Fangio rewarded Allen's efforts by presenting him with a game ball during the postgame locker room speech. Allen responded by deflecting the credit.

"It was special," Allen said, "but I couldn't have done anything without the guys on the team. I felt our defense was really what held us in the game. I think [the Browns were] 1-of-5 in the red zone, so holding them to all those field goals gives the offense confidence that, 'OK, we'll get a touchdown here and they're going to keep holding them.' I think they played incredible, and like I said, guys like Courtland, the offensive line, Phil [Lindsay] running the ball the way he did and icing the game at the end, the game ball should've gone to the entire team."

Allen, though, seemingly deserved the recognition that came with a first-career start and first career win. After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Allen has bounced from team to team.

It took four years for him to realize his vision of starting an NFL game, and while he said he imagined himself completing a few more passes, it was quite the step for a player who waited and waited for an opportunity.

"It's tough, and there are a lot of guys that will tell you this league is tough," Allen said. "You get cut, traded, waived or whatever. It's all about perseverance, and like I said, getting that opportunity to see what you can do. A lot of guys don't even get that opportunity, so I feel blessed to receive this opportunity."

Allen, who recorded the third-highest passer rating in Broncos history for a player making his first start and helped Denver tie its highest point total of the season, made the most of that opportunity.