The Denver Broncos continue to be one of the more disrespected playoff teams in the NFL, as there always seemed to be a caveat with all the winning Denver did, and most of that centered around Bo Nix, the Broncos exceptional young quarterback.
Nix has now tied Russell Wilson for the most wins by a QB in their first two seasons with 24. The second-year player has been outstanding, and it's no coincidence that the Broncos started winning a lot when he arrived. However, some aren't ready to look at the Broncos as being a legitimate contender, and that's probably wrong.
The Broncos need to win just two games at home to make it to the Super Bowl, and they've lost just three home games since the start of the 2024 NFL Season, so winning two seems very doable, but some of the latest playoff predictions have the Broncos as a one-and-done team.
NFL.com's playoff predictions have the Broncos losing to the Texans in the Divisional Round
The predictions were made by Tom Blair, Gennaro Filice, Dan Parr, Brooke Cersosimo. Here are their full AFC playoff predictions:
Houston Texans over Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars over Buffalo Bills
New England Patriots over Los Angeles Chargers
Houston Texans over Denver Broncos
New England Patriots over Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots over Houston Texans
The New England Patriots are the AFC Champions in these predictions, as the Broncos were out in the Divisional Round thanks to the Houston Texans. I really don't see how this happens, though, as the Broncos beat the Texans in Houston earlier this year, and they're simply a better team.
Denver's elite pass rush matchups up well with a shaky Texans' offensive line, and Denver's stellar pass protection also matches up well with Houston's elite duo of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. The Broncos would also have a QB advantage and coaching advantage in this game.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but thinking that the team loses in the Divisional Round to the Texans feels a bit aggressive. The Broncos are on the bye and have played very well in both instances this year where the team has had extra time to prepare.
Sean Payton is also probably more motivated than every to make a run to the Super Bowl given he's getting up their in age and surely enjoys proving everyone wrong. Denver losing to Houston in the Divisional Round would be a huge disappointment, but luckily something that won't happen.