Obviously, the hope here is that the Denver Broncos continue this insane winning streak for the rest of the season, but that simply might not happen. Denver has won eight games in a row, and each one gets a little bit harder.
Winning doesn't get easier in the NFL. Well, now at 9-2, the Broncos might truly only have to win one of their final six games to get into the playoffs, but this team has a bigger prize in mind - they are in line for the first overall seed in the postseason if they keep this up, and this would also guarantee the first division title since 2015.
At this point, the Broncos are two full games ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers and 3.5 games ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs. They've got the standing on their side and might have a ton of momentum on their side, but could it all be a mirage?
Is the momentum going to come crashing down after the bye for the Broncos?
I am not saying this will happen; I am merely making the case that it could. With how excellent the team has been this year, it might be way more likely that Denver continues their winning ways after the bye, but that might not happen.
One reason why this momentum could come crashing down is that the team is on the bye. The eight-game win streak and playing these eight games in about a 50-day time frame is interrupted a bit with the bye. The bye is a time for the players and coaches to get away and rest up, but it might also be something that cuts into this momentum.
Secondly, I did just a little bit of digging into Sean Payton's December record, as the Broncos will have the rest of their regular season primarily played in December. Here are some of his December records over the years:
2020: 2-2
2021: 2-2
2023: 2-3
2024: 3-2
By no means are these records bad, but Sean Payton has roughly only won 50% of his December games recently. In 2023 and 2024, his first two years with the Broncos, Payton has gone 5-5 in this month.
The Broncos have four games in December, and there isn't a guarantee what this team will do, but it might feel a bit disappointing if this team wins three of its remaining six games. Heck, that might end up being enough for the AFC West title, but with how much they have dominated this year, I think a lot of us want Denver to win four of more of its remaining games.
Could this roaring momentum come to a halt after the bye?