The Denver Broncos have played 17 games this year, and ideally want to play three more and finish the year 17-3 with a Super Bowl LX title. The team won 11 games in a row this year and earned the top seed in the AFC, which guarantees the team a trip to the Divisional Round.
The Broncos are now on the bye and will get some much-needed rest and recovery. Denver doesn't get to this point without high-end play from many players, and while the roster was far from perfect, Denver finished with the most wins in the NFL alongside two other teams.
Let's get into the regular season winners and losers.
Winners and losers in the regular season for the Denver Broncos
Winner: Garett Bolles, LT
Garett Bolles could be a finalist for the Protector of the Year award, a new award that goes to the best OL in the NFL. Bolles helped anchor the best offensive line in the NFL and has emerged as a top-tier left tackle ever since that outstanding breakout season back in 2020. Garett Bolles' pass-blocking grade was 90.8 according to PFF, which ranked 1st among all tackles.
Winner: Troy Franklin, WR
Troy Franklin had 28 receptions, 263 yards, and 2 touchdowns in 2024. In 2025, he had 65 receptions, 709 yards, and six touchdowns. He nearly tripled his production this year and also caught 62.5% of his passes, as opposed to just 52.8% in 2024.
His drop percentage fell from 5.7% to 3.8%, and his passer rating when targeted jumped from 71.5 to 85.8. Mind you, Franklin is in his age-22 season and won't turn 23 until February. This type of production jump in year two for such a young player paints an awesome picture for year three and beyond.
Loser: Marvin Mims Jr., WR
Marvin Mims Jr seemed to take a leap as a receiver in year two, as he finished with 503 yards and six touchdowns, but he regressed in this regard in 2025, finishing with 322 yards and one touchdown, which is almost identical to his rookie season production. In year three, Mims has made most of his mark as an elite return specialist, but Denver used a second-round pick on the player back in 2023, and I think a lot of us were hoping for a bit more from Mims this year.
Loser: JK Dobbins, RB
JK Dobbins had 772 rushing yards through 10 games for the Denver Broncos this year and was on pace to have a career year at the right time. For years, Dobbins has struggled with staying healthy, and his regular season came to a screeching halt due to a foot injury suffered in Week 10. Not only did this end Dobbins regular season, but it also impacted his chances to earn a nice payday from Denver or someone else.
Overall, Dobbins played extremely well this year, but the injury was a brutal blow.
Winner: Bo Nix, QB
Bo Nix continued to silence the doubters in 2025 and helped lead the Denver Broncos to a 14-3 record, continually showing up in the clutch for his team. Sure, you'd like to see more consistency during the game, but it's clear that the hard part of playing the position is something Nix has down pat. Nix has a 24-10 record through two years, and that ties Russell Wilson for the most wins by a QB in their first two season. Nix was an obvious winner during the regular season.
Winner: Sean Payton, HC
Sean Payton has won 24 regular season games over the past two seasons, and his decision to grab Bo Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft continues to pay off. He talked about what the goals were for the Denver Broncos for years, and two of those goals were accomplished in 2025 - winning the AFC West and earning the top seed in the conference. Payton has continually backed up his talk with action, and he's going to get a ton of votes for the Coach of the Year award this year.
Loser: Jonathon Cooper, EDGE
After a career year in 2024 finishing with 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 20 QB hits, Jonathon Cooper's production dipped this year, as he finished with 8 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, and 16 QB hits. His total tackles dropped from 58 to 50.
Cooper has started every game the past three seasons, which is awesome, but the first year after inking a massive payday was a bit underwhelming. Still, though, the duo of Cooper and Nik Bonitto off the edge is one of the best in the league, but the former seventh-round pick wasn't quite as impactful as he was in 2024.