The Denver Broncos are no longer the AFC West doormat and after a successful 2024 season, anything short of a good playoff run should be considered a failure.
The Broncos are putting together one of the better rosters in the NFL and behind the mind of Sean Payton and a good supporting coaching staff, the team should be in a position to be a contender in the AFC. The team knows that and the fans know that, but an old rival is still going to scoff at that.
Broncos cornerback and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II recently made an appearance on the "Get Got Pod" with Marshawn Lynch and Michael Robinson. Surtain was asked about playing against the Kansas City Chiefs and the first words out of his mouth were "We're gonna get after them boys".
That is what Broncos Country is expecting to see this season but it may rub fans inside Chiefs Kingdom wrong.
Calling PS2's comments "silly", Mike Luciano of Arrowhead Addict also stated that the Broncos are "begging for disaster". Luciano went on to make the following assessment:
"Denver may have caught many by surprise last year, but now everyone is aware of both Nix's quality and the depth of one of the best defenses in the league. Mahomes and the Chiefs will need to be aware of the destructive power Surtain's unit can bring to the table.
The factor that separates these two teams is Mahomes' pedigree. Despite Nix's improvements, would anyone take him over Mahomes if these two teams get into a shootout and one clutch two-minute drive is needed to pull out a victory?
Denver has made some improvements, and they may end up eventually being the ones who take control of the AFC West back from Kansas City after their decade of dominance, but Surtain's comments have just as likely a chance of blowing up in his face and turning him into a pariah."
There are some very valid points in there. Rookie quarterbacks have had some great success in recent years (C.J. Stroud, Jayden Daniels) but a sophomore slump in the NFL can be a very real thing. An entire offseason to dissect a way to make a quarterback struggle is an eternity for defensive coordinators.
Bo Nix will have to navigate some muddy waters in his second NFL season, that has to be expected. But having the experience of Sean Payton there is going to be huge.
Last season, the Broncos went into Arrowhead Stadium and did everything needed to beat the Chiefs. Trailing by two points with just under six minutes to play, Nix took his team on one of those drives Luciano referenced.
Nix did a masterful job of methodically taking his team down the field with great decision-making that allowed the team to perfectly manipulate the clock simultaneously. Nix went 5-for-5 on the drive for 31 yards. The Broncos converted on third down three separate times, two of those with Nix making the throw to move the chains.
Yes, most people are still going to choose Patrick Mahomes over Nix in a situation like that. But is Mahomes the boogeyman of quarterbacks that he once was? Is Arrowhead Stadium all that scary of a road venue for this Broncos team at this point? Does anyone really fear the Chiefs anymore after watching what Philadelphia did to them in Super Bowl LIX?
Make no mistake, the Chiefs should still be seen as one of the most difficult opponents on the schedule. But facing them is nowhere near the daunting task it once seemed. The Broncos have closed the gap and overtaking Kansas City — and doing it inside the home of Chiefs Kingdom — should be an expectation for this team, not a hope.
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