Bo NixSean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Thursday night, the Denver Broncos had an opportunity to not only seize control of the AFC’s sixth seed but also send a message to the conference’s other contenders.
It was an opportunity squandered, but all it really did was tell us what we already knew: The Broncos are a vastly improved team.
They will still probably make the postseason, but they are no threat to the AFC heavyweights. They never really were.
And that’s not such a bad thing.
This was a team from which nothing was expected in 2024, not with a rookie at the helm in Bo Nix. But after a bumpy start, he has been exactly what Sean Payton wanted him to be. Against the Chargers, the 24-year-old threw for 263 yards and two scores, and he didn’t make costly mistakes.
Those came in the form of ill-timed defensive lapses and costly penalties. But both underscore just how young much of this team is. Denver needs better linebacker play, but the defense is already a strength, with edge-rusher Nik Bonitto spearheading an excellent line.
Here’s what’s going to happen—and frankly, it’s the same thing that will happen to the Chargers team that just beat Denver.
The Broncos will hit the road in the Wild Card Round to face one of the AFC’s top-three teams, and they will lose in a nail-biter.
Then a Denver team with a good core on both sides of the ball for the first time in a long time will hit the offseason and start filling in blanks.
And maybe, just maybe, the Kansas City Chiefs won’t walk away with the AFC West in 2025.
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