For the second year in a row, the Denver Broncos are 5-2 and right in the thick of the AFC playoff race as the season approaches its middle. Denver won in blowout fashion over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7 and did not trail in this game.
The Broncos also did not trail at any point in Week 6, so the team does seem to be figuring that part of the game out. Denver has two more games before the bye in Week 10, and the bye for the Broncos comes right when the trade deadline hits, so if Denver wants to make a move, they would, in theory, give a new addition the bye week to get acclimated.
Denver faces Kansas City and Carolina in Weeks 8 and 9. Let's predict how the team does in those two games.
Predicting the Denver Broncos final two games before the Week 10 bye in 2026
Week 8 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs at home all three years of the Sean Payton era. Why can't this happen for a fourth time? Well, it should. The Chiefs got blown out in Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks for their first loss of the season, and in that game, we saw the Chiefs roster flaws on full display.
Yes, the team was a bit banged up, but they simply do not have another consistent playmaker outside of Kenneth Walker III, and things will continue to be tough for them on the road against good defenses. We've seen the Chiefs offense struggle and sputter playing in Denver, and with not a ton changing from 2025 into this year, the Broncos should be able to again get in one of those typical low-scoring, close game affairs.
Denver boasts more overall roster talent as well and should naturally have an advantage playing at home. The Broncos win this one.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-17
Week 9 @ Carolina Panthers
It's hard to figure out the Carolina Panthers. They had two huge wins in a row to get to 3-2 before Week 7, having beaten Detroit and Philadelphia, so you would have thought that the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers would not have presented much of a challenge, right?
Well, the Panthers lost in blowout fashion and are now 3-3 on the year after Week 7. Carolina doesn't really do anything particularly well an are also dealing with a good bit of injuries. Bryce Young has played well this year, but that's really it. Carolina again feels like a team that will teeter around .500 for most of the season, and for the Broncos, this is the type of game you simply have to win.
Carolina doesn't do anything noticeably better than Denver at the moment. It is a dreaded east coast game in a 1:00 PM ET window, but the Broncos are as battle-tested as they come and will win by another close margin in our predictions.
Prediction: Broncos win 24-20
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