The Denver Broncos knew they had a rough schedule to start their season, and that was before the Colts opened up at 4-1 as one of the best teams in the AFC. What the Broncos did not know, however, was that they would be the first team to take down the reigning Super Bowl champs. Not only did they take them down, but outscored them 18-0 in the final period to bring home the win. The Broncos have finally arrived.
For the Broncos, this presents a few different truths: for one, the Broncos can hang with the best of them. No one had beaten the Eagles at home since the Falcons did over a year ago, let alone beat them at Lincoln Financial Field after trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter. Denver showed they have contender makeup, and the NFL now must notice.
Secondly, the change between 3-2 and 2-3 is ginormous. Denver stole Sunday's win, and now faces a massive opportunity in front of them that they simply cannot fumble away. Denver should be favored in each of their next five games and will have a chance to stack up wins and cement itself in the AFC playoff picture.
The Broncos next five games are a major opportunity for Sean Payton and his team
None of the Broncos' next five opponents has more than two wins, and three of them have either one win or are winless. The Broncos must take advantage of this stretch and win at least four of these games. Denver will travel to London to face the Jets, then host the Giants and Cowboys, travel to the Texans, and finish back in Denver with the Raiders.
Two truths exist here for Denver: this part of the schedule is soft, and Sean Payton dominates in October. Denver went 3-1 in October last year, adding to Payton's larger career success in October, which comes out to a record of 51-17. Denver's remaining October opponents are a combined 3-11-1, with two of those wins being the Cowboys. After London, Denver ends the month at home. A 3-0 stretch to end October might not be out of the picture for the Broncos.
November begins with two games in five days: a trip to Houston followed by a Thursday game with the Raiders in Denver. Houston killed the Ravens this week, and has outscored their opponents 70-10 the last two weeks, even though those two teams have two combined wins. Las Vegas is led by Geno Smith and his nine interceptions, and the Raiders have been one of football's worst teams so far. At worst, 1-1 is very obtainable here.
Denver has a great shot to go 4-1 over their next five games, which would put them at 7-3 heading into their Week 11 home matchup with the Chiefs. If Denver can have seven wins by that time, they'll likely head into the game as favorites over the Chiefs. If Denver wins the division, it'll come down to their ability to win the games they should, something the Chargers have already struggled with. They should win most of their next five games.