How the Denver Broncos can flip the script in 2024 NFL season

The Denver Broncos are heading into a pivotal year during the Sean Payton era. Coming off of a disappointing season that ended in an ugly divorce with Russell Wilson being cut from the team before ever taking a snap during his actual extension kicked in. Ouch. That caused a wide range of ripple effects that still plague the team in one way or another. To cap it off, the two parties will see each other sooner than not as it sounds like the Steelers led by Wilson will come to Mile High during week two of the 2024 season.

The dark cloud still hasn't gone away even if both internal sides have moved on. Payton selected Bo Nix as Wilson's replacement whereas Wilson took the veteran's minimum at a redemption shot in Pittsburgh. The national media has chosen to side with Wilson while painting the Broncos in the most negative way possible. Experts in the field appear to have the Broncos taking a turn for the worse to the tune of winning 4 or 5 games while some think the Steelers became contenders overnight. That's extreme on both sides.

However, here's something I want you all to ponder on. Trying to not dive too deep into the "what if" but I still feel as if the Broncos will be the outlier here. Payton has a reputation for meshing well with a variety of quarterbacks and making situations work. I mean, he was able to help Wilson achieve a much better statistical season after what happened to be his worst pro season the year prior with Nathanial Hackett as the head coach.

So, what can the Broncos do to flip the script and narrative surrounding this team going into 2024? Well, the easy answer would be to return to a spot they haven't seen for eight seasons consecutively. Making the playoffs with a rookie quarterback would trend in the right direction. It would have massive positive momentum heading into the eventual 2025 off-season.

But, if they weren't able to achieve that in year one with Nix, what would still create a positive light for the organization moving forward? Seeing Nix succeed and gel with the offense early would further cement trust in Coach Payton's plan. Watching Coach Jospeh's defense take another step forward in year two after a crazy two-sided 2023 would be a positive as well. Ideally, seeing the team exceed expectations and achieve an above-.500 record would suffice with a rookie signal caller.

In case you've forgotten, the AFC is a loaded conference. It's anyone game week to week. A lot of winning late in the year relies on the team's health as well as the makeup of the rest of the league. At times this past season, the Kansas City Chiefs appeared to have father time catching up to some of their older stars (Travis Kelce). They went on to win the Super Bowl a handful of weeks later. 

The NFL is a crazy league. This past year, the Philadelphia Eagles started 10-1 to finish 11-6 and get boat raced in the wild-card game. The Chiefs wide receivers couldn't catch a pass mid-season, yet as I stated above, they went on to win it all. Denver comes into the 2024 season with a lot to prove and a lot of negative groundwork to make up for. I however choose to buy into a future Hall of Fame Coach knowing what he's doing. Payton has a plan and it's only a matter of time before the rest of the league is watching the Denver Broncos success blossom.