We've recounted the story of the 2025 NFL Season so many times this offseason, and it'll continue being an unfortunate, brutal reminder of just how unforgiving this game can be if the Denver Broncos fail to win a Super Bowl in the Sean Payton/Bo Nix era.
The 2026 season is a brand-new season, though, as what happened in 2025 is at this point largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Denver does have the overall roster, quarterback, and coaching staff in place to win it all this year.
But it won't be easy, as we've outlined the four biggest obstacles that could get in Denver's way this year.
Denver Broncos could lose their chance at a Super Bowl thanks to a few obstacles
A potentially very deep AFC
The AFC playoffs last year did not feature any of Kansas City, Cincinnati, or Baltimore. We also saw some emerging teams in New England and Jacksonville, and we've not yet mentioned Los Angeles, Houston, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh, who all won double-digit games in 2025.
Heck, even the Indianapolis Colts were 7-1 at one point last year. If the Chiefs, Bengals, and Ravens get back on track, and the other listed teams remain in a solid spot, the Broncos could find themselves buried in what could suddenly become a flat-out loaded conference with no viable path to the big game in sight.
The AFC West could be tough if the Kansas City Chiefs rebound
Kind of similar to the first point; if the Chiefs rebound in 2026, the Broncos are in trouble. The Chiefs did win 15 games back in 2024, so even though Denver went 10-7, they finished third in the AFC West, as the Chargers also won 11 games.
There is a non-zero chance that the Chiefs figure things out and at least return to a more modest, but still successful form. The Broncos probably won't see the Chiefs win just six games in a season, so the team should be bracing for Kansas City to bounce back, as they had won the division each year from 2016-2024.
The Los Angeles Rams
If the Broncos do reach the Super Bowl, they could be facing the Los Angeles Rams, who added Myles Garrett in a trade this offseason, while also trading for Trent McDuffie to help bolster the secondary. Even before Garrett and McDuffie joined the mix, the Rams were a top-3 team in the sport and have the reigning MVP in Matthew Stafford.
Los Angeles should be looked at as the favorite to win it all this year, and I am leaning toward thinking that it'd be a massive shock if they weren't representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. This is as close as an NFL team can get to fielding what you typically hear called 'superteams' in the NBA.
Slim victory margins disappearing in 2026
The Broncos went 11-2 in one-score games last year, including seven wins by five points or fewer.
Seven!
While the Broncos did prove to be better than most teams in the league, those who think Denver regresses a bit in one-score game success aren't making some sort of majorly off-base claim. It's possible, and it could happen. The Broncos were rather atrocious in one-score games in 2024, became one of the best in 2025, and could honestly fall right in the middle in 2026.
Sure, there is always a chance Denver remains elite in one-score games, but a recent example could prove that Denver might be at risk of regressing:
Chiefs' record in one-score games in the regular season:
2024: 11-0
2025: 1-9
If you totally remove the games in 2025 that Patrick Mahomes was not playing in during the 2025 due to his torn ACL, the Chiefs would still have been 1-7 in one-score contests. This is simply a thing that could happen with the Broncos, as it just happened in the division.
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