Winners of six of their first eight games, the Denver Broncos are on pace to win 13 games in the 2025 NFL Season, but the matchups are only going to get tougher, and that even might be an understatement. Fortunately, the Broncos are one of the more well-rounded teams in the NFL, as both their scoring offense and scoring defense are top-10 in the league right now.
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Broncos are in Houston in Week 9 to face the Texans, a team sporting the best defense in the NFL. A win over the Texans would skyrocket their playoff odds, but a loss actually wouldn't do too much harm.
Counting Week 9, the Broncos have nine games remaining and might only need to win four of them to get into the postseason. Let's take a look at the three remaining games that will surely define their 2025 season.
These three games will define the 2025 Denver Broncos
Week 11 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
This isn't much of a discussion - the Denver Broncos have actually beaten the Chiefs twice in a row at home dating back to the 2023 NFL Season with Russell Wilson, and there is a chance that the Broncos could still be in first place in the AFC West when this game rolls around.
Furthermore, it's Denver's last game before the bye in Week 12, and if the Broncos hope to win the division this year, they'll need to, at minimum, beat the Chiefs at least once. They won't have a better chance to do that than at home in Week 11.
Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
Another hugely important game the Broncos have is against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15. The Packers are currently 5-1-1 approaching Week 9 and are tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the fewest losses in the NFL. Green Bay swung a major trade for Micah Parsons this offseason and are a lot like the Broncos - well-built and well-rounded.
Fortunately, Denver gets this game at home, but Green Bay is stocked with top-end talent, and being that the game is so late into the season, playoff implications could be present.
Week 18 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
After losing to the LA Chargers earlier in the season, the Broncos are staring down being swept by the Bolts for the second year in a row. Simply put, this is another game that the Broncos must win if they hope to capture the AFC West title this year, and this matchup is also the last game of the regular season.
It really isn't out of the question if this game is for the AFC West itself. The Broncos can go 2-2 in their four divisional matchups with the Chargers and Chiefs this year and win the division - that isn't an impossible task, but getting swept by one of them is going to kill their chances.