The Chiefs are dead, the Chiefs are dead, the wicked Chiefs of the AFC West are dead!
And it’s all thanks to the Broncos! Beating the Chiefs with a fourth-quarter comeback just before a Bye Week could not have been scripted better for the season, and I may be biased (well, of course, I am!) but I believe it was ultimate fans like us who gave the team enough juice to pull off that win on Thursday Night Football. The stadium was loud, the crowd was on fire and the team was primed to convert that energy into a victory.
And all that after a short week that saw a frustrating win over the Raiders. What a fun bye week to have. And it gets even more fun with jupistar’s UFG. There’s no Broncos game today, but there is one helluva read about them. So grab a coffee (or a beer, depending on your time of day) and settle in.
Damn, this is so much fun.
Week 12: Bye Week
MHR – Let’s just jump right in. How freaking awesome was that win over KC? Not only did the Broncos legit beat Mahomes & Co., but they knocked the Chiefs out of contention for winning the division!
jupistar: Pretty good. Now we’ve been to the win-over-KC party in the not too distant past, and by that I mean, in the Sean Payton era. The first major win over the Chiefs in a very long time came with Russell Wilson under center breaking a streak of 16 straight losses. That’s a crazy bad run and it took Sean Payton to get us right again. The game this last Sunday was just more pivotal because it felt more decisive. The team played like the team could when it’s not shooting itself in the foot with boneheaded penalties. Even though the score was close, I never had doubt we were going to win after our first drive.
MHR – What was your favorite part about the win over the Chiefs?
jupistar: My favorite part of beating the Chiefs is watching their players, specifically Mahomes and Kelce, react to losing. Okay, let me be specific with an example – Ja’Quan comes screaming around the edge, Mahomes turns to see him and Ja’Quan jumps in the air in case Mahomes tries to fire the ball, Mahomes then pulls the ball back in and Ja’Quan lands on him, wrapping him up and taking him down easily. The next thing I see is Mahomes on his knees, one hand planted in the dirt, the other hand slapping his helmet. I don’t know what he was doing – knocking the dirt/grass out that Ja’Quan just made him eat or trying to claim “face mask” to the ref (not true… I watched that four or five times, McMillian was perfect on the tackle)? But either case is good and I smile looking at it each time – I like to imagine it’s like quantum superposition – he’s both whining to the judge and trying to clear his facemask of debris. I don’t want it resolved as both states have emotional upside. Point is, my favorite part is watching the brats get a little comeuppance.
MHR – What still has you concerned about this 9-2 Broncos team?
jupistar:
On offense – 1) Even after our poor rushing effort against the Chiefs, they’re still allowing 4.2 yards per attempt on the season. We could only muster 2.8 on the ground without Dobbins; 2) After 11 games, Bo is still not quite in sync with WRs on the deep ball go routes. I thought by now they would have ironed out the issues and we’d see more improvement there. But we’re still missing by the same number of inches as in the 1st game.
On Defense – 1) The Chiefs were able to run on us. They were averaging 4.5 yards per attempt with Kareem Hunt. I suspect there are fans there screaming “doh! pounddd thhhheeee rocckkkkk!”Such a common complaint among fans of every team that I’m certain it’s true. But in this case, they would probably have been right; 2) Riley “DPI” Moss. This guy is awesome for us. He just needs to level up. Right now, I think Surtain > Moss, but Surtain + Moss > any other CB1 + CB2 in the league. And I think if Moss could figure out how to stay sticky without being so handsy, the difference between our 2024 DPOY and his protege would get even smaller. However, while I think he is a bit handsy, and I try to remain objective, I was watching the Chiefs corners molest our players unflagged. There’s a great All-22 you should see.
That final drive for the field goal, we’re in 3rd and 15 – thanks to YAP [yet another penalty] – and Bo throws a 20-yard strike to Sutton who bodies up and takes the first down. Not but maybe 15 yards away, on the same side of the field, Adam Prentice is all but a freight truck carrying his defender down the sideline as the guy was draped all over him. So, I think both are true – Moss is too handsy and he’s being over-reffed. He has to overcome both of these obstacles to level up; 3) But turnovers when? And how sick was that pick-six called back last week? I saw the interception, saw how well it went for us, and then just said “here comes a flag” – 1 second later, flag indicator on my screen. So predictable.
