The Broncos went undefeated in Nov. and are 7-8. They have shown huge growth from their first six games of the season, where they went 2-4, and the team seems to be playing with a lot more passion. This year has been a huge improvement from the past six seasons where the team went under .500 every season and went through 5 head coaches before finally signing Sean Payton for five years this previous offseason. The offense and defense have improved significantly since last year, and the playoffs are within reach for the team for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in the 2015-16 season. 

The offensive improvement has been seen throughout the league. The Broncos averaged 16.9 points per game last season with the 14th-ranked defense in the league. This year, the Broncos have averaged 24.5 points per game and have the 23rd-ranked defense. Although it seems the defense has gotten worse because of their rank drop of nine, this isn’t the case at all. 

The defense started by giving up 70 points, the second most points scored in an NFL game ever, to a very explosive Miami Dolphins team in week three. They followed that up by giving up 28 points to the Chicago Bears, the 22nd-ranked offense in the league, in week four. They also gave up 31 points to the New York Jets, the 27th-ranked offense in the league, in week five. Within three weeks, the Broncos defense let up 129 points. Since week five, they have only let up 128 points in total. They are holding their opponents to 16 points per game on average since week five, and they have 22 takeaways (forced turnovers) which ranks as the league’s highest number of takeaways by a team this year. 

The changes that the team has made throughout the season have made them look like a top 15 team in the league and have the Denver Broncos just on the bubble of being in the playoffs. They have the 17th easiest remaining schedule in the NFL and are hoping they can jump the AFC rankings two more spots in four weeks to make the playoffs. The Broncos are one game away from being the first seed in the AFC West, a division that has been mostly Chiefs-dominant in past years. This would be a huge accomplishment as they’ve sat at the bottom of the division for quite some time. If they can keep their composure and stay true to what they do, the Broncos playoff hopes will become a reality. 

The Broncos remaining schedule is as follows:

vs. Los Angeles Chargers (5-8)

at Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)