DENVER BRONCOS

NFL Futures Odds :

To Win Super Bowl +2800
To Win AFC Championship +1400
To Win AFC West +325
Regular Season Wins -- Over 9.5 Wins -125, Under 9.5 Wins -105
To Make Playoffs -- Yes -125, No -105

It seems almost incredible to think of it now, but in the third game of Sean Payton's initial season as head coach of the Denver Broncos, his defense was so pathetic that it gave up 70 points and 726 yards to the Miami Dolphins.

You might refer to what he's done as a quick turnaround. He's coming into the 2025 season with a his quarterback position solved and a defense that is among the stingiest in the NFL. There is also the opinion on the part of many that the Kansas City Chiefs' stranglehold on the AFC West is coming to an end.

In that nightmarish game against the Dolphins, everybody laughed at the Broncos. But no one's laughing now. And Denver found itself in the postseason in only Payton's second year.

So where do the Broncos go from here?

For the Broncos, it's a matter of building from the strengths they have but not lose ground elsewhere. In terms of addressing weaknesses, Payton is going to have to compensate for it as best as he can.

For example, Denver does not have the most imposing receiver corps anybody's ever seen, outside of Courtland Sutton. But one thing Payton wanted to make sure he avoided was having the league's least amount of production out of the tight end position. Toward that end, Evan Engram was signed. In 2023, Engram caught 114 passes for Jacksonville, but he ran into injury problems last season and eventually was released.

The Broncos led the league in sacks, but they ranked 19th in passing yards allowed, despite featuring Patrick Surtain II, last year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year. They added first-round draft pick Jahdae Barron, and he is without a doubt a man of impact in a CB group that, with Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillian, is plenty deep enough to compete.

And to add an extra layer of nastiness, the Broncos signed safety Talanoa Hufanga to a three-year, $45 million deal. Hufanga, originally a fifth-round draft choice of the Niners, was named first-team All-Pro in 2022.

What is the strongest part of this Broncos team?

There are very few offensive line units that are the equal of what Payton and position coach Zach Strief have in Denver. And this is what gives the team a chance to make the run game work. They also have one of the great individual stories in the NFL.

Quinn Meinerz played his college ball at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, but after a Senior Bowl appearance he was highly regarded enough to be taken in the third round of the 2021 draft. Now he returns as a leader of the offensive line and a first-team All-Pro.

This was the top pass-blocking unit in the NFL last season, according to the metrics compiled by Pro Football Focus. They were also rated #1 in Run Block Win Rate by ESPN Analytics.

In other words, they are elite, And with no substantial changes, they should continue to be that way.

Who will that offensive line be blocking for in the backfield?

The Broncos did not have a particularly deep running back room. And they are trying to change that. JK Dobbins, whose career average is 5.2 yards per rush attempt, will be a big part of that room, barring injuries.

He will probably have to be, because second-round selection RJ Harvey might not be an every-down back right away. However, one must be apprised that this is a real athlete. As a high school quarterback he had a season where he threw for 42 TD's and ran for 22 more. As a collegiate running back he really burned it up at Central Florida (UCF), rushing for 3000 yards over his last two seasons and averaging 6.5 yards per carry for his career.

There is the potential for the Broncos to get a genuine contribution out of Notre Dame alum Audric Estime, who had run for 1341 yards and 6.4 per carry in his final season in South Bend. But he landed in Payton's doghouse and couldn't get out, being shelved for the team's playoff game against Buffalo.

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Broncos got a QB of the present and future with Nix

There weren't many pundits who expected Bo Nix to go as high as #12 in the draft, but apparently Payton liked him an awful lot. What we was looking for was someone who could throw with accuracy and manage a short-passing offense. Nix, at Oregon, has completed 77% of his passes in his final year, so he was ideal. Payton saw him as someone he could mold just as he did with Drew Brees. And the rookie, thrust into the starting role, fit right in.

On the season, Nix was a 66% passer with 29 TD throws and 12 interceptions. His Intended Air Yards were 7.3 per attempt, which represents low risk, and he was sacked just 24 times. He showed progress as the season went on; 21 of his touchdown tosses took place in the last eight games.

Denver Broncos 2025 Prediction

In the AFC West the big dog is still in Kansas City. But if they are going to be toppled, it'll have to be a team that can get in their face without being fazed by it.

The Broncos have risen to the occasion when playing the Chiefs these last two seasons, allowing just 44 points over four games. So at the very least, they are not intimidated by the team that is their biggest target.

They will most likely need some more offensive spark if they are going to get over the top, but they have two critical elements that are playoff-level. We refer to the offensive line and the defensive unit. That's enough for us to take "Over 9.5" in this win total (-125).

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