Have I got the most amazing Broncos-less Sunday post for you today!
Not only is this Bye Week UFG the usual fantastic read we always get with this weekly post, but this week it’s triple the fun as we have THREE ultimate fans bringing us the insight, humor, critique and rally cries.
And if you didn’t know it, you would have thought that AusBroncosFan, jupistar, and since61 made this a group project because their answers work off each other so well and so often. Also, all three are Courtland Sutton fans
and have the greatest “Broncos Mount Rushmores” so you know it’s going to be a great post.
Sit back and enjoy this long but highly entertaining read. It’s so good, you’ll forget the Broncos aren’t even playing today!
Week 10: BYE WEEK
MHR – Before we talk mid-season stuff, let’s review last week’s win over the Panthers (where I was in attendance). Is it concerning when the Broncos barely beat a team that was missing half its starters? Even so, how awesome was that Devon Key INT and Bonitto strip sack?
AusBroncosFan: Hmmm, I feel like this team tends to play up or down to their opponent. The continued absence of a reliable run game is the part I find the most worrying, but it was encouraging to see Nix pushing it down the field a little more. The defense seems to go through cold patches, but then gets it done when it matters most. I’d put my concern level as a 4/10, and the INT and strip sack as a 10/10 of awesome.
jupistar: First game notwithstanding, where we got punched in the mouth and weren’t ready like we should have been, I think we have a wonderfully consistent offense. We had one outlier in 9 games: a 10 point low (that first game). Maybe you could consider the 14 to the 49ers, as well.
Look, you have to realize, we played six games against top-8 defenses and three games against bottom-5 defenses. Four of those top-8 defenses were mercifully played at home. And we scored almost 24ppg against them. On the road, however, we don’t do so well, even against the bottom-5 defenses. All I’m saying is, we play up and we play down to the competition.
I have a theory that Bo Nix is an entertainment mastermind. He’s intentionally keeping games close just so we have a thrilling conclusion in each and every one.
And c’mon, Bryce Young put on a clinic. Dude was lights-out and had some breaks go against him (ex. in one play: Strnad does not get flagged for mugging the receiver when he’s already got hold of him as the ball hits him in the back, the ball falls to the ground but hits an arm to bounce up and get scooped up by Key, Payton throws the red flag at the last possible instant to roll back the play on the next snap [which didn’t matter so much because dude got stuffed], *and* we get an int off him). Young just did everything he could and our secondary wasn’t stopping their game plan. But yeah, three heads-up plays (int, strip-sack, and the red flag) and some good fortune, and we’re right there taking the game away in an east coast road contest.
We’ve had good fortune, tough teams, incredible resilience, and playmakers making plays when it mattered. Compare this to last year when we had our defense playing like a top 10 defense, sack sack sack, no turnovers. This year? Giving yards away like Halloween candy and then playing tricks on the little kiddies who come to take it.
since61: Nope. Winning ugly against a depleted team beats losing pretty to a good one. Denver was missing two safeties and a running back itself, so the shorthanded excuse cuts both ways.
MHR – What was your favorite win this season? Which loss (or win, if you’re like Sean Payton, lol) irritated you the most?
AusBroncosFan: Favourite? The last second win over the Chiefs of course! The worst? The week 1 loss to the Chiefs.
jupistar: In no world does us dropping 28 points on KC, denying them a come-from-behind victory on a goal-line stand, and watching them whine and bitch because the game didn’t go their way not count as the sweetest of victories. And then we get to savor the tears of their fanbase because their lineman false-started and they don’t want to admit it. Finishing with a wiped-away TD and a sack on Mahomes… gravy.
Neither loss irritated me. Okay, not true. I REALLY freaking hate it when we set records or near-records for historically bad play (still hurting from the Miami game). So, I’m still upset about how badly we performed against KC in Week 1. But I feel better because… see Favorite Win. So, KC wins both. At least we ended with the revenge win, and not them. *AND* we’re leading them in the AFC West. Go Broncos!
since61: Same answer as what’s the best drink – the next one. Most Irritating, the opener in KC. It had the same disgusting stench of the Hackett/Wilson heartbreaker in Seattle – a punch in the gut on what was supposed to be a promising season. I’m not over it and have made peace with never getting over it.
MHR – The Broncos are one of four teams with 7 wins so far, barely ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC West and just behind the Bills for lead in the AFC. Does their 7-2 record feel dominant or fragile…or somewhere in between?
AusBroncosFan: Definitely somewhere in between. We’re 7-2 and I feel like we’re building towards something, but if we’d had just a few more untimely hiccups on offense or defense we could have lost a lot of the close ones and be 3-6 (though I admit it would be very unlucky for that to happen to such a well coached team).
jupistar: Strangely enough… and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but nothing about the Broncos feels fragile this year. Last year, despite our high ranking as a defense, we played a lot of bad offenses and it felt fragile to me. What I see in our team this year *doesn’t* feel illusory at all. We’re playing complementary football and it’s a winning team. We are not a dominant team in the traditional sense of dropping 30s everywhere and holding opponents to single digits. But… I don’t know. I feel like when the team needs to do more, it can and does. And you do not get 16 wins in a row in one-score games and think of your team as fragile. This is a lunch-pail team. They go to work, get the job done, thrill the fans with terror all the way to the end, and go home to listen to the critics whine about them disrespecting their positions.
since61: Somewhere in between. A team that won sixteen one-score games isn’t fragile – fragile teams lose those. But we aren’t dominant either because dominant teams aren’t routinely in those one-score games. Frankly, I don’t see any dominant teams this season.
