Broncos to Go From Worst to First in AFC West? PFF Weighs In

If the Denver Broncos go on to win the AFC West in 2023 under new head coach Sean Payton, they would be a worst-to-first success story. But before you go guffawing at the notion, remember; parity reigns supreme in the NFL.

Such phenomena are part of what makes the NFL the 800-pound gorilla straddling the pro sports landscape. Worst-to-first turnarounds happen often, and every year, NFL teams who missed the playoffs fight their way into the postseason tournament.

Could the Broncos be one of the next teams to achieve such a feat? Vanquishing the World Champion Kansas City Chiefs won't be easy, but Pro Football Focus seems to like the Broncos' odds.

Scanning all the last-place teams from 2022, PFF listed the Broncos among the top four teams most likely to undergo a worst-to-first turnaround. Gordon McGuinness sketched out the enormity of Denver's task and why it could happen.

• Can the Denver Broncos catch the Super Bowl favorites?

Catching the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers will be no easy task, and it’ll come down to how much new head coach Sean Payton can reinvigorate quarterback Russell Wilson.

Wilson was the sixth-highest-graded quarterback in the NFL in 2020 but has seen that drop significantly in each of the past two seasons, ranking 18th in his final season with the Seahawks in 2021 and just 29th in his first season in Denver. With Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, they have the weapons to get it done, but it all rests on what version of Wilson we see.

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

If Payton can extract a 'vintage' version of Wilson, all things become possible for the Broncos in 2023 — and beyond. The failed Nathaniel Hackett thought he could rethink the approach to coaching Wilson, deploying him in a dropback-heavy passing scheme that, unfortunately, put the cart before the horse.

Wilson yearned for such an opportunity to show the world that if his team would just #LetRussCook, he too could be a pocket-passing wunderkind, like the vaunted Peyton Mannings and Tom Bradys of NFL canon. Alas, when he was given such rope, Wilson only proved that he either a.) isn't capable of such a game, or b.) wasn't ready.

There is a third option: c.) didn't have the right coach. In any case, although Payton is tight-lipped about revealing much about his scheme, all of his words point to a renewed emphasis on establishing the ground game in Denver and returning Wilson to a QB game he mastered in Seattle.

That approach can not only help protect his soon-to-be 35-year-old quarterback, but also create the format to allow Wilson to get back to the basics of what he does best: using his mobility and deep-ball accuracy to gash defenses.

It's not rocket science. To help in the endeavor of making opponents fear Wilson's mobility once again, the Broncos' QB has dropped some weight and is looking "lean and mean."

Combined with Payton's hand-picked free-agent acquisitions to upgrade the Broncos' offensive line and bolster the running back room, the talent that was so squandered by the previous coaching regime last year should find new life in 2023.

PFF isn't wrong. The bottom line is this: If Payton successfully turns the Wilson ship around, the Broncos will be a force to be reckoned with, not just in the AFC West, but in the NFL.

Pick up your copy of Sports Illustrated's commemorative Denver Nuggets Championship issue!

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!