The Broncos have six regular season games left, and hopefully a handful after that. On paper, this team is as good as any in the NFL and have a winning formula to make a deep run and perhaps represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
It's been the best Broncos' team since the 2015 season, but that doesn't mean the season will end ho 2015 did. The Broncos are sporting the league's best defense and a QB in Bo Nix who is appearing to be more clutch than most.
Denver isn't at 9-2 unless their QB and defense have done what they've done thus far. Well, one might think that the shaky offense at times could be the team's downfall in the second half, but could it actually be the complete opposite side of the ball?
Can the defense maintain this insane pace down the stretch in 2025?
This is the big question, and an underrated thing that could make or break the 2025 season. I look back to the 2024 campaign for my reasoning here, as the defense did taper off toward the end and did not end the season on a strong note, unless you count the 38-0 victory over the Chiefs in Week 18, which many people don't really 'count.'
Across the first 11 games of the 2024 NFL Season, the Broncos allowed 183 total points, which comes out to 16.6 points per game. However, they allowed 128 points over the next five games, which came out to 25.6 points per game.
In the first 11 games of 2024, Denver allowed an average of 289.4 yards per game. Over the next five games, the defense gave up an average of 316.6 yards per game. The defense did begin to regress a bit down the stretch. Yes, you are right in saying that it could be because Riley Moss missed some time, but the regression was still present.
With how dominant the unit has been thus far, it might be more likely that the defense takes a step back and not a step forward. Fortunately, though, the defense is surely the most talented in the NFL on paper, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is among the best in the NFL.
All in all, the defense might actually be just fine, but with how good it's been thus far, it doesn't feel like we're talking about the possibility that the unit could regress after the bye.