MHR – The remaining schedule should NOT be as tough as the first 9 games, but division games are never easy, and there are a few tough ones on the schedule. So how do you feel about the Broncos’ W-L record for the next 8 games…easy wins over the Raiders and Chargers? Do they take care of the JETS the way they should or continue with the low-scoring, messy wins? What do you expect against the Steelers? And how ‘bout those Bills?
AusBroncosFan: I think we take care of business with dominant wins over the dolphins, jets and raiders (twice!), and we’ll make Aaron Rodgers feel like a grandpa (no offense to grandpas out there) but win messy in that one. I’m less confident about the Bills and Patriots. I think we split those games.
jupistar: Every year, we get the paper tigers (Chargers) and last year’s has-beens hyped up as the best of the best. We got our clocks cleaned the last two years by a dominant Chargers unit (not counting the starter-less second game last year). This year? They can’t catch a break, a cold, or a hope. Yet we thought they were going to be a tough out. The Rams (Super Bowl favorite) and Seahawks (last Super Bowl winner) are barely above water both at 5-4 and we beat them both. The “gauntlet” was tough, but I think we’re underselling the competition to come. I never count out Kubiak, though, thankfully, we get to feast on a rookie at just the right time. And we still have to face the Bills, Steelers, and Patriots. I honestly don’t think the second half is going to be much easier than the first half. And, of course, the Jets look easy, but like the Panthers, another east coast game… not a fan. Always worry about these games. Every one of them.
Buffalo is the game. This is our AFC Championship in the middle of the regular season. It will be the game that determines whether we are there yet. Maybe. I’m torn. Because the Bills come to us. We are killing it at home this year. So, maybe it’s the Steelers. But I’m expecting someone to pick off Rodgers. And I sure as hell want to see Bonitto put him on his hiney. Either way, Bills and Steelers. And then not to treat a desperate team like the Patriots who want to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke like anything other than the trap game it is.
since61: Broncos schedule is a short week Black Friday trip to Pittsburgh, and Christmas Day against the Bills, which is a cruel way to spend the holidays. Buffalo is a straight up coin flip. If it’s anything like last year’s, that’s the best football game of the season. I’ll age a year but can’t wait. Raiders twice and whatever is left of the Chargers should be wins, but there are no easy wins. I didn’t think the Jets were still in the NFL and will probably still be too close like all of these.
ANSWER: 8-0. No self respecting delusional Broncos fan would see it any other way
MHR – This is almost an evergreen question…will the Broncos ever find a consistent running game? Do you think Jonah Coleman can take the lead and, wait for it, run with it?
AusBroncosFan: I have to put a limerick in here somewhere, so here goes:
The Broncos’ run plays are really quite lame
And I think the O line is mostly to blame
So teach them to maul
And feed Jonah the ball
He is bound to have a great game!
jupistar: Evergreen is right. I don’t know what it is. Javonte Williams, JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Audric Estime, and now Jonah Coleman. Sean Payton has had a good rushing team in the past, surely! We can’t reliably get any RB in the last three years to avg 4.0 yards a carry except for the guy we let go over the offseason (Jaleel was the dude). Sigh.
Except Dobbins for a solid period last year. And who I expected to return to form and just had a hard time against some stiff defensive competition. And now that’s going down in flames as Dobbins is self-sabotaging with his ego and the coaches and fans have turned on him. I don’t get it.
So, now we have our hopes pinned on Coleman. A dude whose body is like a freak of nature. And I don’t yet know what to make of him. He’s only broken the 4.0 mark once and it was against the Cards where his performance has heavily weighted his four-game average. He did 3.9 against the Jags, which was good. But he really shines as a pass catcher out of the backfield. One of the best in the league. As weird as it is to say, he and Harvey seem more like receiving threats for each other, and Dobbins is the better halfback. I honestly think Dobbins is still our best pure rusher, if the coaches would lean into him more. Plus, I think Dobbins is better at catching passes out of the backfield than people credit him with. But I know I’m just a quiet voice in the wind of change.
since61: We Broncos fans have been asking this one since TD’s knee. We’ve tried 1st rounders, undrafted, free agents and a guy named Montee.That’s 3 cars, 2 wives and a really great dog since I felt like we’d auto pick up a 2-7.
Coleman’s just hitting his stride with more touches. He runs angry, catches it out of the backfield and blocks well for a rookie.. We get RJ “Wheel Route” Harvey back for third downs and they stay healthy … we’ll be OK. Not league best, but good.
