This Bold Prediction Has Another Team With A Great Defense Winning AFC Over Broncos

The Denver Broncos are the reigning AFC West champs, and they came within a field goal of winning the AFC, but they’re not getting a lot of respect going forward. Many predictions have them ceding their AFC West title to the Kansas City Chiefs or the Los Angeles Chargers. 

There’s plenty of noise about not winning the AFC, too. That one’s a bit easier to justify because of the level of competition and the number of teams that are involved, but there was one that was especially insulting to Broncos fans, not to mention the fan bases of several other prominent AFC teams. 

Ben Solak of ESPN did a piece with ten bold predictions, and his one for the Broncos had the Houston Texans winning the AFC, which is well beyond bold. 

These are the same Houston Texans who were quarterbacked by C.J. Stroud last year. That’s the same C.J. Stroud who turtled in the playoffs last year, as the New England Patriots pounded and embarrassed Stroud on a wet, cold day in which Stroud looked like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world than in Foxboro. 

Solak thinks this happened because Stroud was “just trying to do too much after coming off a concussion. He also based this on four prior playoff games in which he was a “totally acceptable quarterback.”

Acceptable quarterbacks don’t win AFC titles, though, and it keeps getting harder to understand why Stroud performs so poorly in so many games. He looked like he might be Houston’s answer to QB Patrick Mahomes in his rookie year, but since then he’s looked like the guy who’s going to get beat in big playoff teams and can’t get his team over the top. 

The Texans certainly have to defense to go all the way in the AFC, however. Houston’s defense is right up there with the Broncos, especially when it comes to dominating the line of scrimmage. The Broncos probably have a slight edge when it comes to getting after the quarterback, but that point is also open to debate. 

The key statement in Solak’s argument began “If the Texans really do give Stroud a good ground game in the 2026 season,” and that caveat also applies to the Broncos. That might be what pushes one of these teams over the top, if it does happen. 

Solak did add a significant disclaimer, however: "I reserve the right to change this prediction before Week 1 as we get more news about Denver quarterback Bo Nix’s ankle and health. The Broncos' roster is so stinking good."