The Denver Broncos are in great shape after their Week 12 bye. At 9-2, Sean Payton is just one win away from his second consecutive double-digit win season, and the 11th win of his head-coaching career.
A tremendous amount of blood, sweat and tears has been poured into the Broncos’ strongest start since 2015. Having won eight in a row, the 2025 Broncos have a chance to threaten Peyton Manning’s 2012 team, which won 11 in a row.
Looking ahead, the schedule of the remaining six matches will not be easy. The Broncos dominate the AFC West, but they will have to try to keep pace with the 10-2 New England Patriots in the sweepstakes for the No. 1 playoff seed in the conference.
With the Broncos having their bye, we’re going to break down their remaining opponents and rank each one. without further ado…
6. In Washington Commanders week 13
Arguably, the most favorable matchup on the Broncos’ remaining schedule is the opponent they have drawn this week. The Commander sit at 3-8 and have been decimated by injuries.
Without second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have lost six in a row. The Phenom will not play Sunday vs. the Broncos. Instead, it will be Marcus Mariota, who the Broncos have always performed well against.
Commanders would love nothing more than to spoil the Broncos, so it will be important not to overlook them.
Peyton’s elite records But sunday night football Will be put to the test, but I see the Broncos passing with flying colorsEven on the road.
5. at Las Vegas Raiders week 14
Before anyone writes off the Raiders, think about Week 10, which happened not that long ago. The Broncos had an ugly win at home over the Raiders, although there were some extenuating circumstances, including the short week (thursday night football), and the fact that it was a divisional game.
In such rivalry games all bets are off. The same applies for Week 14, especially because it’s in Sin City. But the Raiders are circling the drain at 2-9 and may have a hard time getting their dander up for the Broncos.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars week 16
The Jaguars have been one of the surprise teams of 2025. At 7-4, the Jaguars are giving the 8-3 Indianapolis Colts a run for their money. New head coach Liam Coen is doing a great job.
Jacksonville has posted some standout wins this season, including a win over the Kansas City Chiefs (thanks, guys) and a blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers (very thankful).
Fortunately, this game will be played in front of the Mile High Faithful in Denver, but it will be a test versus a playoff-caliber opponent.
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3. Los Angeles Chargers week 18
The Broncos have already lost to the Chargers this season, so some might argue they should be ranked higher, especially considering Payton has yet to beat Jim Harbaugh since arriving in the AFC West. The Chargers beat the Broncos in Denver last year, but this game could be all about divisional marbles.
The NFL prepared the season finale games well this year. Both the Broncos and Chargers are likely to be highly motivated in this one.
However, if the Broncos continue to win, the season finale could be more meaningful to the Chargers. It just depends on how the next five weeks play out, but Justin Herbert is always a tough matchup, especially against Denver.
2. at Kansas City Chiefs week 17
If the Chiefs are unable to turn the chips between now and then, this Christmas Day matchup could lose some of its anticipated magic. After losing to the Broncos in Week 11, the Chiefs bounced back with a Week 12 win, but fell back to .500 with a loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
If the playoffs started this weekend, the Chiefs would be out. But there are still six weeks to go, and although Kansas City still has a tough schedule ahead of them, including next up against the red-hot Houston Texans, we’ll forget to count Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes out by the time the final gun of the regular season sounds.
The Broncos have not won at Arrowhead Stadium since Week 2 of the 2015 season. No matter who the Chiefs play, it will be a tough matchup for the Broncos.
1. Green Bay Packers week 15
The Packers are 8-3-1, with a tough tie with the Cowboys keeping them out of the division lead. However, Green Bay has started to perform very strong recently with three consecutive wins.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has the offense humming under Jordan Love. The Packers also have the fifth-ranked scoring defense, so they are a complete team.
The last time the Broncos played the Packers was in Week 7 of the 2023 season, and that game was a blowout. Denver won, but in fairness, this was a game that was played just before Love became the cornerback and he had fully come into his own as an upper-tier quarterback.
Now, if the Broncos lose, let’s say, another game, you’ll want it to be against one of the two NFC teams, the Commanders or the Packers, because it will have less impact on the playoff arithmetic. So, if the Broncos beat the Commanders and Raiders, but lose to the Packers at home, giving them their third loss of the season, they will still be in command of the AFC West and in position for the No. 1 seed, in all likelihood.
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