MHR – Bo Nix seems to follow the same pattern for a third season in a row…a little rocky to start, some ups and some downs along the way, a few great highlights and a lot of swagger. Is this going to be every season, or do you think will we get to the point of consistency from the start?
AusBroncosFan: I think consistency will come for sure. Maybe not this season, but it will arrive!
jupistar: Yeah, but you have to give him a little leeway for the offseason woes and facing KC, the Seahawks, and the 49ers in the first six games. I’m a little miffed that people were ready to throw in the towel on Nix so soon after *knowing* what we faced for opposition. They want Josh Allen, but that’s not the kind of QB they have. What they have is a gamer who is… look, a lot of quarterbacks are good at comebacks and are scary in a one-score game when they’re left with the ball in their hands. But Nix has delivered so often that my heart doesn’t even skip a beat when we’re down by eight or 10 and there’s 15 minutes on the clock. Ho hum. What kind of QB do you feel that way about? Tom Brady, young Manning, Elway.
Broncos Country had years of Elway’s miracle drives. They had Tebow’s weird season. This is WHO WE ARE. I don’t know why we want to be someone else. We have three Lombardis to show for who we are. Let Nix be Nix and root for the kid. He’s never going to get down and he’s never going to give up. And when you have the odds against you (1602-0), “never tell me the odds!”
And we will get stronger. I have no doubt about it. Nix is still just in his 3rd season. How long was it before Elway had the cast around him and the scheme to deliver his top-5 scoring offenses? Five years for one in 1987 and then not again until 1993. No rings. And 2013 was anomalous in many ways and didn’t yield a Super Bowl victory. We get there by many paths. But you don’t get gamers like Nix falling out of every draft.
since61: Just like raising kids and watching them grow up. You worry worry worry the whole way, You’re sure they’re not gonna make it and then one day they’re fine and you can’t remember what all the yelling was about. This kid just waits until the fourth quarter to show you he was paying attention the whole time. Rooting for him to go first ballot into Canton in orange and blue. Just like a proud parent, right?
MHR – The defense has cracks (could anyone cover Darren Waller last week? Or really any TE every week) BUT it also has cachet, much like the 2015 team, where it can almost will itself to make a winning play when it has to. In general, what do you think of this defense and is it built to win the game in the playoffs?
AusBroncosFan: I think what impresses me most about this defense is how well it’s played despite the injuries in the secondary (not to mention Cooper’s extended absence). I think seeing those younger/less experienced players step up speaks to the confidence they have in each other and the tremendous coaching behind the scenes (well, except for the coaching on TE coverage obviously). You can’t buy the kind of belief they have in themselves, and that’s worth its weight in gold in the playoffs.
jupistar: I think this defense is lacking consistency in fundamentals, but is doing something it didn’t do last year. It’s making plays for the ball. If they can get back to their fundamental defense (Riley Moss and Surtain both healthy and playing well, Jones and Hufanga back on the field), well Singleton is playing some of his best football, and yeah. I think this defense isn’t playing up to their full potential right now. I almost pity Mendoza… for being born a Raider.
But it’s our safeties getting healthy that will help limit the damage of Bowers. The opposition has superstars, too. Bowers, McBride, Kittle, Waller (dude has vet savvy and should not be undersold against depth players), Kelce… it’s always a pick-your-poison kind of situation unless you have a defense as tight as Seattle, where everything seems to be wrapped up in one side of the ball. TEs are our poison, right now.
To answer your question: yes, I think this defense is going to be well-primed to take on the playoffs – if they can show they’re ready against the Bills. Right now, we’re giving up almost 21 ppg, but I don’t think that’s a fair view. Still, that number is what it is. We’re playing the league’s best this year. And we’re winning the PF/PA battle. That’s all that really matters. Playoffs is just more of us playing the best, and we’ll be hardened through the regular season.
since61: The 2015 defense wasn’t pretty either-it just took the ball away when the game was on the line. The cracks are real-tight ends are a problem and they will be in January too. But VJ knows exactly what he has. He hides the soft spots and turns loose what works. That’s the key to traveling to cold stadiums in January – if we have to.
MHR – This was last year’s question, and again, it’s so appropriate a year later…especially after Denver had to withdraw its deal for Daiyan Henley over a failed physical. So here we go again: With so much attention on the edge rushers or the D-line or the cornerbacks, do we need to take our middle linebackers seriously? If not, what do you think of the unit this year – good enough?
AusBroncosFan: I have a love-hate relationship with our middle LBs. I love it when they make a great play (e.g., Singleton sacking Mahomes on 3rd down), but every time I see them lost in coverage or slow to the ball a little piece of me dies inside. Singleton and Strnad are on the wrong side of the age ledger (32 and 30 years old), so improvement at such a physical position is unlikely. The position has been ignored for far too long – we desperately need to prioritise younger talent moving forwards.
jupistar: I’m going to take a moment to complain about the whining out of LA respecting that trade. Henley was a risky trade. He hadn’t performed in 2025 and 2026 the way he had in 2024. Maybe VJ hoped he could unlock the athlete in Henley and recover that 2024 magic. But here’s the thing, that assumes Henley was fully healthy. LA was trying to trade someone who we could have just failed on the physical. But we were willing to take the gamble still, it was just even more risk than we knew, and so we thought LA would be willing to take a lower deal instead of us rejecting him outright. Instead they said no, so we said no, then they went to the press to complain. Screw them. We could have just said no instead of trying to salvage something out of the deal. They chose to view it as gamesmanship, because they didn’t like the results.
