Denver's win over the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of weeks ago was a great start, but the Broncos followed that up with one of the ugliest wins you'll ever see from an NFL team, barely getting by the lowly New York Jets.
It took the defense sacking Justin Fields nine times to clinch the victory, and all Denver had to show for in that game was one touchdown drive. However, a win is a win, and Denver gets out of this brutal three-game stretch with a three-game winning streak.
The Broncos now return home for a mini homestand before hitting the road again in Week 9. Denver actually plays just one away game before the bye and will end up playing four of their next five games in front of the home crowd. Now 4-2 heading into this five-game stretch, it's not hard to see how important these games truly are.
The Broncos could really begin to open things up in the coming weeks
Here is how the schedule looks for the Denver Broncos until the bye week in Week 12:
Week 7 vs. New York Giants
Week 8 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 9 @ Houston Texans
Week 10 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 11 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Not only are every single one of these games winnable, but Denver has a better record than every team here approaching Week 7. They've also got the chance to tee-off on some shaky defenses like the Giants, Cowboys, and Raiders.
The Texans have struggled to protect CJ Stroud for over a year now, so the pass rush could feast, and Denver has actually won two games in a row at home against the Chiefs. With the Broncos sitting at 4-2 right now, a five-game win streak with this stretch would give them eight wins in a row and have them sitting at a healthy 9-2 at the bye.
It would be a massive shock if Denver didn't have sole possession of first place in the AFC West in that event. Losing one of these next five puts them at a solid 8-3, and losing two of these next five puts them at 7-4, which would still be one game better than their 6-5 record through 11 games in 2024.
The Broncos have the easiest stretch of their schedule right here, and many of us have wondered when this team could begin to turn things on and really emerge as a contender. They've got the roster to compete with every other team in the AFC, and they'll also have the NFL trade deadline after Week 9, so that adds another layer of importance here.
No matter how you look at these next five games, it's clear how important this stretch is.