The Broncos have earned their place among the NFL’s top Super Bowl picks heading into 2026, and it’s not hard to see why. They came within striking distance of the big game last season, even after being forced to turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship Game. They also kept most of the roster intact and added Jaylen Waddle to the receiver room in a trade with the Miami Dolphins.
Still, there’s a real case for pumping the brakes a little. Denver looks dangerous, but the path in front of it is loaded with obstacles.
Start with the AFC West. The Broncos won the division last season and became the first team besides the Chiefs to do it since 2015, but that came in a year when Kansas City was down and Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending injury.
The Chargers pushed Denver for most of the year and beat them in the only head-to-head meeting where both teams were playing to win. The Raiders, as the source put it, were the Raiders.
That division figures to be a lot less forgiving in 2026. The Raiders are still the Raiders, though they’re also described as a team on the rise.
The Chiefs get Mahomes back, Andy Reid remains on the sideline, and there’s plenty of motivation in Kansas City. The Chargers should still be strong, and the addition of Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator could matter.
Repeating as division champs will not be simple.
There’s also the matter of how Denver won so many close games. The Broncos went 11-2 in one-score games last season, tying an NFL record for a single season.
That kind of run can look like clutch DNA, or it can look like the kind of break-heavy stretch that rarely lasts forever. The Chiefs offer the clearest warning sign: they went 12-0 in one-score games in 2024, including the postseason, then dropped to 1-9 in those same situations last season.
Then comes the schedule. As the defending AFC West champions, the Broncos draw a first-place slate in 2026, and the first six games are described as brutal. It’s the kind of opening stretch that can make even a confident fan base rethink the ceiling, no matter how good the roster looks on paper.
And finally, there’s Bo Nix. The ankle he broke in the divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills last season has been downplayed all summer, and the expectation is that he’ll be ready for Week 1. Even so, Sean Payton’s own words hang over the situation, and the question remains whether it could turn into something that lingers.
In Other News...
Andy Reid May Be Rethinking A Chiefs Tendency Fans Hate
A Pro Football Focus look at the Chiefs first-down tendencies offers a familiar reminder about how Andy Reid has been shaping the offense: when the down and distance are fresh, Kansas City has leaned hard into the run and into more traditional quarterback alignments. The Chiefs have also shown a different look on first down than they do later in series, lining up under center more often and using the shotgun in a way that stands out from the rest of their playbook.
For a team that has long lived on Patrick Mahomes ability to stress defenses in space, that kind of early-down balance is worth watching as the season unfolds. The bigger question is whether the Chiefs keep leaning into those opening-script runs and the heavier first-down structure, or whether the offense trims back some of the run-pass option work early while adjusting to what this version of the roster can and cannot do. [Read more 🡒]
Ex Chiefs Star Makes Bold Mahomes Debate Call That Fans Will Argue Over
A familiar quarterback debate has spilled back into the Mahomes conversation, and this one comes with a former Chiefs guard in the middle of it. Geoff Schwartz pushed back on ESPN analyst Ryan Clarks assertion that Lamar Jackson is the NFLs most accomplished quarterback outside of Patrick Mahomes, making the case that Aaron Rodgers still owns that spot on the strength of a resume that includes three MVP awards, a Super Bowl title and a Super Bowl MVP.
The argument is the kind that never really dies in NFL circles, especially when Rodgers remains a topic of weekly discussion even at this stage of his career. Colin Cowherd has also called Rodgers undervalued, and with Rodgers set for another season with the Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike McCarthy, the backdrop only adds another layer to a debate Chiefs fans know well: who, if anyone, is actually closest to Mahomes in the leagues quarterback hierarchy? [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Will Get A Kick Out Of Clark Hunt Here
A street-side interview outside MetLife Stadium during the World Cup final turned into a little crossover moment for Kansas City fans, with a Kalshi reporter asking attendees and notable figures how much they paid to get in. The answers ran the gamut, from people who shelled out eye-popping sums to others who were invited or said they did not pay at all, giving the clip a mix of sticker shock and big-event theater.
Then came Clark Hunt, the Chiefs chairman and CEO, who was among the suited figures caught up in the scene and made clear he was enjoying the spectacle. For Chiefs fans, it is the kind of cameo that lands with a grin, a reminder that Hunt can show up in some pretty unexpected places when a major sports moment is unfolding. [Read more 🡒]