Now, to your question. Would it be nicer to have stronger ILBs? Of course! Singleton is not nearly as bad as people paint him, especially this year. Strnad surprises me that he’s starting and that he’s doing as well as he has. But… we just can’t pay superstars at every position or hit on every draft pick. If this is our weakest group and this is the level of weakness of that group… I’m fine with it.
since61: You don’t go shopping if you like what’s in the pantry. The middle of the field is where this defense has been getting beaten. Frankly, I don’t know if it’s good enough.
MHR – So now what is your favorite unit on the defense … And why!
AusBroncosFan: Secondary. As I mentioned earlier, their capacity to maintain solid performance whilst under-manned is commendable.
jupistar: With as much injury as we’ve faced… I don’t honestly know. It’s hard to single any group out and say, “This group is playing outstanding.” The whole defense is working together to win their side of the ball and every week it’s someone else making the plays. My favorite unit on the defense, I guess, would be the coaching staff. Finding ways to put players in a position to win, because it hasn’t been easy, I’m certain.
since61: D-line no contest. Love edge guys, but the line is why any of it works. Zack Allen is my favorite Bronco for the third year running. All mojo, all heart, all impact every play, every game. He signed a $102 million deal and plays like he’s trying to make the roster as a UFA. His six linemen cohorts and Allen in a base 3-4 tell you what this staff believes wins football games. Not just 2015, this D-line reminds me of our great lines in 1977, 96-98.
MHR – I am going to preface this with, I love Courtland Sutton. He always seems like a team-first guy, and even when he’s not getting nearly enough passes, he knows how to come up big with the ones he gets (most of the time). With the addition of Jaylen Waddle, who has only occasionally lived up to the hype, and with the recent restructure of his contract, what do you see – and what do you hope – Sutton’s role is on this offense?
AusBroncosFan: I just want Sutton dialed in during any further 4th quarter comebacks. To see him find a soft spot in a zone, out muscle a defender for the ball or draw a PI. Anything that keeps those chains moving during the most critical period of a game.
jupistar: Courtland Sutton has been one of the more consistent safety valves for our QBs for years and years. When the QB couldn’t find a way out, he’d lob it badly to Sutton and Sutton would find a way. But because Sutton doesn’t get great separation or was getting double-teamed into oblivion, the team kept looking for the next receiver to step up. Franklin last year. Waddle this year. How many drops did Franklin have in 2025? Waddle has had several this year. It’s frustrating. But when Bo really needs to move the sticks and he turns to Sutton, the dude just delivers. The drop numbers at PFR don’t back me up on this, but I know what I saw last year and this year. To start this season, Sutton has had a few dropped balls he normally would have caught. But like Lutz missing field goals (and so many acting like he was washed), I don’t worry. He’ll regress to his superstar mean.
It is possible Sutton is getting a little long in the tooth and his best days may be behind him. But I doubt it. If Kelce can play at his level at his age, well Sutton is six years younger. And I really hope that guy retires a Bronco. To me, he is everything that it means to be and play as a Bronco. High level, high class, high effort, and a joy in the locker room and community.
For those who view this game solely through the lens of winning and business, I get it. No room in the Country for sentiment. And to those of you who feel that way about Sutton… pound sand.
Eventually Sutton is going to have to retire or mentor, if he can no longer produce. And I hope he has the wisdom to know when that is. But if he can play and can contribute, I know the guy will always put his best foot forward. He always has.
since61: I love Sutton too. Worth noting what that contract move actually was – Denver declined his option bonus, took a $24 million cap hit this year, and it’s a clean exit before March 17. That’s an off-ramp. That makes him more impressive, not less. He’s a captain playing out the year and he hasn’t said a word about targets.
Frankly, I don’t think the passing issues are because of our receivers.
My hope for his role – third down, red zone, and blocking for Coleman. In a season of one-score games, give me the guy who wins the contested ball on the drive that decides it.
MHR – At this point in the season, give some grades for the following (can grade as a group or just specific individuals within the group). Add as much or as little explanation as you’d like! ‘
AusBroncosFan:
- Bo Nix: B (Can’t argue with results, but needs consistency)
- Offensive line: Running C- (I considered a D…), Passing B (good, not great)
- Running backs: Dobbins C- (I can’t go lower, he’s not being helped by the O line at all). Coleman A- (he gives us the juice we need)
- WRs: B (They’re getting the job done when it matters most, but I don’t see much separation happening)
- TEs/FB: Urgh… D
- Secondary: A- (I’m giving bonus points for the injuries they’ve dealt with)
- D-line: B+ (Very solid)
- Edge rushers: B (coming up with the plays when it matters, but inconsistency is bringing their grade down)
- Special Teams coverage: B (good, not great)
- Marvin Mims: B (wish I could see him involved on some more deep shots – remember the one against the browns?)
