The Broncos have put themselves in a position few teams ever get to enjoy: a playoff race that already feels like a measuring stick. At 5-2, with 29 wins in their last 41 regular season games dating back to the start of the 2024 season, Denver is on pace for 12 wins and has become the kind of team people would be stunned to see miss the postseason.
That is what makes Week 8 carry so much weight. The Broncos host the Chiefs, and the game figures to feel a lot like last year’s meeting in Denver, when some called it the most important game for the Broncos since the Super Bowl run.
Right now, Denver sits as the No. 5 seed in the AFC and has a 79 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Next Gen Stats. Beat Kansas City, and that number jumps to 88 percent. Lose, and it falls to 72 percent.
That’s a 16 percent swing based on one result, and the standings would shift in a major way either direction. A Broncos win would push them to 6-2, drop the Chiefs to 5-2, and leave Denver in first place by a half game over Kansas City. A loss would send the Broncos to 5-3 and lift the Chiefs to 6-1, leaving Denver essentially three games back in the AFC West chase.
Even then, the division race wouldn’t be over. It would just get a lot harder.
The Broncos’ AFC West hopes would take a serious hit with a loss, but they’d still be alive. And the Chiefs still have Cincinnati, New England, and San Francisco left on the schedule, which gives Denver at least some reason to believe the path could still get interesting.
None of that changes the basic reality: this is a good Broncos team, maybe even the better one on paper. But Kansas City still has Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, and that combination is hard to dismiss.
However Week 8 plays out, Denver’s playoff picture and division outlook are about to shift in a big way.
In Other News...
Broncos Suddenly Have A Jonathan Taylor Decision They Can't Ignore
The Broncos backfield has become impossible to ignore, and not in a good way. RJ Harvey was listed as limited with a knee injury, while the rushing attack has struggled to find any real rhythm behind JK Dobbins, who has not delivered the kind of production Denver needed this season. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, the combination of health concerns and underwhelming results has turned the running back spot into a real problem.
Jonathan Taylor is the name that naturally jumps to the front of the conversation, especially with Indianapolis looking like a team in transition. The Colts have already moved on from other key pieces, which only adds to the sense that they could listen on more talent if the price is right. Denver does not need another theoretical fix at running back, it needs a difference-maker, and this is the kind of situation that could force the front office to act before the market gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos May Have Found Their Answer Up Front After All
The Broncos have spent plenty of time searching for help up front, and Malcolm Roach has given them a legitimate reason to feel better about the interior of their defense. In his 2026 season, the veteran defensive tackle has taken a clear step forward against the run while also becoming a more disruptive pass rusher, a combination that has made him one of the steadier bright spots on the roster.
Roachs rise has mattered even more with John Franklin-Myers gone in free agency, because Denver needed someone to help absorb that loss without forcing the rest of the front to carry too much of the load. What makes this stretch especially encouraging is that Roach is not just filling snaps, he is affecting games in ways the Broncos have not always been able to count on from that spot, and the bigger question now is whether this level of play can hold as the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Enter Chiefs Rematch With A Few Big Questions Still Lingering
The Broncos head into their Chiefs rematch trying to clean up the details that cost them in the first meeting, with tackling near the top of the list and Bo Nixs status still part of the conversation as the week unfolds. There is also a clearer sense that Denver is getting healthier in the secondary, which matters against a Kansas City offense that can punish even small mistakes.
Pat Surtain IIs return from an ankle injury would be a major boost for a defense that needs its best cover man on the field, especially with Talanoa Hufanga still sidelined by the same issue. On the other side of the ball, rookie running back Jonah Coleman has given Sean Payton another piece to work with after showing burst against Arizona, and the Broncos may lean on him more if they want a steadier answer in a game that already carries plenty of pressure. [Read more 🡒]