Broncos Insiders Predict ‘No Improvement’ for Franchise in 2025

The soft, warm glow from the 2024 season after the Denver Broncos made an unexpected run to the AFC playoffs for the first time in almost a decade hasn’t faded over the postseason. The vibes are good.

With a new season coming up, how warm that glow continues to be in 2025 is yet to be determined, but 4 Broncos insiders from The Denver Post recently weighed in with their predictions … and 3 of them predicted the Broncos will make no improvement from last season.

Broncos reporters Luca Evans and Parker Gabriel and sports columnist Sean Keeler all predicted Denver will go 10-7 again in 2025. Only sports columnist Troy Renck predicted an improvement, guessing the Broncos will go 11-6.

“The Broncos remain in position to knock the annoying Kansas City Chiefs off their AFC West throne,” Renck wrote. “While Bo Nix needed more weapons around him this offseason, running back R.J. Harvey represents an upgrade in the run game, which will prove the difference in a strong finish … with their defense poised to rank among the league’s best, the Broncos will benefit from a late rest and reel off four wins in their final five games to claim their first division title since 2015.”

The Broncos will be front and center in 2025 with 4 primetime games along with a primo Christmas Day matchup on Netflix against the Chiefs. Denver also has a game in London, against the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 12.

“Broncos coach Sean Payton got what he wanted — forays into prime time, holidays and international play that come with more on-field success,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote. “Last season — Payton’s second in Denver — the Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought, but they did it mostly off the prime-time radar.”

Oddsmakers Also Predict Broncos Will Take Step Back

The first projected over/under win totals for the 2025 NFL regular season were released on March 27, with FanDuel projecting the Broncos at 8.5 wins and ESPN Bet projecting them at 9.5 wins.

From ESPN: “Denver had gone under its win total for four straight seasons before a 10-7 campaign last year on a 5.5-win projection … The Broncos were 12-5 against the spread last season and 8-0 straight up as a favorite.”

Nix, Elite Defense Sparked Playoff Run in 2024

In 2024, the Broncos’ defense not only led the NFL with 63.0 sacks but featured 3 NFL All-Pro picks in defensive end Zach Allen, edge rusher Nik Bonitto and cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who became Denver’s first winner of NFL Defensive Player of the Year since linebacker Randy Gradishar in 1978.

While the defense was the most important part of the equation, the development of Nix over his rookie season was a close second. Out of the 6 quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Nix was the last of those at No. 12 overall and seemed to have the lowest expectations of the bunch.

Nix became the first rookie to start a season opener for the Broncos since Pro Football Hall of Famer and 2-time Super Bowl champion John Elway in 1983. Nix was also an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist.