Denver Broncos are completely changing the direction of their franchise
The Denver Broncos went from being a team approaching a rebuild to a team that might compete for a playoff spot.
With three straight wins on the backs of an improved defense and good enough offense, the Denver Broncos are totally changing the direction of their franchise. After the team’s 1-5 start, rumors started swirling that the team was going to sell at the trade deadline, and teams had apparently begun calling. The defense was on a historically bad pace and the offense was just barely good enough.
However, in Week 7, something changed. Perhaps it was the matchup at home versus a bad Green Bay Packers team. Perhaps it was the rugged coaching from Sean Payton finally sinking in. Perhaps it was something else or a mixture of those two things. Well, whatever it was, it happened. The Broncos beat the Packers in Week 7 and again had a home game in Week 8 versus the Kansas City Chiefs.
A lot of people remained cautiously optimistic that the team could win, but I think most of the fanbase was gravitating towards a 647th-straight loss to KC. And as we all know, that was not the case. Not only did the Denver Broncos win, but they totally blew out the Chiefs. They kept KC out of the endzone and pressured Patrick Mahomes all game.
The Chiefs never really got anything going, and the defense played the whole game with their rear ends on fire. The defense was flying all over the place and DC Vance Joseph seemed to have found something. The Broncos were all of a sudden 3-5 in their bye week. Two straight wins, one of them against the defending Super Bowl champions certainly provided a spark to the team.
And besides moving off of Randy Gregory and Frank Clark, the Broncos held firm at the deadline, and perhaps that was the front office and coaching staff sending a message to the team that they still believed in this club. And what do you know… Week 10 rolls around and the Broncos again had their hands full with a worthy opponent.
The Buffalo Bills had come off a bad loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. They were likely looking at the Broncos as an opportunity to have a “get right game” as they have done numerous times before following a loss. However, Denver held a lead for most of the game, and it wasn’t until a Josh Allen rushing touchdown with under two minutes remaining that the Bills grabbed the lead.
And then, Russell Wilson leads the Broncos on a drive to put them in field goal range. Two boneheaded penalties from Buffalo sealed the deal for Denver. A walk-off FG from Will Lutz secured the win, and the Denver Broncos secured their third-straight W. In just one month’s time, the Denver Broncos totally changed the direction of their franchise.
This was a team that was likely headed towards a rebuild, especially on defense in the 2024 NFL offseason. At this point, especially if the Broncos can keep this winning up and perhaps eke out an eight or nine-win season, a rebuild might be the last thing they need. Next offseason could be a “load up” type of deal where the team finds a few creative ways to free up enough cap space to shore up some of the roster holes.
The team also has a first-round pick in 2024, so instead of being in the business of a rebuild, the Broncos can push their chips in the middle of the table.
