The Broncos have already taken the hardest punch the schedule could throw at them. Now the rest of the season opens up in a way that could change everything in the AFC West.
Denver is 6-2 entering Week 9, and that record looks even better when you stack it against what the team has already endured. According to strength-of-schedule analysis highlighted by Mile High Report, the Broncos played the NFL’s toughest schedule through the first eight weeks. On the flip side, Warren Sharp’s analysis says their remaining slate ranks as the seventh-easiest in the league.
That swing is the biggest improvement in schedule difficulty from the opening portion of the season to what’s left on the calendar.
It comes at a good time for a Broncos team that has won four straight and climbed into first place in the AFC West. Denver’s early run included two games against Kansas City, plus matchups with Jacksonville, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. The Broncos beat the Jaguars, Rams and Seahawks, and split their two meetings with the Chiefs.
That win over Kansas City pushed Denver ahead of the Chiefs in the division standings and kept alive a remarkable streak in one-score games. The Broncos have now won 15 straight regular-season one-score games, matching the NFL record set by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008-09.
The next stretch gives Denver a chance to keep building. The Broncos go to Carolina on Sunday, then head into their Week 10 bye before returning home to face Las Vegas. Later on the schedule are games against Miami, the New York Jets and the Los Angeles Chargers, three teams that have struggled badly this season.
But the path isn’t soft all the way through.
Denver still has to visit Pittsburgh on Nov. 27, host Buffalo on Christmas Day and travel to New England late in the year. Those games loom as the toughest remaining tests and could matter for playoff positioning. The Broncos also have another road game against the Raiders, so handling the division cleanly still matters.
Overall, Denver’s nine remaining opponents entered Week 9 with a combined 31-37 record.
That doesn’t hand the Broncos anything. A friendlier schedule can’t erase the fact that this team has leaned on late-game escapes all season. But after surviving the league’s toughest opening stretch, Denver has put itself in position for a second half that could pay off in a big way.
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Broncos Veterans Suddenly Raise A Troubling Question After Chiefs Loss
The Broncos came out of their loss to the Chiefs with a familiar mix of frustration and concern, and a few veteran names were at the center of it. J.K. Dobbins, Mike McGlinchey and Justin Strnad all drew attention for the wrong reasons, as Denvers offense and defense both had stretches where experienced players simply did not hold up the way the team needed.
Dobbins has not looked like the steady back the Broncos were counting on since dealing with a foot injury, while McGlincheys recent decline has started to show up in the protection in front of the quarterback. On defense, Strnads missed assignment was part of a sequence that left Denver exposed, adding to the sense that the Broncos have to sort out whether these are one-game issues or signs of something more troubling as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos 6-2 Start Is Hiding One Offensive Problem Fans Cant Ignore
A 6-2 start and a spot atop the division usually buy a team a little breathing room, but Denvers offense is still drawing hard questions from one of its own. FOX college football analyst and Broncos fan Joel Klatt said he was surprised the club has reached this point while ranking so low offensively, a sign that the record is masking some real issues on that side of the ball.
Klatt pointed to the offensive line as the central concern and said the passing game has been slowed by Bo Nix leaning on checkdowns, a pattern that speaks to confidence and trust. He also flagged the Broncos low third-down conversion rate, though the schedule ahead could offer a chance to clean some of that up before the season gets any tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Face One Trap Game Concern Heading Into Carolina
The Broncos head to Carolina riding a four-game winning streak and sitting atop the AFC West after knocking off the Chiefs, but this is the kind of spot that can quietly test a teams discipline. With Denver coming off a statement win, the matchup on the outside looks like one of the more important parts of the week, especially with Courtland Sutton set to be a central piece of the Broncos passing game and Patrick Surtain II again looming as the defenses top cover man.
Carolina brings its own high-end talent into the equation, with D.J. Moore a major threat and Stephon Gilmore still capable of changing how an offense attacks. For Denver, the concern is less about the standings and more about whether it can stay sharp in a game that has all the ingredients of a trap if the Broncos let the matchup game drift away from them. [Read more 🡒]