NFL · AFC West · Est. 1960 · Empower Field at Mile High
Updated March 17, 2026
Bo Nix became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 7,500-plus yards and 50-plus touchdowns while winning 20-plus games in his first two seasons, leading Denver to a 14-3 record that tied the franchise's all-time best (1998). The Broncos clinched the AFC West title — their first since the 2015 Super Bowl season — and earned the conference's No. 1 seed under Sean Payton.
In the Divisional Round, the Broncos outlasted the Bills 33-30 in overtime in a classic, but the victory came at a catastrophic cost: Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury on the second-to-last play of the game. The loss of their franchise quarterback cast a pall over what had been a magical season and left Denver shorthanded for the biggest game in a decade.
Without Nix, the Broncos fell to the Patriots 10-7 in a defensive AFC Championship grind, ending a season that had Super Bowl written all over it. The what-ifs will haunt Denver all offseason, but the foundation is undeniable: a 14-3 roster, a franchise quarterback who should return healthy, and a coach in Sean Payton who has the Broncos back among the AFC's elite.