Now at 8-2, the Denver Broncos have the longest win streak in the NFL, and, despite the game being ugly and forgettable, escaped Week 10 with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The immediate fallout of the game honestly felt like a loss, and I can't blame Broncos' fans for that.
It was as bad of an offensive performance as we've seen in the Sean Payton era. Second-year QB Bo Nix was simply dreadful and may have played the worst game of his NFL career. Well, a win is a win, and the Broncos are in the middle of their 'mini-bye' before a huge Week 11 showdown against the Chiefs.
Denver also entered the week 8-2 and had the best record in the NFL, but that was only because the Patriots and Colts had no played yet. Well, unfortunately, both New England and Indianapolis clawed their way to victories, not only keeping pace with the Broncos, but giving us an idea of just how difficult it's going to be down the stretch for playoff seeding.
Colts and Patriots close out their games and tie the Broncos at 8-2 atop the AFC
The Denver Broncos have won seven games in a row, and it feels like they won these games in spite of their offense. Some might claim that Denver is a 'bad' 8-2 team and are somehow being held back by Bo Nix. With most everything else in life, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
If you ask me, there are a series of other offensive issues that have plagued the team this year that aren't Bo Nix. You might feel differently, and that's OK, but this latest slate of action only proves that things are going to get tougher down the stretch.
There is a reason why Indy and New England are 8-2, and we're to the point where these teams aren't just going to start losing a bunch of games. The Broncos will have to keep their foot on the gas and do have some tough matchups.
They still have to play the Chiefs twice, Chargers once, Raiders, Packers, Commanders, and Jaguars. Denver should be able to beat KC once and seal the deal against the Raiders, Commanders, and Jaguars, but would a 12-5 season be enough to not only win the AFC West, but earn one of the top-2 seeds in the AFC?
This stretch is going to be massive for the team.