Only one team in the NFL has eight wins at the moment. After defeating the Raiders on “Thursday Night Football,” the Denver Broncos are alone in making that claim.
That would suggest that they’re the best team in the league. After all, that’s what the standings suggest.
But another ugly win, this time in a 10-7 snoozer over a lame Las Vegas team, there are plenty of reasons to question that notion. In fact, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that the Broncos are a mirage.
Denver won a game in which they had 10 first downs and 220 yards of total offense. They notched a victory despite going three-and-out on eight possessions. They added a W despite their game-winning drive being a minus-two-yard march.
It was painful. It was ugly. It was hard to watch.
It was boring. It was dismal. It was must-not-see TV.
But it was a win. And that’s all that matters. Or is it?
At this point, it’s time to start thinking bigger. At 8-2, the Broncos things have changed for Denver.
It’s no longer about ending runs of losing seasons. It’s not a matter of breaking playoff droughts. Now, it’s about being an actual contender.
That means being a team that can win the AFC West. That’s about being a franchise that can earn a win in the postseason. That equates to being in the mix for a Super Bowl bid.
Anyone who watched Thursday night’s win knows that the Broncos are ready to do any of those three things. In front of a national TV audience, they didn’t look ready for primetime.
On defense, the Broncos are legit. They held the Raiders to 188 total yards and a measly seven points.
But that comes with a caveat. Las Vegas was limited due to a lack of offensive weapons, as well as Geno Smith being hobbled through most of the second half.
It’s just the latest subpar quarterback that they’ve beaten this season. Denver has knocked off Cam Ward in his first career start, Jake Browning before he got benched, Justin Fields before the Jets couldn’t find anyone to bench him in favor of, rookie Jaxson Dart, Davis Mills in lieu of C.J. Stroud and a hobbled Smith. Only Dak Prescott provided a viable QB in a Broncos win.
In other words, it’s hard to figure out how good Denver’s defense really is this season. When facing a decent quarterback (Daniel Jones, Justin Herbert and Prescott), the Broncos are 1-2.
All told, the combined record of the eight teams the Broncos have beaten is 21-47-1. Take out the Eagles, the lone impressive victory on the team’s resume, and it’s a paltry 15-45-1 mark. It’s deja vu.
Last year, Denver beat up on a bunch of bad teams to amass a 10-7 record. This season, they’re stacking W’s against a bunch of journeymen QBs.
And that’s the phase of the game in which the Broncos excel. On offense and special teams, things are even dicier.
Denver has won their last seven games. In five of their last six, things could’ve gone differently.
Through three quarters in each of those wins, it’s been brutal. At Philadelphia, they had three points on the board. In London against the Jets, it was 10. Against the Giants, it was zero. At Houston, it was a touchdown. And on Thursday night, it was another seven-point performance.
That’s five games, through a grand total of 15 quarters, with a grand total of 27 points. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that’s not good.
And it’s not sustainable. It simply isn’t.
Somehow, someway, the Broncos have found a way to win those games. And they deserve credit for that accomplishment. But how much of that is due to the fact that they were playing mostly inferior opponents.
Denver’s offense has had moments of greatness this season. The fourth quarters in Philly and at home against New York are atop the list. But they’ve had way more stretches of awful play, with Thursday night being the latest example.
The Broncos are 8-2. That can’t be taken away from them. But they might not be very good.
Those who want to call Denver a mirage have plenty of evidence to suggest that’s the case. Their offense is brutal, their special teams are a blunder waiting to happen and their defense is bolstered by playing a bunch of bad quarterbacks.
If the Broncos want to show they’re for real, they need to beat the Chiefs on Nov. 16. Otherwise, those who believe their a paper tiger will look more and more accurate.