Broncos' Offensive Upgrades Fuel Rise in New Power Rankings

Broncos Country isn't alone in its belief that the AFC championship game would have shaken out differently if Bo Nix had been in the lineup. The Denver Broncos still had a great chance to advance to Super Bowl 60 without their franchise quarterback, as the defense limited Drake Maye to under 70 passing yards and held the New England Patriots to just 10 points.

Seven of those 10 New England points came off a Jarrett Stidham two-handed fumble. The Broncos' defense did enough to win that game, and, honestly, so did the offense, were it not for that unfortunate turnover in the second quarter that gave Maye the ball on the Denver 12-yard line.

The Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl, and as frustrating as that was for Broncos Country, it's all water under the bridge now. Fast forward to June of 2026, and the Broncos are still regarded as one of the NFL's best teams, even with the brutal first-place schedule they'll face this season.

NFL Draft On SI's Justin Melo dropped his post-draft NFL power rankings, listing the Broncos at No. 2.

"The Denver Broncos may have been playing in Super Bowl 60 had Bo Nix not gotten hurt prior to the AFC Championship Game, and offseason additions like Jaylen Waddle and Jonah Colemanshould improve the offensive supporting cast," Melo wrote.

Melo has the Los Angeles Rams at No. 1, which will likely be further bolstered by the tectonic Myles Garrett trade, with the Seattle Seahawks at No. 3, the Buffalo Bills at No. 4, and the Houston Texans at No. 5.

For what it's worth, Melo has the Patriots at No. 7, the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 9, and the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 12. The Broncos will play every one of the teams I've mentioned in Melo's power rankings in 2026, minus the Texans.

Shifting Narrative

Sean Payton and Bo Nix — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix (10) have a word before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. | Dustin Bradford / Icon Sportswire / Imago

Melo isn't the only national media voice to regard the Broncos so highly. FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano placed the Broncos at No. 1 in his post-schedule release NFL power rankings.

And so the worm has turned for the Broncos, just three years removed from barely winning five games under failed ex-head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Sean Payton took the reins in 2023, and has produced 32 wins over the ensuing three seasons.

The Broncos' outlook skyrocketed when Nix was drafted in 2024. Together, Payton and Nix snapped the Broncos' heretofore eight-year playoff drought right out of the gates, then they dethroned the Chiefs for the AFC West crown and captured the No. 1 playoff seed in the conference in 2025.

The season ended bitterly, with Nix getting hurt and the Broncos coming up tantalizingly short of their Super Bowl aspirations. But this team is gearing up to make another run.

Flying ABOVE the Radar

It certainly won't be easy getting back to within spitting distance of the big stage, especially considering the Broncos' schedule. But this team now has to reckon with a massive increase in expectations and pressure.

I'm not just talking about Denver's internal expectations. The NFL is no longer sleeping on the Broncos. As linebacker Alex Singleton said recently, the Broncos "are the target" now in the AFC.

Teams will be gunning for the Broncos in 2026, especially the Chiefs and the Chargers. Suffice it to say, the days of Denver flying under the radar as a sleeping giant are over.

The Takeaway

The success of the 2026 season will be determined by how well the Broncos manage these new expectations. Every opponent the Broncos draw will give them their very best shot.

The good news is, Payton is very experienced in managing the expectations of a juggernaut. For most of the 16 years he served as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, those were the conditions he dealt with, but Payton led them to the playoffs consistently, including three trips to the conference championship game and a Super Bowl win in 2009.

The Broncos gained loads of experience last year in big-game situations, growing their confidence by leaps and bounds. With 90% of their snaps from last year's 14-win team returning, the addition of Jaylen Waddle, the arrival of a slept-on draft class, and the return of Nix, the Broncos are poised to successfully defend their AFC West crown and make a third consecutive playoff push as one of the NFL's tier-one teams.

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