- Will Lutz: B+
- Jeremy Crawshaw: A- (some occasional hiccups but has saved our bacon with some great punts)
Jupistar (italics were grades given during last season’s bye week for comparison)
- Bo Nix: B+ (I’d give him an A if he could get a little more consistency to go along with alien 4th quarter play) – Slight change: Still B+, same as last year, except now it’s clear this is not a one season fluke that he plays at his best in the 4th
- Offensive line: B (I think this line would give up a lot more sacks if Nix didn’t seem to have two additional eyes in the back of his head, or Payton didn’t call up so many boots/rollouts) – Change: C-. They certainly haven’t lived up to their billing in my opinion. My eyes tell me that half our RB issues, at least, are due to OL not creating the gaps
- Running backs: C (would be an A if Dobbins were not on IR) – Change: C-. And that’s because we haven’t had a single rusher who says I’m the man the way Dobbins did last year.
- WRs: B (separation seems to be continuous problem with our WRs). According to pro-football-reference, the rating of the passer when throwing to our receivers from highest to lowest goes like this: Mims, Sutton, Bryant, Franklin (not counting TE or RB targets). Now, I know this stat, in a vacuum doesn’t say much. But it’s interesting. – Change: Bryant. When this guy is on the field, he’s Sutton’s twin. And they can’t cover them both. He’s the real deal and the one who really stands out to me as the make or break WR on this team. B+
- TEs/FB: C (will the real Evan Engram please stand up? 10% drop rate is Jerry Jeudy territory) – well, Engram still isn’t standing tall, yet – but Adkins and Trautman have had some sneaky success, Prentice too.
- Secondary: A- (just those damned DPIs that piss everyone off) – B… injury bites us in the butt, but Barron and Abrams-Draine did well holding down the fort, just not great. Partly that’s because I think Barron has been out of position. He belongs in the slot, but McMillian is the kind of superman that never gets hurt or needs to be spelled. DPIs are *way* down, though. Ints are way up. Allowed pass yards has gone up. Just a mixed bag.
- D-line: A(wesome) – No Change: Zack Allen. ‘Nuff said. The loss of JFM was felt early, but the young guns are stepping up. Took ‘em a bit. KC really gave them a wake up call. But I am being generous. This is really a tale of two halves. First half of the nine games, our DL was closer to C- or D+.
- Edge rushers: A(wesome) – Change: A-. Still getting pressures, but the QBs we’ve faced get the ball gone fast. Less sack opportunities.
- Special Teams coverage: D – Change: A, we’ve only had a few bad coverage kicks if memory serves and we’re 4th in field position.
- Marvin Mims: B+ – Change: just not getting enough opportunities, but A- for his play. How many times is Payton going to say “we have to get him more touches” and just not do it?
- Will Lutz: A+ – Change: he did have those misses, so… just an A 😛
- Jeremy Crawshaw: A- – Change: on fire, A+. #1 in net yards in the NFL
Since61:
- Bo Nix: lots of incompletes until the final exam and he gets an A+
- Offensive line: B there’s a lot of bad graders out there -check the line’s PFF rankings.
- Running backs: C trending B
- WRs: B
- TEs/FB: D
- Secondary: B+
- D-line: A+
- Edge rushers: A
- Special Teams coverage: B+
- Marvin Mims: B
- Will Lutz: B
- Jeremy Crawshaw: A+ (secret weapon)
I’m an easy grader for my Broncos but tough grader on everyone I know.
MHR – How would you grade Sean Payton?
AusBroncosFan: Whilst I wouldn’t want to work for him, I give him an A. Can’t argue with results.
jupistar: Wow. “You’re a hard marker, aren’t you? People are either in or they’re out. Strictly pass or fail.” – (A Man Without a Face, 1993). Sean Payton has very few losing seasons. And since he’s come to town, the team has steadily gotten better and better. A lot of that is attributable to defense and not offense, though. So… is he just lucky to have found a winning combination of defensive players and defensive coaches? I don’t know. But he gets the blame when everything goes bad, so here’s me tipping my hat to the dude.
And I *STILL* don’t know. There is nothing about this team that fits conventional football as I understand it. You can’t have the stats we have and end up 7-2, beating the heirs apparent to the NFL crown, and yet that’s what this team does. Even our loss to SF was a lot closer than the score. We only got blown out, truly, in week 1. And we got our revenge in week 8. Point is… I’m loving every minute of this unconventional football team. This is the kind of crap they make movies about. 1602-0. I can’t repeat that absurd stat often enough.
