The Broncos keep landing in the same place, and that’s what makes this debate so interesting: 7-2 after nine games, for the second year in a row. Same record, very different conversation.
The natural question now is which version of Denver is actually better - this year’s team or the one that came out of nowhere last season and pushed all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Denver Post columnists Troy Renck and Sean Keeler both dug into it, and they each made strong cases.
Start with the schedule, because that’s a real part of the argument. Keeler pointed out that several scheduling metrics had Denver in the top five for the toughest slate in the league. That matters when you’re trying to compare records that look identical on paper.
It also matters who those wins came against. Last year’s 7-2 start was built on games against the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and New York Giants, plus a Cincinnati Bengals team led by Jake Browning. None of those teams made the playoffs.
This year’s path has been much less forgiving. Outside of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Arizona Cardinals, the Broncos have mostly been dealing with teams that are likely headed to the postseason. There’s room to argue that the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks aren’t quite the same teams they once were, and the Carolina Panthers - who “lead” the NFC South at 3-5 - still gave Denver a tough game.
The two Broncos teams also look alike in a lot of ways once you get past the schedule. Both have leaned on a defense that can carry the load while the offense sputters.
Renck highlighted one of the biggest differences from last season by pointing to Bo Nix’s numbers: 17 touchdowns, six interceptions, 207 rushing yards and three rushing scores on 42 attempts. That was last year’s version of Nix, and it set a pretty clear baseline for the comparison.
This season, Nix got off to a rough start, but he appears to be settling in. The bigger constant is his ability to deliver late, because his fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives are still part of the package even when the rest of the offense isn’t clicking.
If the 2026 Broncos are going to finish ahead of last year’s group in this comparison, it comes down to two things. First, Nix has to keep trending upward and keep building on what looks like a healthier stretch. Second, rookie running back Jonah Coleman has to keep giving the offense the spark it lacked last year.
That’s the other big difference. When J.K.
Dobbins went down with a foot injury, last year’s Denver team didn’t have a running game to fall back on. Coleman has changed that equation, and he’s given the offense something it was missing.
In Other News...
Sean Payton's Split-Second Call Changed Everything For The Broncos
The Broncos kept their roll going in Week 9 with a win over the Panthers, moving to 7-2 and stretching their winning streak to five games. For much of the afternoon, though, the game hinged on a single sequence that could have gone the other way, with Denver needing every bit of its sideline awareness to keep a pivotal turnover in play.
Sean Paytons challenge on the Devon Key interception turned into one of those hidden turning points that can define a game long after the final whistle. What looked for a moment like a missed opportunity instead became a momentum swing, and Denver cashed it in with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the result away. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos May Have Finally Solved A Problem That Haunted This Defense
The Broncos went into the stretch run still trying to patch one of the more stubborn holes on their defense, and they may have found a cleaner answer just before the 2026 NFL trade deadline. Denver landed linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Chargers, a move aimed squarely at a need the team has felt for a while: a linebacker who can stay on the field in all situations and hold up in coverage without becoming a liability.
Henley brings the kind of versatility Denver has been chasing, with a skill set that fits the modern demands on the position and gives the defense more flexibility on third downs and beyond. The move also comes with a longer view attached, since the Broncos gave up future draft capital to make it happen, leaving the next question centered on how quickly Henley can settle in and whether this finally becomes the fix that sticks. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Deadline Pressure Is On George Paton Now
With the NFL trade deadline arriving at 2 p.m. MDT, the Broncos are once again in the middle of the leagues annual rumor mill, and this time the focus is on whether George Paton will actually pull the trigger. Denver has been linked to help at running back, tight end and safety, but the market has a way of narrowing quickly once prices start climbing and the clock starts ticking.
Running back had looked like a possible fit, though that talk has cooled as internal options have emerged and the cost of adding one has made less sense. Tight end and safety still appear to be the spots worth watching, especially with injury concerns hanging over the roster, but as of now there has been no confirmed move and the Broncos are still weighing whether the right deal is out there. [Read more 🡒]