3) Vance Joseph's Revival
Vance Joseph has had quite the 2023. Joseph started the year in Arizona with the Cardinals, where he went from one of the more prominent defensive coordinators in football to a struggling coach on a horrid Cardinals team. Once regime changes were underway in Arizona, Joseph saw himself on his way out the door; a free agent. Joseph landed in Denver with Sean Payton and a new Broncos regime looking to undo the embarrassments and lows of 2022. The first thing that met Joseph were embarrassments and lows, worse than 2022's worst.
Joseph's defense had 70 hung on them in Miami. Next, they allowed over 30 points to a New York Jets team led by the now benched Zach Wilson. Beginning with their victory over the Packers, the Broncos' defense has created 16 takeaways, made life hell for quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jordan Love, and quieted down a dominant rushing attack in the Cleveland Browns.
The Broncos' defense is stepping up to the occasion, after being the national laughing stock after week three. Vance Joseph's defense has embarked on arguably the most incredible in-season turnaround from a defensive unit in NFL history, but they'll need to keep it up in order to make the playoffs, especially with two of their next three against the Lions and the Texans.