Or maybe 16-0 in one score games is the more interesting stat. You decide. But Webb and Payton don’t seem to be doing much different. Honestly, I think Payton should give the playcalling back. It wasn’t playcalling that cost us the loss to the Chiefs and 49ers. And Webb could use more experience. Now is a great time to do it. I suspect Payton is just having too much fun, though, despite his heartburn over so much sloppy and inoffensive football.
since61: Sean Payton — no grade. There isn’t one good enough. He’s one of the best coaches in NFL history and we are damn lucky to have him. He saved this franchise. Anyone who can’t see that has a short memory or some ridiculous bias against excellence, against experience, against hard work, against a successful man who loves every inch of this game. If I ever see him on the street I’m slamming on the brakes, getting out of the car, and hugging him.
And here’s the part that matters most to me. My kids are football fans again. Sunday afternoons my phone lights up from all over the country — texts, calls, somebody yelling about a third down from a thousand miles away. We got that back.
You can’t grade that. That’s Sean Payton. Glad you asked.
MHR – Which players would be your midseason MVPs on offense? Defense? ST?
AusBroncosFan: Offense, Jonah Coleman; Defense, Zach Allen; ST, Jeremy Crawshaw
jupistar: Nix, Hufanga, Lutz – Could pick the same players, huh? Love the continuity. No, there’s no one on offense I would consider MVP material, so I’ll go with: Nix, Singleton, and Crawshaw. Nix, by default. No one else matters more, right now. Obviously, by position, Bolles and Meinerz are the best offensive players, but they’re being successfully game-planned around. And being MVP, to me, doesn’t mean best player on the team, best player on a side, or best player at your position in the league. It means, would crap fall apart without you. And if you think our tightening up against the run game happens without Singleton, you’re nuts. Crawshaw’s numbers speak for themselves.
since61: Offense – Meinerz, but it should be hands down Bo Nix (maybe by the end of the season); Defense – Zach Allen; ST – Crawshaw.
MHR – What is your favorite thing about this Broncos team? How does it compare to your favorite Broncos’ team of all time (and which one was that?)
AusBroncosFan: Their clutch gene. They handle pressure better than any other team. I’m a sucker for a good offense and lots of passing TDs, so I’d have to go with the 2013 Broncos. Needless to say, this year’s team is a polar opposite…
jupistar: Dobbins almost had me with his positive declaration of starting every game and being the No. 1 RB in the league at the beginning of the season. Then his ego stole his good grace. I still believe in him, I just no longer like him. Waddle had the savvy and the press and the charm, but he’s disappeared as a player. Honestly, this group just… they’re like robots playing a game of football. I don’t feel the personalities. Sutton is still the man. Nix has the personality of spicy cotton candy. Dobbins has the personality of spicy poop. I don’t feel the rest of the team, yet. Nice people. No one’s calling the U.S. president, though, to get help from the National Guard for the opposing team.
And maybe it’s just incredible discipline. But who’s there to fire up the team? LOL – this is such a calm NFL football team. Malcolm Roach might be the only other player besides Sutton with an obvious personality! Well, and Singleton’s infectious grin, I suppose. And maybe that’s why they are the best 4th quarter team in football. Nothing bothers them, nothing gets them too high or too low. Just another game.
since61: The resilience. Sixteen straight one-score wins isn’t luck — it’s a team that won’t flinch when the game gets tight. I appreciate the team’s personality. These kids play with real joy, and you can see it late in a close game — they like that moment. My all-time favorite is still the 1977 Orange Crush. First time this franchise made the country pay attention. It was extra sweet because my good buddy Craig Morton took us to our first Super Bowl and proved a lot of people wrong.
MHR – Does this team right now have enough pieces to run the table this year? What do you believe the biggest holes/needs are right now?
AusBroncosFan: Anything is possible, but I think running the table is unlikely. I could definitely see them going 7-1. Biggest holes are covering TEs and passing to TEs! Oh what I wouldn’t give to see a game changing TE catch the ball for us on a regular basis, and to see an opponent’s TE shut down…
jupistar: They *have* the pieces, I think. It comes down to the OL and defensive injuries. If Powers, Wattenberg, and McGlinchey can level up (or Payton finds a better replacement in the depth), if our secondary gets healthy, we’re fully able to make the Super Bowl. Bills are the hardest team on the docket, and we already know we can beat them. We just have to do it. Playoffs, being one loss and you’re out, makes it far more arbitrary. Sometimes, on any given Sunday, the best team doesn’t make it to the next round.
But we certainly have the skill players for it. Get the run game going, keep Bryant and Sutton on the field, mix in Franklin and Waddle and Mims as needed, and the offense will be fine. But it all starts with getting that run game going… or just keep playing weak defenses, which happens to be the case in a lot of our final games (bottom half in all but the Steelers game… and Buffalo is upper half, barely), which will of course lead half the fans to ignore the competition and only look at how well our team did. Sigh.
Yes, we can run the table, through the regular season, through the playoffs, and into the Super Bowl. Will we? No. We’re going to lose one more. I just know it. I can’t point to the one, it will be “sky is falling” around here for a few days, and we’ll finish 14-3 again and everyone will be optimistic once more.
