Good morning, Broncos Country. This weekend, a myriad of teams will be facing off against each other in epic gridiron battles for the 2026 NFL Wild Card Playoff round. And guess what? The Denver Broncos won’t
be amongst them—given their tremendous 14-3 record and securing the #1 seed in the AFC playoff race.
With it being a bye week for the Broncos, I thought talking about appreciative aspects of the season would be apt. A little bit of reflection for us as fans before the rubber meets the road in the Divisional Round next weekend. Here are just a few things I’m appreciative of relative to the Broncos’ 2025 regular season endeavors.
I’m grateful for Vance Joseph and the defense
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph appears to be poised to secure one of the head coaching positions available this cycle. It seems like only yesterday the Miami Dolphins hung 70 on the Broncos. In turn, making them one of the laughing stocks of the National Football League.
At that point in time, most all of Broncos Country was looking forward to seeing a different coach on their defensive side of the ball. Now, after having back-to-back Top 3 performances by their defense, there is a strong collective amongst fans that hope Joseph can stay on and continue to be the guiding force for the unit who may just be scratching the surface of their potential.
If Joseph is hired away, we can only hope that whoever coaches the defense next can have comparable success to what we have seen under the guidance of Joseph the past two seasons. It may be wishful thinking, but the last time the Broncos had such a dominant defense they were able to secure the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy. Your mileage may vary, but I’m a firm believer that this year’s defense was the primary reason for the team’s success thus far. 68 sacks—another new franchise record—impressive!
And if they want to win it all, Joseph and the defense are going to have to put together some of their best performances to date. If they can continue to force turnovers they will have as good of shot as anyone in the postseason.
I’m deeply appreciative for strong leadership across the board in the organization
Just a few seasons ago, most of us felt the franchise was on the brink of disaster. Dealing with multiple years of being short on picks in the draft and coupled with dead salary cap due to the failed Russell Wilson era, few could have envisioned the Broncos’ quick turnaround with their on the field performance.
But here we are. Back to the top of the AFC West and hosting our first playoff game in a decade. There is no doubting the new Walton-Penner Group ownership, the trading and hiring of Head Coach Sean Payton, as well as quality drafting by George Paton have played an integral role in Denver’s newfound success.
During John Elway’s tenure as General Manager with only an ‘ownership trust’ to deal with, the Broncos experienced a lot of coaching and roster turnover. They were also terrible at drafting, developing, and retaining talented players. Now after ten years of struggling, it appears things have changed for the better and Denver is truly built to ‘win now and from now on’ as Elway had always wanted.
It’s a lot more fun to talk Broncos when the team is winning
Over the years, it’s been tough to write about the team constantly struggling. With the Broncos back to their winning ways, it has been a lot more fun to talk ball with all of you. That’s also helped with producing better content as writers. I hope you all enjoyed what we set forth as a staff for you all this season.
On the flip side, a great part of this serves as an appreciation for you loyal readers who have stuck with Mile High Report and the Broncos over the past ten years when things weren’t going so hot. After Super Bowl 50, it certainly felt like we were wandering in the gridiron abyss with no sense of direction. Finally, we have something to be optimistic about and that’s special. I’ve really enjoyed this season to date.
Nobody knows how the ‘26 postseason will pan out, but Denver is definitely setup with a multi-year window to be Super Bowl competitors. I’d like to thank you for sticking with us and making Mile High Report your go-to source for things Broncos. Now let’s get excited about what the Broncos can do the rest of the way out. Another trophy in the case would be a great kickoff to the new year.
As always, thank you for reading. Here is today’s slate of articles for Horse Tracks.
