The Broncos are off to their best six-game start in quite some time, as they have gone 1-5, 3-3, and now 4-2 across their first six games in the Sean Payton era. The team has won ugly multiple times this season, and that is a good thing.
Being able to win ugly is a huge indicator of a good team, but Denver does need to get some things cleaned up before it's too late. At 4-2, the Broncos are tied with the LA Chargers atop the AFC West, but LA has the tiebreaker due to their head to head win over Denver a few weeks ago.
As the team approaches their midseason stretch, what are some key areas of improvement that need to get fixed?
The Broncos have to get these things fixed, ASAP
Overall lack of turnovers
In four of six games this year, the Broncos have not forced a turnover. They've forced just four on the season and are currently a -3 in the turnover margin, which is just a massive turn of events from their insane 2024 NFL Season, where the defense had 15 interceptions alone. At some point, the defense and even special teams is going to need to make something happen here. The latter parts of the season is when games are going to begin meaning more, and if the Broncos hope to capture the AFC West title, something that is clearly winnable, forcing more turnovers is a must.
Consistency on offense
We are once again asking why the offense simply can't sustain much of anything positive consistently. The unit was playing well in the first half, and Bo Nix was flat-out sharp. However, Sean Payton seemed to go away from everything that worked in the first half. In Week 5 against the Eagles, Denver didn't do much of anything in the first half but then turned it on in the fourth quarter to win the game. It is good that Denver has won twice as much as they've lost, but the lack of overall consistency on offense is a huge concern and could be the main reason why they don't win the division this year.
Kick and punt coverage
Doesn't it feel like the special teams unit as taken a total nosedive in 2025? The Broncos gave up a long return to the New York Jets and just seem to really struggle outside of their kicker and punter this year. Wil Lutz and Jeremy Crawshaw have performed well this year, but everything outside of that really seems hard.
Backup safety and special-teamer Devon Key actually had a huge, potentially game-saving tackle late in the game, but the Jets' return man would have had a wide open hole for a big gain. The Broncos hired Darren Rizzi this offseason to command the special teams unit, and he was seen as one of the best in the business.
However, it does feel like Denver's ST unit as a whole is a slight liability, and late in the season is when games are going to matter the most, so having below-average punt and kick coverage just can't continue.