We already know the biggest holes: OL and linebacker. But only the OL slots are in dire need of improvement.
since61: What’s actually good is good enough to win a Super Bowl. Top-five offensive line, the best interior rusher in football and an edge rusher grading third at the position, Surtain, and a staff that wins the situational stuff. That’s a January roster. Holes – coverage over the middle, lack of depth at RB, not scoring enough points, 20th in scoring, wins one score games, it does not beat the Bills.
Predictions – AusBroncosFan
Total passing yards, passing TDs, rushing yards for Bo Nix by season’s end? 3,315 yards, 25 TDs, 220 yards rushing
Number of games with a running back over 100 yards in a game? 1 (I hope…)
Total touchdowns caught among WRs/TEs? 18
Team totals for sacks? 50
Team totals for INTs and forced fumbles by season’s end? 30
Who gets the most sacks for the team by Week 18? Bonitto
Who ends up with the most tackles? Singleton
Which team wins the AFC West? Broncos
The entire AFC? Bills
Final record this season? Another 14-3 regular season
Predictions – jupistar
Total passing yards, passing TDs, rushing yards for Bo Nix by season’s end? 4001, 30 tuddies (as Brady likes to call them), and 350 rushing yards. I’m being optimistic about how the offense plays against all these upcoming bad Ds.. Nix gets right and the numbers go up. He finally breaks the 4k mark…by one!
Number of games with a running back over 100 yards in a game? Rushing yards only? [side eye] 0? Okay, we have some bad Ds. I’ll go with 2 just to be positive.
Total touchdowns caught among WRs/TEs? 25 – 5 passing TDs to either Harvey or Coleman.
Team totals for sacks? 50ish… say 52
Team totals for INTs and forced fumbles by season’s end? 15 and 15. I’m feeling positive about our ballhawking ways this season.
Who gets the most sacks for the team by Week 18? Let’s go with Allen.
Who ends up with the most tackles? Singleton, obviously
Which team wins the AFC West? Broncos. Shame on me if I were to say anyone else!
The entire AFC? I’m going to say Broncos. I think Bills will if they beat us, but I think we beat them again, and then it’s ours to lose.
Final record this season? 14-3
Predictions – since61
Total passing yards, passing TDs, rushing yards for Bo Nix by season’s end? 3,200 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 300 rushing yards. Not pretty numbers but they will win games
Number of games with a running back over 100 yards in a game? Two total
Touchdowns caught among WRs/TEs? 17
Team totals for sacks? 52
Team totals for INTs and forced fumbles by season’s end? 15 INTs, 12 forced fumbles
Who gets the most sacks for the team by Week 18? Bonitto 11+,
Who ends up with the most tackles? Singleton by design
Which team wins the AFC West? Seriously?
The entire AFC? Seriously?
Final record this season? 18-2, Seriously
The Favorites – AusBroncosFan
Favorite Broncos win ever? 2005 playoff win vs the Patriots. Champ Bailey’s INT return was a thing of beauty (just wish he hadn’t slowed down)
Favorite Broncos win between SXXXII and SB50? 2015
Favorite John Elway win outside of the Super Bowls? Alas, he was before I became a broncos fan…
Favorite Peyton Manning win? Definitely beating the patriots in the AFC Championship game (suck it, Pats fans!)
Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? I’ll rank them in order. Chiefs, Chiefs and chiefs.
Coach you laugh at the most in the NFL? Jim Harbaugh
Coach you most want to throat punch? Bill Belichick (still!)
Team you hate to lose to the most in the rest of the AFC? Patriots. Don’t know why, just do.
NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? I have a good friend who is a devout Lions fan so I’ll go with them. Plus, I like their coach’s gusto on 4th downs, even if it doesn’t always pay off.
NFC team you want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? Seahawks, to get revenge for the 2014 debacle
Favorite game already this season? Chiefs win. What a cracker.
Rank the remaining games from easiest to hardest: Bills, Patriots, Steelers, Chargers (they have to win some time right? Plus we might be resting players by then), Raiders x 2, Jets, Dolphins
Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Crawshaw (hey, he’s Australian, so it was a dream come true to see him get drafted)
Favorite Broncos player of all time not named John Elway? Champ Bailey
Favorite new guy/rookie on the team? Coleman, followed by Red Murdoch (I really want to see him play)
Favorite game analyst/commentator? Al Michaels (don’t yell at me)
Favorite (or least favorite) Broncos uniform this season? Anything orange.
The Favorites – jupistar
Favorite Broncos win ever? Week 8, 2026. Yes, that felt good enough to claim with recency bias.
Favorite Broncos win between SXXXII and SB50? SB XXXII. Of course. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t a true Scotsman.
Favorite John Elway win outside of the Super Bowls? Hmm… let’s pick a new one. How about the AFC Wild Card Game against the Jags. I don’t know why. I love sending the Jaguar’s home with their tails between their legs.
Favorite Peyton Manning win? Changing it up, Chargers game, 24-0 from halftime to win. I love me a good comeback.
Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? KC, hands down. The Raiders are the whipped puppy. You kind of want them to get good again, so at least they’re competition. If they do, then them. But for now, I want to see KC become basement dwellers again.
Coach you laugh at the most in the NFL? Vrabel
Coach you most want to throat punch? Sean McVay after the Rams game became punchable face #1. I never saw such whining and then to carry on afterward in the press about something that I thought was blatant. Oh, I could write a UFG post about that alone.
Team you hate to lose to the most in the rest of the AFC? The Jags. They are the team I dislike the most, now, after KC. Just… annoying twits.
NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? 49ers
NFC team you want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? 49ers
Favorite game already this season? KC, week 8
Rank the remaining games from easiest to hardest: Raiders at home, Chargers at home, Dolphins at home, Raiders away, Jets away, Patriots away, Steelers away, Buffalo at home
Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Sutton is my favorite
Favorite Broncos player of all time not named John Elway? Sharpe
Favorite new guy/rookie on the team? Coleman. I like his attitude.
Favorite game analyst/commentator? Don’t have a favorite. But now I have a worst by a mile. And a second worst by half a mile. Fitzidiot and Callisworthless.
Least favorite Broncos uniform this season? Throwback. I know, heresy. Never been a fan of the striped look.
The Favorites – since61
Favorite Broncos win ever? My very first Broncos home game. 1961, Bears Stadium, old wooden stands. My dad had season tickets and my brother and I sat in my mother’s seat. Second row from the top. No idea who we played or whether we won. We were just thrilled to be there. Third quarter, the old boy behind us in the top row turned around and relieved himself off the back of the stands. Funniest thing two kids had ever seen. My father would not let us join him.
Favorite Broncos win between SBXXXII, SBXXXIII and SB50? Not close, SBXXXll
Favorite John Elway win outside of the Super Bowls? AFC Championship in Cleveland. Everything Elway became started on that drive.
Favorite Peyton Manning win? the AFC Championship against New England. Seventeenth and final meeting with Brady, and Peyton got the last word. Two weeks later he had a ring and he was done. Nobody goes out like that.
Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? Whichever one we need to beat to win the Division
Coach you laugh at the most in the NFL? Jim Harbaugh
Coach you most want to throat punch? I still imagine punching Pete Carroll
Team you hate to lose to the most in the rest of the AFC? Jaguars
NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? San Francisco-easy to root for a Shanahan
NFC team you want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? Seattle and beast the crap out of them -pay back!
Favorite game already this season? Week 2 against the Jaguars. After getting run off the field in Kansas City, it answered the only question that mattered. Bad night on the road, nothing more. And it was Jacksonville, who beat us in Denver last year and has always given us trouble
Rank the remaining games from easiest to hardest: easiest to hardest: at Jets, vs Chargers, vs Raiders, vs Dolphins, at Raiders at Patriots at Steelers vs Bills.
Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Zach Allen
Favorite Broncos player of all time not named John Elway? Tommy Jackson, even more than my long time departed buddy Craig Morton
Favorite new guy/rookie on the team? Coleman
Favorite game analyst/commentator? There will never be another better than the Martin/Zimmer team.
Favorite Broncos uniform this season? 1977 Orange Crush throwbacks
Who is on your Broncos’ Mount Rushmore?
AusBroncosFan: John Elway, Champ Bailey, Peyton Manning, Von Miller
Jupistar: Elway, Davis, Smith, and Sharpe – Unchanged from last time.
since61: Tommy Jackson, Craig Morton, Elway, Rod Smith. Three of the four nobody would pick. Mine’s about the men who made this a real football town for me personally, not just the ones on the highlight reels.
How did you become a Broncos fan?
AusBroncosFan: I started following the NFL around 2001, and I quickly became fascinated with the chess match involved in outsmarting the opposition. My home town rugby league team is the Brisbane Broncos, so it was a natural choice to choose Denver as my adopted team. I now bleed orange and can’t get enough! Best. Team. Ever!
jupistar: No one in my family, extended or otherwise, follows football. My wife has to hear about it, but only under duress (slight change, she’s warming up to the individual stories). I grew up during my formative years in Cheyenne, then Casper. So, the Broncos and Elway were the team to follow. It infected me and now I’m still following closely all these years (40ish) later. I’ve moved around a lot in my life and I’ve tried to root for other teams. But it’s not the same. They just never felt like the team I’m the fan of.
since 61: The handle says it. Since ‘61. I’ve been die-hard orange and blue-sixty five seasons.
When my dad didn’t take us to games, my brother and I would ride our bikes down to the stadium and sneak in. There was a broken slat in the wooden fence that ran around the east stands — you went through sideways, kept walking, and nobody ever said a word. Different times. Different team, too.
Five kids later, all of them raised Bronco fans. Those aren’t just football memories. They’re family memories that happen to have football in them. We went to all the Super Bowls together. The first three, we never made it past the third quarter — walked out into the parking lot, all of us, quiet, already talking about next year.. Now the grandkids are starting to come around, which is the part I didn’t see coming and wouldn’t trade.
