All of a sudden, the Denver Broncos have a solid argument for being the most well-rounded team currently contending for a Wild Card spot in the AFC. Guys, the Broncos can do this. They can seriously do this. Sure, the team is buried in the AFC playoff standings, but after an ugly Thursday Night Football game, the Broncos might be in great shape.
And when you consider that other AFC Wild Card contenders have huge questions, the Broncos might be in good shape. Over the next two weeks, the Broncos face the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, two games they play at home and will face off against backup QBs.
The team also gets to face other QBs like rookie QB CJ Stroud, Justin Herbert, who the team beats once a year, Mac Jones, and Aidan O'Connell. Besides the Broncos' schedule not being totally hard the rest of the way, the other teams they are competing with in the AFC have huge question marks.
Let's break this down some more.
Denver Broncos: Team might be most well-rounded Wild Card contender in AFC
Let's break down each team currently in a Wild Card spot in in the AFC and other Wild Card contenders.
5th Seed, Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) - Subpar QB in Kenny Pickett and an inept scoring offense. Steelers are getting outgained every game and seem to be getting lucky breaks each week. Is Kenny Pickett someone you can trust? I don't think so.
6th Seed, Cleveland Browns (6-3) - Team will now be without Deshaun Watson for the entire season, and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson will now take over. He's been a disaster in his limited action in 2023. Can the Browns make a postseason push with a backup, rookie QB? Again, this is a huge question, and I don't think so.
7th Seed, Houston Texans (5-4) - Cinderella story in 2023, and people seem to be gravitating towards them. However, can a rookie QB and rookie head coach keep this up? The roster doesn't have a ton of playoff experience and they could be just a year too early for the postseason.
Denver Broncos: Team might be most well-rounded Wild Card contender in AFC
8th Seed, Indianapolis Colts (5-5) - The Colts are yet another team trotting out a backup QB. The offense can move the ball, but their scoring defense is among the worst in the NFL and the team has a ton of inexperienced players on this side of the ball. While the Colts are 5-5, they don't feel like much of a threat with Gardner Minshew and a bad defense.
9th Seed, Las Vegas Raiders (5-5) - I mean, come on. The Raiders seem to be on the right track with two straight wins, but those wins came against the New York Giants and New York Jets, teams with the worst QB situations in all of football. The Raiders also are starting a rookie QB in Aidan O'Connell and have an interim head coach in Antonio Pierce. I don't think I'm crazy for thinking this team isn't very good.
10th Seed, Cincinnati Bengals (5-5) - A very young secondary and an offensive line that still can't get right, the Bengals may also now be without Joe Burrow, as he seems to have suffered a pretty notable wrist injury to his throwing hand on Thursday Night Football. The Bengals' remaining schedule is also very, very tough.
11th Seed, Buffalo Bills (5-5) - The Buffalo Bills have more questions than answers, and they just fired their offensive coordinator. The team seems to have peaked back in 2020. Josh Allen leads the league in turnovers and several notable injuries on defense have made the Bills just another team. The Broncos have also beaten the Bills, so the head-to-head tiebreaker is theirs.
12th Seed, Los Angeles Chargers (4-5) - Yet again, the Los Angeles Chargers have a solid offense, bad defense, and bad depth. They have no reliable receiving threat outside of 31-year-old Keenan Allen and Justin Herbert is again playing the same level of football he's played for four years now. And I don't think anyone trusts head coach Brandon Staley.
13th Seed, New York Jets (4-5) - It's absolutely insane that the Denver Broncos lost to this team. QB Zach Wilson is dreadfully bad, and Nathaniel Hackett might be worse. The Jets are averaging 16 points per game and seem to be sticking with Wilson. And I'm not sure QB Aaron Rodgers is going to come back this year if the Jets' OL continues to be this bad.
14th Seed, Denver Broncos (4-5) - A team that has won three games in a row, four of their last six, the Denver Broncos are well-positioned to make a run at a Wild Card spot. The Broncos have the most reliable head coach in the NFL with 17 games of playoff experience, and have the most efficient QB among the Wild Card contenders in the AFC.
The Broncos' defense has also been one of the very best in the entire NFL over the last month. They're forcing a ton of turnovers and have also really settled into their offensive identity; running the ball a ton, winning time of possession, and limiting the turnovers as well. With two-straight games coming up at home against backup QBs, it's not outrageous to suggest that the Denver Broncos are 6-5 in just two weeks.