they are very much a threat.

The Broncos did beat the Texans in their game against each other this season in Houston, but it was by a three-point, 18-15 margin. Denver has played close games all season, and if it tries the same strategy in a rematch against Houston, the Broncos could be on the wrong side of a game-winner.