The Denver Broncos sit atop the AFC West at 7-2, while the Kansas City Chiefs are third in the division at 5-4. It’s surprising to Broncos fans that the majority of the league’s official website analysts picked the Chiefs to win the division. Out of 25 analysts, 16 gave the nod to the Chiefs. Let’s unpack this decision.
League Opinion on Broncos Still Up in the Air
What this boils down to is the development of Bo Nix. The Broncos field the No. 1 defense in PFSN’s Defense Impact Score. The offense, though, is No. 15. Nix has 20 total touchdowns, but he’s only displayed aggressiveness down the field in easy matchups or when down late. In other words, there aren’t many complete games from Nix this season. Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Week 8 against the Cowboys are fleeting images of greatness.
However, it may take too long for the Broncos’ offense to wake up in some weeks, despite a six-game win streak that has Denver two games ahead of Kansas City as the latter heads into a bye week.
Nix had to put on his Superman cape in the fourth quarter in multiple games this season. He came back from down 14 in the fourth quarter vs. the Super Bowl champion Eagles in Week 5. The entire league knows about the comeback against the New York Giants in Week 7, and there’s the 11-point comeback against the Houston Texans in Week 9, most notably.
Is the Broncos’ luck going to run out? The answer is up to Nix. Despite the Jekyll and Hyde act, Nix is tied for third in passing touchdowns with 17. He has three rushing touchdowns as well.
Are the Broncos lucky to begin with? The second half of the season will clear up all questions with Nix. This is either one of the luckiest quarterbacks in the league or a franchise quarterback going through growing pains.
After playing the Las Vegas Raiders on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 10, the Broncos have a litmus test against the Chiefs in Week 11. We’ll learn a lot about Nix then. Until then, get ready for “Thursday Night Football.”
