Head Coach Vic Fangio made it clear that "nobody's proud of" a 7-9 record to close the year, but he's also seen this sort of performance before after a rough start. Due to a series of close losses, Denver started the season 0-4.

In 1986, as the Saints' linebacker coach, Fangio saw New Orleans start 1-4 before finishing with a 7-9 record. A year later, the Saints improved to 12-3.

Nearly a decade later, in Fangio's first year as a defensive coordinator, the expansion Panthers started 0-5 before rebounding to finish 7-9. The following year, Carolina finished 12-4.

"We've got a good team," Fangio said. "Our record isn't good, but we have a bunch of good guys and good teammates that are together. These guys gave great effort all year. I don't think that's debatable. I've been in two other places with first-year staffs where we started 1-4 and 0-5 and ended up both of those seasons 7-9 and that next year won 12 games. I'm not saying we're going to win 12 games, but I think when you end positively, it can carry over to the next season."

Fangio has overseen another recent turnaround. The Bears finished 5-11 in 2017 with Fangio as their defensive coordinator after a 1-4 start. The following season, they improved to 12-4 while boasting the league's best defense.

"I think positive momentum is better than negative momentum, obviously," Fangio said, "but we have to start all over next April when we get our guys back. I do think finishing the season the way we did can carry over and give guys confidence on an individual basis and as a team. I do think it can carry over."

At least in the victorious locker room on Sunday evening, that momentum seemed tangible.

Over the previous three seasons, the Broncos have finished 1-2 in their finales. This win felt different, obviously, from the losses. And it also felt different from a 2016 finale after which Gary Kubiak retired as head coach.

This win felt like a sign of things to come in Broncos Country.

"It's a totally different feeling from a year ago," Lindsay said. "It was also a totally different practice heading into our last game from a year ago. … We had [one of] the hardest schedule[s] in the NFL, so it shows we can play with the best.