No, it’s not 2015 anymore — but the Denver Broncos are 9-2 and hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
When the clock hit triple zeros in the fourth quarter Sunday evening, a 116-decibel, hungry crowd sent the city of Denver into a frenzy, finally feeling a sense of redemption after losing to Kansas City on a blocked field goal almost a year ago to the date. This time, Wil Lutz and the special teams unit made sure not to let this one get away.
Something special is brewing in Denver — the Broncos now have back-to-back wins at home against the Chiefs, a feat they haven’t accomplished in nearly a decade. Finally, the chips seem to be falling into place, and beating Patrick Mahomes to send the Chiefs packing is just the beginning for this squad.
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Close Calls
Ever wonder how the Broncos are 9-2, despite playing in so many close games? Well, it’s their winning formula — and a vast number of past Super Bowl winners have used this philosophy, too. NFL fans are quick to call the Broncos “frauds” because of their poor performance against some of the weaker teams on their schedule.
The Titans, the Jets, the Raiders — even their epic comeback against the Giants is leaving people questioning whether this team is for real. But when examining the trends of Denver’s season so far, it’s eerily similar to some very successful teams in the past.
For example, the 2024 Chiefs. Kansas City won ten one-score games in the regular season last year, finishing 15-2 and reaching the Super Bowl on the verge of the first three-peat in NFL history. Through eleven games this season, the Broncos have played a whopping nine one-score games, winning seven of them in the process.
The 2024 Chiefs were criticized for their constant one score victories against poor teams, but still won the AFC championship. What many look past is their victories against great teams like the Ravens, Chargers and Broncos that season.
The ability to win those close games are essential to being a Super Bowl-caliber team.
Defying The Odds
Just a google search will tell you that the Broncos are doing the same thing — despite being in close matches against lesser teams, they’ve also beaten the best defense in the league in the Texans, stunned the goliath Chiefs, and even handed the then-undefeated Eagles their first loss of the season.
Denver was also a bad leverage penalty call from beating the Colts in Week 2. The point of the matter, though, is that the Broncos continue to win close, gritty games no matter the opponent.
This year’s Broncos’ squad is eerily similar to the 2015 group — questionable offense, but an outstanding defense to pick up the slack. Frankly, having such a dominant defense is the way they stay in tight contests. Their defensive line has been breaking records, and the secondary has been electric despite missing the reigning DPOY Pat Surtain II.
Without Surtain, many thought Denver was headed for a steep decline — but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A handful of unlikely heroes have stepped up, including Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian, who were main contributors in the win this past Sunday.
The majority of Denver’s one-score games have been very low scoring, and because of the consistent offensive struggles of the team, it’s obvious that Denver’s defense has been the catalyst to their success.
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The Reality
Very rarely does a team blow everybody out of the water and dominate their opponents from September to February. Especially this season, where the postseason picture has been shaken up more than anyone could have imagined, there is no clear favorite. All great teams lose games — it’s part of the sport, which is what many fans online are seemingly starting to forget.
So no, Bo Nix is not Tom Brady. No, Denver’s defense is not the greatest of all time. And no — a team does not need to be perfect to win a Super Bowl.
The Broncos have plenty of flaws, just like the rest of the NFL. But when looking beyond the surface, the negatives are heavily outweighed by the positives. A young offense paired with a fantastic defense and an incredible kicker? That sounds like a winning football team.
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