The Denver Broncos finished with the most wins in the NFL during the 2025 regular season, tied with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. In a year that even shocked Broncos fans, the team managed to win 11 games in a row at one point and got within one game of the Super Bowl.
The 2026 season is a new year, so there is no guarantee that Denver can enjoy the same amount of success. However, this roster is still among the best in the league, and the addition of Jaylen Waddle should end up giving the offense precisely what they were missing for 2026 and beyond.
One thing that comes with such a successful breakout season is folks doubting that the success carries over into the following season, and some latest record predictions not only indicate that, but also further prove that people just can't accept reality with the Broncos.
Denver Broncos predicted to go 10-7 or 9-8 in NFL.com's full record predictions
In NFL.com, Ali Bhanpuri and Tom Blair predicted every single regular-season game. For the Broncos, Bhanpuri predicted the team to go 10-7 and make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, and Blair predicted the Broncos to go 9-8 and miss the playoffs entirely:
"Ali's take on the Broncos' season:
Is Jaylen Waddle the missing piece in Denver's championship puzzle? Based on the Broncos' otherwise quiet offseason, they sure seem to think so. One of the league's most complete teams, Denver's season will be a tale of two halves: Can the Broncos hold up against an early-season onslaught that includes bouts with the Jaguars, Rams, 49ers, Chargers and Seahawks, as well as both head-to-heads with the Chiefs? If they're still standing by their Week 10 bye (one-score wins are still wins!), their schedule sets up nicely for a second-half run."
One thing that immediately sticks out to me here with Bhanpuri's argument is that he says the Broncos are 'one of the league's most complete teams,' yet predicts Denver to go just 10-7, which is a lot closer to being an average squad than a complete one.
To me, those two things just do not line up and can't form a viable argument. Denver was one of the more complete teams in the NFL last year, and won 14 games. That wasn't some odd coincidence. A complete roster like the Broncos, for example, is plenty good enough to win, let's say, 12 games in 2026.
This is also true for other complete rosters like Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams. Detroit struggled with injuries in 2025, though, and only won 9 games, but the Broncos were largely quite healthy in 2025.
Blair's prediction also sticks out, as he has the Broncos losing the first four games of the season and getting into a brutal 0-4 hole. Oddly enough, both predictions have Denver losing in Carolina in Week 9, right before the Week 10 bye.
Bhapuri and Blair both have the Broncos winning at least four games in a row at some point during the season, and seeing as how 'streaky' Denver has been in the Sean Payton era, especially with wins, another streak could be on the table.
Overall, though, predicting the team to win 10 and 9 games feels a bit off-base. Denver doesn't have a notable roster hole and is honestly doing just about everything well. Sure, getting to 14 wins two years in a row might be quite hard, but even a 12-5 season with a few key wins early in the season would feel like a much more accurate prediction of where this franchise is right now.
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