Fans boo as Broncos clinch top seed; what’s next for Denver
Bradley Davis
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) – Leading by two scores in the fourth quarter, minutes away from clinching the AFC’s top seed and the team’s first 14-win season since 1998, Bo Nix and the offense trotted off the field after another stalled drive to boos.
In response, Bo Nix said it’s not the first time he’s been booed, and it certainly won’t be the last.
Without context, it’s a reaction that feels insane. While not every fan felt compelled to join in, the mid-game boos are not a huge surprise to people who have watched this team all year.
Denver’s offense has been a rollercoaster all season long. There’s been flashes, but the team has largely relied on its flashy defense.
The last three weeks have not been good on the offensive side of the ball. With their playoff destiny locked up, the Chargers benched many of their starters, and Denver still finished the day with under 250 total yards and less than 20 points.
Denver has been very good at winning football games this year. They have not been good at dominating. The Broncos have tied an NFL record 11 one-score regular-season victories. Those wins have come against teams like the Jets, Giants, Raiders and Commanders.
Ironically, Denver’s 2025 season is very reminiscent of the last half-decade from their division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, the first team to have the word “dynasty” thrown around them since Tom Brady’s Patriots.
Denver shares their 11-win one-score record with Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes and company did it just last year, and they played in the Super Bowl.
That aside, some of the fan pessimism could also come from Denver’s inevitable Divisional Round matchup. The Broncos have to host the winner of the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is the only playoff team this year that’s undefeated against Denver in the regular season. It was the Broncos’ worst loss of the season, just two weeks ago. On the other side, it’s fair to say no one is chomping at the bit to see Josh Allen in January.
The 2024 Chiefs came up one win short of the Lombardi Trophy last year. Other teams with similar trajectories, like the 2022 Vikings, who match the 2024 Chiefs and 2025 Broncos in one-score victories, have struggled in Postseason play.
Despite the close games, Broncos fans have far less to boo about now than in the team’s recent history. It’s the first time Denver has claimed the top seed since 2015. It’s now been back-to-back playoff births for Sean Peyton and Bo Nix after an eight-year playoff drought. And history is on Denver’s side.
One team in NFL history has won nine or more regular-season one-score games and gone on to win the Super Bowl. It was the 2015 Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos.