Through their first six games of the 2023 NFL season, the Denver Broncos looked as though they might be one of the worst teams in recent memory. They had won just one game, a three-point victory over the hapless Chicago Bears, and were sitting at 1-5 and in dead last place in the AFC. In their Week 3 loss against the Miami Dolphins, they have up one of the biggest offensive performances in league history.
Broncos Now Within Shot Of A Playoff Spot
The @Broncos are rolling on a 5-game win streak. 👀 pic.twitter.com/XiWXgAPoVh
— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2023
On October 13th, the day after their fifth loss of the season, the Broncos held a 1% chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Not only were they in a massive hole, but they had games against the Chiefs, Bills, and Browns looming over the next five games, and it looked as though Denver was going to be looking towards 2024 before the halfway mark of the season.
They haven’t lost a game since. After defeating the Packers in Week 7, they were able to knock off the division-leading Chiefs in an upset victory, raising their record to 3-5 and raising some eyebrows across the league. They enjoyed a bye in Week 8, and then subsequently took down the Bills, Vikings, and Browns in consecutive games, improbably raising their record to 6-5 on the year.
Denver Went From 1% to 34% In One Month
LET’S RIDE… the @Broncos are the hottest team in football 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/RmLGbeFvmY
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 27, 2023
After being left for dead, the Broncos now have a record worthy of making a playoff chase. In fact, they have the same record as the team that is currently sitting in the 7th and final seed in the AFC, but are behind the Colts due to a tiebreaker.
But the turnaround is remarkable nonetheless, and that 1% postseason chance has risen all the way to a respectable 34% for Denver.
Russell Wilson and Sean Payton have some work to do if they want to make the impossible dream a reality. But they have a somewhat favorable schedule the rest of the way, including two games against the Chargers and one against each of the Patriots and Raiders. The division is seemingly out of reach having played against the Chiefs twice already this season, but a wild card berth is certainly a possibility, which sounded like a crazy notion just a month ago.