Heading into Week 5, the Denver Broncos were 2-8 over the last two years in one-score games, with their only wins being over a bad 2024 Jets team and the 2025 Titans. Over their last two weeks, the Broncos have picked up a pair of one-score wins, moving their mark on those games in 2025 to 3-2. The Broncos' three wins in one-score games in 2025 are already two more than the team had last season.
The Broncos are on an incredible upward trajectory at this point in the season, and are set to head home for a stretch of four of five games at home in Denver. The Broncos' opponents at home over the next handful of weeks might not have the most wins in the league, but teams like the Giants and Chiefs still present plenty of reasons for concern to the Broncos. Odds are that Denver will need another one-score win soon.
Denver's victory over the Jets was not exactly a pretty one, and no one will make the case that it was. The Broncos needed to rely heavily on their incredible defense to get the job done. If it were not for the likes of Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, the Broncos might have left London with another one-score loss.
Denver has won consecutive one-score games in a row to put ugly trend in rearview mirror
Regardless of which team it is, winning one-score games is a necessity for any playoff team. Teams like the Bills and Chiefs have made a habit of being able to pull off one-score games, and it’s arguably the biggest reason they are in the AFC playoffs every year. The Broncos have the same aspirations as those teams that are beginning to wrap up the wins, but need victories such as this week’s. If the Broncos were able to win one of their one-score losses from earlier in the year, the Broncos would be the heavy favorite to run away with the AFC West divisional crown.
Their growth in one-score games can be attributed to two factors: their defense shutting out opposing offenses in the final quarter, and Bo Nix playing strong, clean football down the stretch. Over the course of their three-game winning streak, the Broncos have outscored opponents by an absurd 28-0. On average, the Broncos are pushing just short of a 10-0 outscoring of their opponents over the final 15 minutes of play each week.
A 2-0 stretch in one-score games is a major improvement for the Broncos, despite not being an overly impressive mark. The Broncos made the playoffs in 2024 fairly comfortably, but were consistently dropping one-score games to teams better than themselves. At 4-2, Denver seems to be in great position to make the playoffs, but are finally winning the close games. The difference? Denver finds themselves firmly in the mix for the 2025 AFC West crown.