Let's get something straight: what the Denver Broncos have accomplished isn't just impressive—it's borderline absurd.
A decade. That's how long Broncos fans have waited to say those three words: AFC West Champions. And now, thanks to the Houston Texans doing them a favor on Saturday night, they can finally exhale.
The Numbers Don't Lie
The Broncos started this season 1-2. Two of those losses came on last-second field goals. Most teams would have folded. Most coaching staffs would have started pointing fingers. Instead, Sean Payton's squad went on an 11-game winning streak that announced to the entire NFL: we're not here to participate, we're here to dominate.
Bo Nix has been the catalyst. The 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft now holds an NFL record that may never be broken—23 wins in his first two seasons as a starter. That's more than Patrick Mahomes. More than Josh Allen. More than every quarterback who came before him.
And here's what makes it even more remarkable: last year, the Broncos went 1-6 in one-score games. This season? They're 11-2 in those nail-biters. That's not luck. That's growth. That's a team learning how to win when everything is on the line.
The Chiefs Dynasty Crumbles
Kansas City's nine consecutive AFC West titles were historic. The Chiefs appeared in five Super Bowls during that stretch, winning three. But 2025 has been a brutal reminder that dynasties don't last forever.
Injuries decimated Kansas City's roster. Patrick Mahomes went down with a serious knee injury, and suddenly the team that seemed invincible looked mortal. At 6-10, the Chiefs won't even sniff the playoffs this year.
Denver wasted no time filling that power vacuum. Their Christmas night victory at Arrowhead Stadium—a place where they hadn't won since 2015—felt symbolic. The old guard is gone. A new era has begun.
What's Next: The No. 1 Seed
Winning the division is goal number one. Sean Payton made that clear from day one. But there's still unfinished business.
If the Broncos beat the Chargers in Week 18 at Empower Field, they'll secure the AFC's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. That means no Wild Card weekend. That means home-field advantage all the way to the Super Bowl.
The Chargers won their first meeting on a walk-off field goal in Week 3. This rematch carries significantly higher stakes. Jim Harbaugh is 3-0 against Denver since returning to the NFL, and you can bet he'll have his team ready.
But this isn't the same Broncos team that lost in Week 3. This is a team that has won 11 of their last 12 games. A team with six Pro Bowl selections—the most since 2016. A team that knows exactly who they are.
The Payton Effect
When the Broncos traded a first-round pick to acquire Sean Payton from the Saints before the 2023 season, plenty of people questioned the move. Was Payton past his prime? Could he fix a franchise that had been lost in the wilderness since Peyton Manning retired?
The answer is emphatically yes.
Payton's fingerprints are all over this team. The offensive scheme maximizes Nix's strengths. The culture demands accountability. And most importantly, there's a belief in the locker room that wasn't there before.
"Goal No. 1... And we're still climbing," the Broncos' official account posted Saturday night.
That says everything. This franchise isn't content with a division title. They remember what it felt like to win Super Bowl 50. They want that feeling again.
The Bottom Line
The Denver Broncos are AFC West Champions. For the 16th time in franchise history. For the first time in a decade.
And if you've been paying attention, this is only the beginning.