Denver's dominant record clashes with offensive woes, fueling debate: Are they AFC frontrunners or pretenders destined to falter?
The Denver Broncos sit atop the NFL with a 9-2 record heading into Week 12. Despite the dominance in the win column, there are still very legitimate concerns about Denver that need to be addressed before playoff time.
In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon made the case for the Broncos being both a contender and a pretender 11 games into the 2025 season. Let's start off with why the Broncos are a legit contender in the AFC.
It’s simple to label the Broncos as one of the top teams in the AFC. Just one other team has as many wins as Denver, the New England Patriots. The Broncos sit atop the AFC West with a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Chargers and a four-game lead over the Kansas City Chiefs. They practically already have their postseason ticket punched, and the rest of the season can be used to iron out those wrinkles that many are concerned about.
Their most recent win over the Chiefs solidified the Broncos as a team that can beat any team in the league on any given night. Pulling off the win against a desperate Kansas City team showed the grit and determination that’s been there all season for Denver, and it made it eight consecutive wins on the year. And of course, as Gagnon pointed out, the Denver defense has been nothing short of elite this season.
The problems come with the inconsistencies that have been shown too often this season. There have been far too many close games that frankly shouldn’t have been close. The two-point win against the New York Jets and the three-point win against the Las Vegas Raiders come to mind. Denver needed a 33-point fourth quarter in Week 7 to beat the New York Giants, and somehow they pulled it off.
It’s impressive that no matter how bad of a night they are having, the Broncos find ways to get the win, but it’s concerning that so many games that should have been a blowout have come down to the wire. It doesn’t instill too much hope in a deep playoff run when the offense has struggled time and time again. The inconsistency on the offensive side of the ball is the case that Gagnon uses for those who believe Denver is a pretender.
Despite the case for Denver being a pretender, Gagnon believes that it is a true contender this year.
"Last year was their 'not quite ready' experience. This year, they're lining themselves up to enter the playoffs as the favorite in the AFC," he wrote. "The offense just needs to iron some things out, but we know the Broncos have it in them."