The analytics nerds are back at this week with some live tracking of strength of schedule. As for the Denver Broncos, no team has faced a tougher schedule through the first eight weeks than they have. By far the toughest of all 32 teams.
There isn’t a winning record within ten spots of them on this strength of schedule list and they sit at 6-2 with the second seed in the AFC presently.
Here’s the good news.
They have the seventh easiest schedule moving forward. There are only three teams that are legit playoff threats: Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots. If they can win two of those, they should be staring at 13-14 wins by the time the playoffs arrive.
If they take care of business against teams they “should” beat. That is always a question.
Broncos daily recap
NFL Power Rankings for Week 9: Are they beginning to Bo-lieve?
The national media has to start taking notice of the 6-2 Denver Broncos. They don’t quite bo-lieve yet, but if they keep winning….
Broncos vs. Chiefs: The No Bull Review
No Bull thoughts, opinions, and analysis on the Denver Broncos’ heart attack win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
‘Mile High Magic’ wins again
A false start, a sack and 77,000 Mile High fans sealed Denver’s 28-24 win over Kansas City.
Under the radar
The Feed
Caleb Williams
With last nights game I think he has officially taken the spot as the top guy from his class, no more debate as of right now. 2 things separate him from Maye and Nix in my opinion, generational arm talent and confidence. He still missed some open looks last night and makes risky decisions, but as of right now he’s in the lead.
Manufacturing Wins!
Am not gonna go into a lot of detail on this - you honestly cannot - it defies detail. Made mention of a prior coach had experience with in the 1970's - a former defensive end in college football who played for the UW in Laramie and a details type of dude he taught science instead of the normal PE for football coaches in that era. More detailed than most football coaches back then he'd have a team meeting weekly usually on Thursdays and go over his notes for the game including the stats for the opponent that season - their tendencies and our keys and then go over our stats for the season with our tendencies and keys.
In one bad stretch of games having lost three or four in a row with the stats to our advantage he ended it with - we're winning games guys but we're manufacturing losses. That always stuck with me more than anything else that season of football and have seen that trait over and over again at every level of football commonly referred to as snatching a loss away from a victory. What he was speaking of was more than a defeat but a trend where there's something missing that you're constantly losing games that you'd won. That's what I look for in trends with teams with solid talent, good coaching and yet continue to lose. In other words where the math doesn't math logically.
Enter the antidote to my ol' coaches' statement on winning & losing - the 2025 and 2026 Denver Broncos. This team stands his theorem on its head - how can a team constantly lose games and wind up manufacturing them as wins. The Denver Broncos are defying all logic and gravity itself. They looked like a team of destiny in 2025 until the QB1 got injured and couldn't play in the AFC Championship game and he's looked anything like having taken a third-year jump in progress in the NFL at the QB position. Nobody, including myself as serious football evaluators, analysts or fans thought there was any way the Broncos could replicate the 2025 NFL season with the improbable wins week after week snatching victory from a loss - it didn't math in 2025 - how could the odds be replicated in 2026.
My ol' coach died at 66yrs of age, in Jan 2009, where he was born in Scottsbluff NE and earned an BS in Science from UW and an MA in Microbiology at CSU. He was an avid athlete after college and was one of the first serious weights and conditioning football coaches in the 1970s. For gawds sakes he was the first coach with Nautilus equipment in our weight room in 1976 in the state and region. He coached football, wrestling and track and was a highly conditioned athlete unlike myself and being that same age of 66 when he died definitely is a bit haunting this Halloween season and he'd chuckle on that one and tell me go get some more miles in you fatazz.
The bottom line - as smart and dedicated to athletics, statistics, training and conditioning as how to win in athletics - Art Kissack would just shake his head watching the 2025 & 2026 Broncos teams and chuckle - these guys don't math with a 6-2 record - they're losing games and manufacturing wins!
[negative tone] But Bo Nix...