The Broncos are still in the thick of the AFC race, but the picture coming out of Week 6 leaves them with plenty to chase. Denver is sitting at 4-2, good enough for the No. 6 seed right now, yet still outside the group that would get to breathe a little easier in January.
That’s the strange part of this start: the Broncos have done enough to stay relevant, and the path is still there for another strong season. They’ve averaged 12 wins over the last two years, and with the schedule easing up in the weeks ahead, another double-digit win year is very much on the table. The offense has room to get better, and the defense looks like it’s starting to find its footing.
At the top of the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs are alone at 5-0 and would own the first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Buffalo is right behind at 5-1, though that record comes with some warning signs, including shaky defense and too many penalties. Jacksonville, Cleveland, New England, Denver and Pittsburgh all sit in a crowded 4-2 cluster after six weeks.
For Denver, the placement matters. As the No. 6 seed, the Broncos would be headed on the road in the Wild Card Round if the season ended now.
The current bracket would send Pittsburgh to Buffalo, Denver to Jacksonville and New England to Cleveland. The Steelers, also 4-2, would likely have a brutal trip to face a Bills team that has had little trouble getting through the Wild Card Round in the Josh Allen era.
Jacksonville would be a familiar opponent for Denver; the Jaguars beat the Broncos last year, but Denver got some revenge a few weeks ago, setting up what would likely be a tight playoff meeting. And the Patriots-Browns matchup would bring one of the louder playoff settings on the board, even if New England would probably be favored to handle it.
Denver’s bigger issue is obvious: the Broncos have work to do if they want more than a short January stay. They had homefield advantage last year and were on their way to the Super Bowl before Bo Nix's tragic injury. This season, getting to the top of the division - let alone the No. 1 seed - would be a much harder climb.
And if they’re forced to take the road all the way through the postseason, the margin for error gets thin fast. The Broncos have shown they can win away from home at times, but with the AFC this deep, there’s real reason to think they’d have to do more than just survive the Wild Card Round to keep moving.
In Other News...
Bo Nix Is Keeping Denver Alive But One Concern Isnt Going Away
Bo Nix has been part of the reason Denver has stayed in the conversation, even if his game has not always looked smooth from week to week. In a division that keeps putting quarterback play under the microscope, the rookie has helped the Broncos land key wins while also leaving enough uneven moments to keep the discussion going around his development.
The latest AFC West quarterback rankings still put Patrick Mahomes at the top, with Kirk Cousins ahead of Nix and Justin Herbert behind him. That middle spot reflects the bigger picture on Nix: enough good stretches to keep Denver competitive, enough questions left to make every start feel like part of a longer evaluation. For the Broncos, the encouraging part is that the season is still alive. The less comfortable part is that the concern around Nix has not gone away. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Debate Isnt Going Away After Broncos Win Over Seattle
The Broncos 17-14 overtime win over Seattle on Thursday night did not exactly calm the conversation around Bo Nix. Denver got the result it wanted in Week 6, but the performance left plenty of room for scrutiny, especially with the game airing in prime time on Amazon and drawing a big national audience.
Those eyeballs only sharpened the focus on Nix, whose play drew criticism even in a victory that kept Denver moving forward. The debate around the rookie quarterback was already simmering, and a tight, uneven game against the Seahawks did little to make it go away. [Read more 🡒]
Former Broncos Defender Helped Stop A Frightening Titans Incident
Training-camp friction can flare quickly, but what happened at the Titans facility landed well beyond the usual practice scuffle. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and offensive tackle JC Latham got into an argument, Elliott was told to leave the field, and the situation soon turned far more serious in a way that had everyone around the team on edge.
Former Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers stepped in before things spiraled further, helping calm Elliott and de-escalate a frightening scene. Elliott has since been released by the Titans, but the incident serves as a reminder of how quickly a routine camp dispute can turn into something much more alarming. [Read more 🡒]