The Denver Broncos could be right on the doorstep of Super Bowl contention in 2025, but how do they truly get there? The franchise has gradually gotten closer to contention in the Sean Payton era, having won eight games in 2023 and 10 in 2024.
This trend would tell us that the team might win two-ish more games in 2025. If so, not only could they compete and potentially win the AFC West, but they might just have enough to become contenders.
Some Broncos fans might still be a bit afraid to say that this team can vault into contention, but they absolutely can if these three things happen...
How can the Broncos become Super Bowl contenders?
Bo Nix makes a year two leap
This is one is obvious. We have seen many QBs across the NFL take a huge year two leap to varying degrees. In year two, Patrick Mahomes threw 50 touchdowns and won the NFL MVP. In year two, Joe Burrow led the Cincinnati Bengals to the postseason.
In year two, Lamar Jackson won his first NFL MVP award. Bo Nix doesn't have to win an MVP to make a successful leap, but rather this was me providing examples of top QBs in the NFL and what they did in their second year in the NFL. However that looks for Nix, Denver won't become a contender in 2025 without their QB taking a step forward.
Defense reaches their potential with key offseason additions
The Denver Broncos defense finished 3rd in the NFL in points allowed and truly could not have gotten much better, but another thing that needs to happen for this team to become a contender is the key defensive additions allowing this unit to hit their full potential. You'd ideally like to see the team get a bit more stout against the run and not always have to blitz a ton to create pressure.
The additions of Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga are inherently risky, but they could be the moves that the team needed to make to get this unit into elite, contender status.
RJ Harvey revives the run game
This is another thing that may seem simple, but it might not be. The Broncos have to field an efficient run game in 2025 in order to become contenders. It might not even have to be a top-7 unit, but it's got to be much more consistent and threatening than it was in 2024.
RJ Harvey was the Broncos second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the two best qualities of his game just might be his vision and footwork, which is huge as he takes the step into the NFL. Harvey doesn't have to run for 1,500 yards as a rookie, but again, the point here is that the run game has to be able to takeover games from time to time.
If these three things happen, the Denver Broncos will become Super Bowl contenders in 2025.