In July 2024, prominent media publication USA Today predicted the Denver Broncos — led by then-rookie quarterback Bo Nix — would finish with a 4-13 record and a last-place standing in the AFC West.
What a difference a year makes.
On Wednesday, USA Today released its 2025 projections for each NFL team, forecasting the Broncos — now a bona fide playoff threat — to win the division with a 12-5 mark, vanquishing the Kansas City Chiefs.
“The focus will naturally be on Year 2 of the Bo Nix-Sean Payton union, which comes off a spectacular honeymoon,” columnist Nate Davis wrote. “However the Broncos don’t get enough attention for an elite offensive line nor a defense which may be the league’s best – particularly after it was further fortified by free agency and the draft. After playing the Jets in London on October 12, the Broncos will only make one road trip over the ensuing 48 days – a good time to gain altitude at altitude. But ending K.C.’s nine-season run atop the division won’t be easy – particularly when the Chiefs get a bye ahead of their trip to Denver and, later, host the Broncos on Christmas, which lands on a Thursday.”
With head coach Sean Payton crafting an elite roster and Nix on the ascension to superstardom, it’s becoming quite the fad to hop on the Broncos’ bandwagon for the upcoming campaign. In May, ESPN labeled the club as a “dark horse” Super Bowl candidate. Last week, Pro Football Talk affirmed they’re a “legit” championship contender.
The same outlets that once derided Denver are doing some of the biggest about-faces in recent memory.
But the proverbial calls are coming from inside the house, as Payton himself believes the current iteration of the Broncos is “genuinely” capable of bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to the Mile High City — and knocking the mighty Chiefs from the mountaintop in the process.
“The short-term goal is winning the division,” Payton told Yahoo! Sports in an article published Aug. 3. “But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I’ve coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that.”
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