The Real Reason NFL.com's Bold Broncos Prediction Could Come True

The Denver Broncos have been unflinching in vocalizing their belief in being Super Bowl contenders.

Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

On the heels of a 10-win season, the oddsmakers set the Denver Broncos' over/under win total at 9.5 in 2025. Internally, expectations are a Mile High for the Broncos, and it would seem that way externally, too.

NFL.com's Adam Rank and Ali Bhanpuri broke down each game on the 2025 NFL schedule, with the Broncos coming out as a double-digit-winning team. Bhanpuri predicted an 11-6 record, while Rank projected 12-5, with the Broncos dethroning the Kansas City Chiefs and winning the AFC West.

"Although Rank might be slightly higher on the Broncos than I am, we both expect big things from Bo Nix & Co. in 2025. The franchise addressed each of its most pressing needs this offseason (my colleague Dan Parr went 5-for-5), adding key playmakers on both sides of the ball that should help the team progress through January. Denver hasn't been this stacked in at least a decade," Bhanpuri wrote in summation.

In both instances, the Broncos make the playoffs. However, both Rank and Bhanpuri predict a Broncos loss to the Chiefs on Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium.

"Denver's two-week roller coaster ride of emotions begins with an unhappy holiday. The Broncos arrive at Kansas City on Christmas Day with the division lead on the line, only to lose at Arrowhead for the 10th straight time," Bhanpuri wrote.

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The AFC West May Be the Best

Again, Bhanpuri doesn't quite see the Broncos leapfrogging the Chiefs in the division, but after being swept by the Los Angeles Chargers last year, Denver at least leapfrogs Jim Harbaugh's squad in his estimation. The Chargers were also a playoff team in 2024, finishing second in the division behind the Chiefs, with the Broncos in third place.

The AFC West will be a tough row to hoe once again, as it boasted three of the AFC's seven playoff teams last season. Adding to the fierce competition in the West is the arrival of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith in Las Vegas. The Raiders also drafted the highly coveted running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 overall.

Keys to a Successful Season

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with head coach Sean Payton against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It won't be an easy march for the Broncos this year, but it never is. It will be key to get off to a faster start than the Broncos have in the past two years, and beating the teams they're supposed to.

That means crushing the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts in successive weeks to kick off the season. The Broncos can't fall prey to trap games, even those contests loaded with additional emotion and storylines, like Week 7's home tilt vs. the New York Giants, which is expected to feature Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback.

Another fulcrum is, of course, the quarterback. The Broncos will go only as far as quarterback Bo Nix will take them, and the good news is, he's looked like a player poised to take a big year-two leap.

Unflinching Super Bowl Ambition

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been unafraid to float Super Bowl talk around this team. Mike Shanahan, who won two World Championships in Denver as a head coach and one as a coordinator in San Francisco, understands Payton's logic.

The idea being that if the head coach doesn't believe his team is Super Bowl-worthy, how could the players? That confidence can be contagious, and Payton is hoping to be Patient Zero in a Broncos virulence that rips through the NFL and all the way to triumph in the Big Dance.

The Takeaway

Time will tell how it all shakes out, but the Broncos are returning the same head coach and starting quarterback for the first time since the Peyton Manning years. That's huge. The other similarities the 2025 Broncos share with their 2015 World Champion progenitors are a ridiculously deep roster and a ferocious defense.

If Payton's personnel additions and new outside-zone offensive installs lead to an improved running game, this team is going to be very hard to beat, as the Broncos already boast one of the best offensive lines in football — a unit that returned each of its starting five.

It's going to be a fun year.