It's been a long, winding road for the Denver Broncos since the Super Bowl 50 season. Although in the grand scheme of things, 10 years really isn't all that long ago, it feels like it's been multiple lifetimes.
The Broncos were one of the NFL's worst teams from 2017-2023, and had not even made the playoffs since 2015. They finally got back into the postseason during the 2024 season, what was supposed to be (according to the experts and talking heads) the worst year of them all.
Now, the Broncos find themselves entering Week 18 of the 2025 season just two wins away from something that might blow your mind to even think about. The Broncos are just two wins away from hosting the AFC Championship Game.
Broncos enter Week 18 two wins away from hosting the AFC Championship Game
That's right, Broncos Country. If your Denver Broncos can find a way to win their next two games, they will officially be hosting the AFC Championship Game. The last time the Broncos hosted the AFC Championship Game was back in January of 2016 when Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and the New England Patriots came to town for an absolutely legendary game in Broncos lore.
The Broncos' pass rush got the Patriots' offensive line coach fired after that game when they hit Tom Brady more than he's ever been hit in a game.
There have been a lot of ugly games and a lot of false hope since that season. The Broncos have trield -- and failed -- many different ways to get back into relevance and prevent the Chiefs from having the NFL's latest dynasty, but they couldn't do it. After years of watching the Chiefs run the division, the Broncos are back.
A win in Week 18 against the Chargers would seal the #1 seed and home-field throughout the postseason. A win right after that (in the Divisional round of the playoffs) would give the Broncos a chance to host the AFC Championship.
The Walton-Penner ownership group purchased the team back in 2022. They started to execute their vision for the team by bringing in Sean Payton as the team's head coach in 2023. It wasn't even two years ago that they approved the release of quarterback Russell Wilson, which resulted in the highest dead cap number of any individual player in the history of the league.
And here we are, entering the last week of the 2025 regular season. The Broncos have locked up the AFC West title with 13 wins (so far). If they can beat the backups of the Los Angeles Chargers, they'll be the #1 seed in the AFC. And from that point, they'll only be two more wins away from going back to the Super Bowl.
You have to take it all one step at a time, but to believe the Broncos are at this point, you really have to pinch yourself. The last decade has been very real, but the moment we're in right now is also real. The Broncos are back, and the hope is now that they can finish well.