The Denver Broncos are 6-2 for the second season in a row and are also 6-1 over their past seven games following a Week 1 loss. Now winners of four in a row, there isn't any reason to believe that the Broncos can't keep this winning streak up.
In fact, while it may seem insane to even suggest, there is a path for this team to have another 11-game winning streak given how winnable many of these games are coming up. Through the first eight games, it's clear where the team's winners and losers are.
Let's dive into those players as the de-facto first half of the season finishes.
Denver Broncos winners through the first half of the 2026 NFL Season
Jonah Coleman, RB
The Broncos have simply looked a lot different on offense when Jonah Coleman is out there. He has played four games in the NFL, as he missed four being on IR, but he did not have a touch in Week 1, so he's essentially played three games thus far.
He has amassed 134 rushing yards and 97 receiving yards, averaging a healthy 5.9 yards per touch. Coleman has turned into the most complete running back on the roster, and his 17-game pace as of now would be 982 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns. Him having to miss four games with his ankle injury was rather brutal, as it's clear how much of an impact he has made already.
Malcolm Roach, DT
Malcolm Roach has already set or tied career-highs in tackles for loss and quarterback hits. He is currently on pace for 7 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 26 QB hits. There just isn't any overstating how good Roach has been, as he has essentially been the primary replacement for John Franklin-Myers.
Roach is getting to the QB like you'd expect a team's top EDGE rusher to play, but his interior presence in getting to the QB and in the run makes him one of the more complete players on the team. The veteran has absolutely risen to the occasion this year.
Sean Payton, HC
Sean Payton has already added six more wins to his career total, which includes the playoffs. He now has 190 regular season wins and 10 playoffs wins, which makes him the sixth-fastest head coach in NFL history to reach 200 wins.
A special win. 👏
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 2, 2026
Inside the locker room as Owner & CEO Greg Penner gives HC Sean Payton a game ball for his 200th win: pic.twitter.com/OUiF1j3JZL
Payton can also continue rising up the all-time wins leaderboards with the Broncos, as the team has won 30 regular season games since the start of 2024 and are on pace to finish 13-4 this year. He's still at the top of his game.
The team's clutch gene
It's still there, folks. The Broncos were late-game magicians last year, and many people were saying how unlikely this was to keep up in 2026. Well, it's still there, as the Broncos have erased multiple double-digit leads in the second half this year and are simply picking up right where they left off from a season ago.
If you were someone who didn't think this could keep up, especially with the Broncos essentially bringing back everyone on an already older roster, you were not alone. This very clearly comes down to coaching, and it still being present can help propel this team to a Super Bowl title.
Denver Broncos losers through the first half of the 2026 NFL Season
Davis Webb, OC
Davis Webb held play-calling duties for four games before Payton took them back, and while Payton himself had play-calling stripped from him as a young coordinator and benefitted from it, Webb and Payton probably didn't plan on that happening. He's still a valued piece of the coaching staff, but the Broncos offense looked virtually non-existent with Webb calling the shots, so he's naturally one of the first half losers.
J.K. Dobbins, RB
J.K. Dobbins is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and got out-snapped by Coleman in Week 8. In fact, Dobbins had one snap in the second half and is clearly being phased out of the offense. Despite playing extremely well last year, averaging 5.0 yards per carry, Dobbins just doesn't have 'it' anymore for whatever reason. He returned to the Broncos on a two-year deal this past offseason, but with the team's reported interest in Jonathan Taylor, there could be a chance that Dobbins doesn't factor much into the offense going forward.
Ben Powers, LG
Ben Powers has not been good this year. He's getting beat regularly, and if PFF his your thing, his overall grade this year of 56.9 ranks 51st out of 75 qualified guards. The Broncos restructured the final year of his contract this offseason and also extended Alex Palczewski and drafted Kage Casey, clearly setting the stage for life after Powers when 2026 is over. Powers did suffer two notable injuries last year to his foot and bicep, so perhaps he's still not quite 100 percent physically.
Either way, his performance has reflected that of a regressing player.
Mike McGlinchey, RT
Mike McGlinchey has also not held up well in protection this year. His PFF grade of 60.4 ranks 53rd of 69 qualified tackles, and a couple of those batted passes we saw from Bo Nix in Week 8 were due to McGlinchey getting pushed back into Nix's lap by a Kansas City Chiefs' defender. The veteran right tackle has largely been good for the Broncos, but his fourth season with the team has been rather forgettable. Denver not being able to run the ball consitently is also due to the overall regression of the offensive line outside of Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz, but Powers and McGlinchey have definitely looked shaky this year.
Somewhere in the middle...
Bo Nix, QB
Nix doesn't jump off the page stat-wise, but he leads the NFL in fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives. We're also seeing him gain some confidence back with his legs, as he ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run against Arizona and did use his legs well multiple times in Week 8.
It really would not be a shock if Nix continues to get more comfortable as the season progresses, as he missed much of the offseason recovering from that ankle injury. And as the Broncos' schedule softens up, Nix should produce at a higher level. However, he definitely didn't look himself at all up until these past few weeks.
He is quarterbacking one of the best teams in football, but he has also left some things on the field, so we're not naming him a winner or a loser, but have him somewhere in the middle.
Add us as a preferred source on Google