Mile High Report
We will know in just a few days who the Denver Broncos wind up playing in the 2026 NFL Playoff Divisional Round. Their 2025 regular season was a banner campaign. By notching fourteen wins, the Broncos are back to the top of the AFC West. Even better? They have the perks of a first-round playoff bye after securing the number one seed.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Denver showed a lot of toughness and tenacity this season. Embarking on multiple comeback wins, their penchant for fourth quarter comebacks coupled with a stellar defense propelled them to the best regular season record in the AFC in ‘25.
That’s something to be proud of. But now, everyone that made the postseason has a clean slate and an opportunity to etch their names into the NFL record books by winning Super Bowl 60. Everyone is back to square one.
In order for the Broncos to secure their fourth Lombardi Trophy, they will certainly need to work on the finer details. Over the course of the season, the Broncos struggled to be consistent—especially on the offensive side of the ball. Fixing that will be crucial in order for the Broncos to make a deep postseason push. Veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey was vocal on what the team needed to address offensively to take care of business next weekend.
“First and foremost, the obvious thing is executing in the red zone. You have to turn field goals into touchdowns. That’s how you win games, especially this late in the year and especially as you go through the playoffs,” stated McGlinchey.
In addition to red zone performance, being better on a down-to-down basis was next up his list of things to address over the next week. I think all us fans can all agree slow starts were an issue for the Broncos this season. Their erratic and inconsistent performance across the board was one of the most frustrating aspects of an otherwise impeccable season.
“We have to be better on third down by being better on first and second down. It’s kind of a whole, as you go through these things, there are the ups and downs of the season. You just got to clean up the details, and we’ll be fine.”
One primary factor that has contributed to their lack of consistency has been penalties. Denver had plenty of during the regular season. On top of that, the Broncos were one of the teams that ranked highest in drops. It’s hard enough beating another team each and every weekend, but even more arduous by shooting yourself in the foot. By fixing those things, they should be able to hit their stride like McGlinchey is hoping for. If so, I’d be very optimistic about their chances next weekend—whoever they end up facing.
But it isn’t just cleaning up the finer details that the Broncos are working on. They’re also trying to learn from last year’s playoff experience as a tool to help put themselves in a...
