The Denver Broncos are extremely close from putting this thing together, and this statistic is a huge indicator of just that. I am not sure most people thought the Broncos would win four games this year, let alone having eight wins with four games left. It's been a wildly successful year for the Broncos, who are now in year two of the Sean Payton era.
They're absorbing an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap from the Russell Wilson release, but have since totally turned their franchise around with a top defense and a rookie QB. This team is built the right way for the long-term, as they are strong in the trenches and have a QB on pace to have a stellar NFL career.
The Denver Broncos are close.
Well, the Broncos are still largely a young team and are far from being complete right now. If all goes well, Denver can use this coming offseason to begin making their all-in push to rise into contender status. Right now, the team sits at 8-5 and are riding a three-game winning streak. Looking further into their record, we see what their actual record would be in 2024 if every one-possession game had the opposite result:
This is just crazy pic.twitter.com/jEBxDAXpCM
— Sarah🐻⬇️ (@thechicagosares) December 9, 2024
And don't worry, I confirmed this myself; the Denver Broncos would indeed be 11-2 on the season if each one-possession game was flipped. So, what does this tell us? For one, it tells us that the Broncos may be a bit better than their current 8-5 record indicates. Secondly, it also tells us that the Broncos are a good team that just isn't quite there yet.
Both things can be true. They do know how to win games to an extent, as a team does not get to eight wins through 13 games by accident, but they aren't really winning games in the way that the Kansas City Chiefs are, for example. And as you can see by this flipped-record activity, the Chiefs would be 2-11 if each one-possession game was flipped.
It could be safe to assume that as this team gains another year of experience, and more talent is added to the roster, Denver's record could be closer to 11-2 through 13 games in the 2025 NFL Season. I can only imagine how much better this offense could look if Bo Nix takes a year two leap and the front office actually surrounds him with a legitimate tight end and running game.
The Denver Broncos are close, and this statistic should scare every other NFL team.