With the Broncos now staring down the top seed in the AFC playoffs, everything appears to be falling into place for Sean Payton's team. Denver is sitting at 12-2 and can clinch the AFC West this week, finally beginning to receive the national credit it deserves for its hot start to the season. This is the Broncos team that Sean Payton promised to deliver when he took the reins of the franchise in 2023.
As the season has progressed, various injury concerns have arisen for the Broncos. They have been without guard Ben Powers for the majority of the season, but a tl to be getting him back sometime soon. On the other side, different injuries have forced reserve players into starting roles during the playoff push. Any considerable drop off in production could flip the Broncos' season sideways.
Maybe most importantly, the Broncos need strong quarterback play down the stretch. Bo Nix’s performance of late has been incredible to see and has shown that he could be the franchise moving forward, but he needs a strong finish to his sophomore season to cement his status as their long-term quarterback. The Broncos go as Nix goes; his final three games could determine their season.
These three Denver Broncos need to step up over their final three games
3. Bo Nix
As the Broncos have risen to the level of a true Super Bowl contender, it is no coincidence that Nix's play has gotten exponentially better. Nix was on an absolute heater against the Packers and has limited the turnovers in recent weeks. Since Week 13 against the Commanders, Nix has one turnover to six total scores, and there's no coincidence that those three weeks are the best three-game stretch for the Broncos so far this year.
2. RJ Harvey
Harvey has had an up-and-down short tenure as Denver's starting running back in recent weeks, but has seen more up than down lately. Harvey's three highest scrimmage yard performances have come over the past three weeks, including a 100-yard performance against the Raiders. The Broncos are going to need more out of him to end the season; he has only crossed 70 scrimmage yards once in four games as the starter.
1. PJ Locke
The injury to Brandon Jones is the type of blow that can have serious and long-term impacts on a secondary, and the Broncos need to make sure that isn't the case. Locke had some solid days as the Broncos' starting safety across from Jones last year, but the play was poor enough that Denver went out and nabbed Talanoa Hufanga. If Locke can turn in a few good weeks, the Broncos should be able to keep up their great play.