The Broncos’ 4-2 start doesn’t quite look like a 4-2 start.
After six games, Denver sits with the 26th-ranked scoring offense and the 9th-ranked scoring defense, which is the kind of split that usually points to a team losing more than it wins. Instead, the Broncos have survived a rough opening stretch and are heading toward three straight games before their Week 10 bye that should tell us a lot more about where this season is going.
If Denver is going to keep stacking wins, this is the stretch to do it. Arizona, Kansas City, and Carolina are all still on the schedule before the break, and on paper, the Broncos have a real chance to ride this run into the bye at 7-2.
First up is a trip to Arizona in Week 7, and that game looks like the best opportunity for Denver’s offense to finally wake up. The Cardinals are 1-4 heading into Week 6, own the league’s 32nd-ranked scoring defense, and are in year one of the Mike LaFleur era. That’s a rebuilding team, plain and simple.
Denver should pressure Arizona from the start. The Cardinals have already given up at least 31 points in four of five games this season, and with them facing the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6, the Broncos should be catching a defense that’s likely to give up plenty of yards again.
Arizona doesn’t appear to do anything better than Denver, which is why this feels like the offensive breakout game. Prediction: Broncos win 28-17.
Week 8 brings Kansas City to Denver, and that’s the matchup that should really get attention. The Broncos have beaten the Chiefs at home three years in a row, one win in each season of the Sean Payton era. Denver lost in Week 1 this year, but the Broncos also swept Kansas City last season and came very close to doing it again in 2024.
There’s no sugarcoating that “almost” doesn’t count, but it still matters when judging these teams. The 2026 Chiefs have Kenneth Walker III, who has been an MVP candidate this year, and that changes the look of the matchup. Even so, the Broncos look like the more talented roster, and that showed up the way it was expected to when Kansas City had Patrick Mahomes healthy and in the lineup in 2025.
This one should be tight, but Denver has been nearly unbeatable at home and is already perfect there this season. That environment matters, and so does the way these home games against Kansas City have played out during the Payton era. The call here: Broncos win 23-20.
Then comes Week 9 at Carolina, and while the Panthers have been respectable, they still look like a team Denver should handle. Carolina is 2-2 entering Week 6 and has gotten strong play from Bryce Young, but the defense hasn’t matched it.
Since the start of 2025, the Panthers are 10-10 in Young’s starts, which is about as middle-of-the-road as it gets. They won the NFC South last year at 8-9 and have shown they can be annoying, but not consistently dangerous.
That makes this a game Denver needs to take care of if it’s serious about chasing a Super Bowl title. Carolina ranks fourth in points scored per game, so this could turn into a higher-scoring contest, but the Broncos have enough on both sides of the ball to keep the streak moving. Denver also tends to catch fire in October and November, something we’ve seen in both years of the Bo Nix era.
Put it all together, and the Broncos could walk into the bye week on a five-game winning streak. Prediction: Broncos win at Carolina. Could Denver really be 7-2 when the bye arrives?
In Other News...
Bo Nix Is Taking Heat For A Broncos Concern Fans Know Too Well
Bo Nixs afternoon against the Seahawks only sharpened a conversation that has been building around the Broncos quarterback, even as Denver remains 4-2 and in a solid early-season position. He completed 17 of 27 passes for 107 yards with no touchdown passes, the lowest passing total of his young season and his first game without finding the end zone through the air.
The issue isnt just one rough stat line, either. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Colin Cowherd both took aim at Nixs playing style, pointing to the frequent checkdowns and the lack of downfield production that can make the offense feel narrower than it should be. For a Broncos team trying to prove it can win with more than just efficiency and defense, the concern is familiar enough to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Secondary Is Creating A Contract Question Denver Can't Ignore
The Broncos are 4-2 after their overtime win against the Seahawks, and the defense keeps making a strong case for why this early surge deserves more than a quick glance. In the secondary, Brandon Jones, Talanoa Hufanga and Ja'Quan McMillian have all had moments that have changed games, with each player standing out in different ways as Denvers back end has become one of the clearer strengths on the roster.
Jones, in particular, has turned his contract year into a bigger conversation than Denver probably wanted this soon, while Hufanga and McMillian have also done enough to make extensions feel like a real front-office issue rather than a future formality. The Broncos have found themselves with a secondary that is producing on the field and raising questions off it, and the longer this continues, the harder it gets to imagine the team letting those discussions wait until later. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Is Already Fueling A Brutal Broncos Debate
Bo Nixs Sunday against the Seahawks did not help quiet the conversation around how the Broncos want their young quarterback to operate. He completed 17 of 27 passes for 107 yards, and the lack of push downfield stood out in a game where Denver needed more from the passing attack. The Broncos are still 4-2, but this was Nixs quietest outing through the air so far and the first time this season he did not throw a touchdown pass.
The reaction around the performance came quickly, with media voices like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Colin Cowherd zeroing in on his tendency to settle for checkdowns instead of challenging defenses deeper. For a Broncos team trying to build around him, that kind of critique is more than background noise because it speaks directly to the style they think can work long term. The bigger question now is whether this was just a rough afternoon or a sign of a debate that is only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]