NFL.com Forecasts Broncos' Odds of Snapping Playoff Drought

If the Denver Broncos are going to snap their seven-year playoff drought, new head coach Sean Payton holds the key to success. NFL.com just released its list of the teams most likely to end their playoff slump, and the Broncos checked in at the No. 4 position.

Denver's ranking comes despite NFL.com's Adam Schein predicting that the Broncos will still miss out on the playoffs in the super-loaded AFC.

I don't think the Broncos are going to make the playoffs in a loaded AFC, but with Sean Payton wearing the headset, you cannot rule it out.

There's a realistic chance Russell Wilson is cooked. If anyone can get him back on track, though, it's Payton. The Super Bowl-winning head coach is an amazing play-caller who runs a tight ship. No more nonsense in Denver, which is refreshing after the 5-12 disaster in Nathaniel Hackett's lone season as head coach. Outside of the massive question mark at quarterback, this roster actually has promise, too. Denver boasts a bevy of enticing skill-position players -- if they can stay healthy -- and the offensive line looks pretty stout. Defensively, the Broncos have some legit

dudes

, like CB Pat Surtain II and S Justin Simmons.

Payton can at least squeeze eight or nine wins out of this roster. With a truly elite head coach, Denver's back in business on the gridiron.

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Any potential playoff resurgence would undoubtedly be tied to Wilson returning to a form approximating his stellar play in Seattle. Every team will be carried only as far as its quarterback will lead.

In this respect, Schein has put the New York Jets in the No. 1 spot on the playoff drought list, but what if Aaron Rodgers gets injured or spectacularly flames out? Given Wilson's age (turning 35) and his dismal performance last season, perhaps the Broncos are running the massive risk that their once-elite quarterback is now in terminal decline.

On the flip side, let's rewind back to the last time the Broncos were in the playoffs, when they admirably rolled with the punches of Peyton Manning limping his way toward retirement. Powered by an all-time defense, the Broncos carried their future Hall-of-Fame signal caller to the ultimate prize — with a lot of offensive game management thrown in for good measure.

Of course, we can discount Denver's miracle run in 2015 as being somewhat of an anomaly and one that very well may never happen again. Regardless, Payton knows a complete team must be built to cover for any deficiencies Wilson might end up displaying.

On that front, Payton has pieces on offense that can really help take the pressure off Wilson, especially if the expensively rebuilt Broncos offensive line can give him the precious commodity of more time. As NFL.com accurately points out, the impactful presence of both Surtain and Simmons in the secondary is also going to prove crucial.

In the final analysis, we can circle back to the straw that will ultimately stir the drink in Denver. Just how far above an eight or nine-game ceiling Payton can drag the Broncos through his own savvy coaching skill and a sprinkling of luck will be the rub to facilitating a return to the playoffs.

It reveals why Payton was so expensively recruited to Denver by the Walton/Penner ownership group in the first place.

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