The Denver Broncos are fresh off of a heartbreaking defeat against the Houston Texans, but what the team has done over the last two months is nothing short of incredible. The Broncos were 1-5 early this season and had suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in franchise history. Over the last two months, they've gone on a five-game winning streak and have seemingly built themselves at least somewhat of a margin for error.
The Broncos just lost to the Texans on the road by five points in a game in which there were a number of really bad calls (and non-calls) by the officiating crew, the Broncos punted on six of their first seven possessions, and they threw three interceptions in the second half. To think that this team was in a goal-to-go situation in the final minute of the game was miraculous in and of itself, but it also just shows that this Broncos team is playing really well in a number of areas right now.
And a handful of players, in particular, have been absolutely key in this team's recent playoff run. There are some coaches included in there as well. Let's take a look at five who are deserving of some credit.
1. Ja'Quan McMillian, cornerback
The Broncos are probably kicking themselves for not inserting Ja'Quan McMillian into the lineup sooner than they did. He performed extremely well late last season against the Chargers, but for whatever reason, the team didn't have him first in line to replace the injured K'Waun Williams in the slot when the opportunity arose.
The Broncos replaced a struggling Essang Bassey with McMillian earlier this season, and he's been incredible in that slot role. He's got three passes defensed, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumbles recovered. He forced a game-altering fumble against CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans, but the Broncos were unfortunately unable to recover it.
McMillian's emergence has been key to the Denver Broncos getting into the playoff race.
2. Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator
There's probably no bigger reason for the Denver Broncos' miraculous turnaround this season than the play of the defense. Considering this season went from how quickly can the Denver Broncos fire Vance Joseph? to is Vance Joseph going to be a head coach next year? I would say that this recent stretch by the defense has been one of the best stories in the entire league.
The Broncos gave up 70 points in Miami earlier this season, and proceeded to become one of the league's most dominant defenses from Week 6-present. They've allowed just 17.3 points per game over that timeframe. If that average held up over the course of the entire season, the Broncos would have the 3rd-best scoring defense in the NFL. And at this point, they have played at this level for a majority of the season. The first five games are officially in the minority.
Not only have the Broncos played at the level of a top-3 scoring defense over the last seven weeks, but they have forced more turnovers this season than any other team in the league. A bulk of that production came from Week 7-Week 12, but Denver's 22 turnovers forced is the best mark in the NFL.
Vance Joseph deserves a ton of credit for the way that unit has played, obviously, and the way he's put players in position to succeed. Some of Joseph's blitz packages in recent weeks have been as creative as we've seen in Denver. It's truly been a joy to watch.
3. Courtland Sutton, WR
It hasn't been a perfect stretch for the Denver Broncos offense, by any means, but wide receiver Courtland Sutton has been the best we've ever seen him as an NFL receiver.
Sutton had a great season back in 2019 when he was the true WR1 on the Broncos' roster, and when people started labeling him "QB-proof" for the way he was going up after the ball no matter who was throwing it. He caught passes that year from Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen, and Drew Lock. Heck, he even caught a pass from Tim Patrick that season.
As good as Sutton was in 2019, his QB rating when targeted was 97.2. This season, the QB rating when targeting Sutton is up to a whopping 121.9.
The Broncos have obviously benefitted greatly throughout this winning streak from Sutton's dominance, especially in the red zone. When they have needed clutch plays, it's been Sutton who delivers the majority of the time. He's making catches with an extremely high degree of difficulty and looks like the WR1 so many in Broncos Country have been waiting for over the last handful of years.
4. Sean Payton, head coach
I don't know that anyone's stock has been soaring more than Sean Payton's over the last two months. In the first five weeks of the season, you certainly had people in Broncos Country wondering if the team had made the right decision in hiring Payton. People were accusing him of being all talk, and many fans were lamenting the decision to trade a first-round pick (and more) for a head coach.
I think we've seen how big of a difference a head coach like Sean Payton makes over the last two months. The Denver Broncos have beaten some of the better and hotter teams in the NFL over the course of the last six games, including wins against the (currently) red-hot Packers, the previously red-hot Minnesota Vikings, and AFC contenders like Kansas City and Buffalo.
The Broncos hadn't beaten the Chiefs in eight years. They hadn't beaten the Bills on the road since 2007. They hadn't won five straight games since the Super Bowl 50 season.
Sean Payton has done a tremendous job of transforming this team's losing culture and especially when you consider the disastrous state the team was left in after the 2022 season.
The Broncos found the right man for the job, and we'll see how much of a difference a head coach like Payton makes for the final five weeks.
5. Offensive Line
Yes, there's a bit of a bad taste in the mouths of fans regarding the offensive line after their performance against the Houston Texans. The Broncos certainly allowed too much pressure against Houston, but during this stretch of games where the team has been winning, the offensive line has been mostly fantastic.
We've talked about a number of players up front who have made themselves a lot of money over the last two months, and I think that stands true even today.
I don't know that you could have asked for more from guys like Garett Bolles in that matchup against Cleveland, where the offensive line held Myles Garrett -- of all players -- without a QB hit or sack. The Broncos also ran the ball a whopping 39 times in that game and imposed their will physically over a great defensive front.
What we've also been seeing is fewer penalties. The Broncos had just two penalties called against them when they played Houston, although they were big ones. They were called for being offsides once and Alex Singleton was obviously called for a backbreaking personal conduct foul.
The offensive line has been playing much cleaner football. If they can shore up the protection, especially on third down, they will continue to be a major reason why this team is winning games into the playoffs.