Mile High Report
I don’t think Sean Payton can keep the secret of what this team is any longer.
Yes, the Chiefs look like a pale specter of themselves this season (thank the football gods).
Yes, the Broncos offense has looked every part as young as it is many times in many games throughout the season.
But this Denver Broncos team is packed full of winners. This is Denver Broncos football being played at its finest.
Beating the Chiefs is no easy thing. I may despise their fanbase and their players’ smarmy faces, but I respect the hell out of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. They are individually arguably the best at what they do in the NFL. That’s a #1 coach and a #1 quarterback. For the Broncos to outplay them as a team is not only sweet, it is significant.
This 2025 Denver Broncos team is a threat. This team can play with anyone in the league. This team will take on any scenario and fight until the last second on the clock ticks off, clawing, scratching, and biting for victory.
Get fired up, Broncos Country. Your Denver Broncos are 9 – 2 atop the AFC West and give zero shits about missing their best player in Pat Surtain, II, or their best running back in J.K. Dobbins.
Let’s get some negatives out of the way. I am in disbelief that we are 11 games into the 3rd season of the Sean Payton regime, and getting a play call in on time is still problematic. I know Payton is one of the great minds in the NFL (and should be up for coach of the year this season for what he’s done with this team). That being said, this offense plays so much better when they are able to get to the line with 10 seconds left and take their time to go through presnap reads, audibles, and a proper snap process. It was evident in the 2nd half, and it is a detail that they should really dial in on during this bye week as an offensive staff.
The biggest example of this was the lack of decisiveness on 4th and 2, which cost us as the team had no time to get set and ready, which led to a false start. We were forced to punt because of it (though to be fair, I thought punting on our 40 was the smart call there, given how good our defense is).
The run game worked well enough, but neither Harvey nor McLaughlin showed the ability to run inside and get decent chunks of yardage with any consistency. This is going to be a problem more as the season wears on, but I think Payton showed he can still make it work with both of these guys. The unfortunate thing is that both players tend to go down on first contact. Our line is one of the best in the NFL, but most runs are going to get contact...
