3 reasons the Denver Broncos are still playoff contenders

3. Stout defense

Defense wins championships and the Broncos have the defense to potentially take them to one. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has marked one of the greatest defensive turnarounds in NFL history as his defense leads the NFL in takeaways (22) this season and has bounced back from allowing 70 points in Week 3.

Despite Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud having a field day throwing the football in the first half in last Sunday's matchup, the Broncos defense made the necessary adjustments and made multiple key stops to help put their offense in beneficial positions to score points and win the game however, the outcome did not result as hoped.

If Russell Wilson and the passing attack can fix itself and increase their scoring total over the next five games, the Broncos will have a much better shot at a good spot in the playoffs judging by how well Vance Joseph's defense has played as of late. They still have their inconsistencies with tackling and stopping the run however, have single-handedly kept the Broncos in games by creating takeaways and forcing punts. They'll look to carry this momentum moving forward down the stretch with the playoffs at the end of the tunnel.