MHR – The sports world is coming around to believing the Broncos are a pretty formidable opponent. Cam Skattebo even said the Broncos would be the team he would bet on for the Super Bowl. Are you that much of a Bo-liever?
jupistar: I am not a Bo-liever. I’m a B-hoper. There’s a somewhat common sentiment, from back in the day, “For a full game, you want Joe Montana. But when it came down to the fourth quarter and the game was on the line, you needed John Elway.” Tell me, of any QB in the league, is there anyone you’d rather have under center in the 4th quarter right now besides Bo Nix? That Giants game is the stuff of legends. So, I’m a Bhoper (you have to say the ‘B’ with an explosion of breath to make the ‘h’ sound simultaneously, you see), because I think Nix seems to capture a lot of Elway’s spirit to win and gets most in the zone when the pressure is at its highest.
But look, with exception of a couple of games, almost all of our games were one score affairs. To be more specific, we had three games where we won by more than a touchdown. One game where we won by four pts. And five games where we won by a field goal or less. And two games where we lost by a field goal or less. So, out of 11 games, 8 of them were very close. And the competition level doesn’t seem to matter. The high flying colts? The lowly jets? The team plays up and down to the competition most of the time. I think the Giants surprised the team and they ramped it up to get the win. This Denver Broncos team is like none I can recall. I honestly don’t know *how* good they are because they won’t show us! And my goodness, the penalties. We fight our own discipline more than we fight other team, some weeks.
The one thing that doesn’t concern me, not really, is the inconsistency over four quarters. I haven’t seen anything like it, except for maybe the Tebow season. But even then it was different. The point is, the game is played over four quarters and whether the good play is disbursed nicely over the whole game or compressed into one quarter, the key is getting those plays in there. I’d kind of like to see the Denver Broncos of 4th Street win out throughout the playoffs and the Super Bowl. It would certainly keep us in our seats through the full game.
I mentioned earlier that during the turnover-spree of the final Russ Wilson season, that it was an insane amount of good luck. I mean, balls literally fumbled and bounced into our running players’ hands. Stuff that you *never* see. And that was the kind of thing I was concerned about – banking on luck to win is not a recipe for success. This isn’t that. This isn’t luck, it’s just… weirdly applied skill. It’s almost as if Nix tells the team before the game, let’s f-around and find out for 3 quarters, then let’s see what we can do to win it at the end. Let’s give the defense a solid challenge. The KC game was a solid win, but it was five field goals and the first time Nix hasn’t thrown a touchdown in, like, 18 games or something. Made everyone happy, but I was a bit surprised at no passing touchdowns.
MHR – The Broncos have won 9 games, but the win over the Chiefs finally felt like a well-deserved win – not an “ugly win,” not a “well a win is a win” win. Is the trajectory just going to go up from here? Or do you look ahead at the opponents and think it’s going to be tough road ahead and the two losses are going to have some company?
jupistar: The 1997 season saw us win our first Super Bowl. On the way to the big game, we had to face the Steelers in the AFC Championship. We won, but it was ugly, marred with penalties, and I’m not sure the better playing team won that day. The better team won, for sure, because the Broncos are and will always be the best team in the NFL, even when they’re not playing the best. I still think about that years later. This game isn’t
just about pure skill vs pure skill. It’s about managing chaos and trying to skillfully overcome both your opponent’s skill and random gameday variance (fluke plays, ref judgment calls, the elements). Ugly wins are absolutely going to be part of that picture. So, I’m going to push back and say that I think every game we’ve won this year felt deserved, to me. I don’t feel like the ‘23 season when we had an insane streak of turnovers that weren’t sustainable. This just doesn’t feel like that.
MHR – The Broncos had seemingly found a running game, and now that JK Dobbins is out for the season, what is your confidence level in the rushing attack – especially with the Packers, Jaguars, Chargers and Chiefs to close out the season?
jupistar: Low. None of these RBs with this line in this system inspire my confidence. I’m not saying we have bad RBs, but I know it took Javonte going to Dallas to find a career resurgence. Dude is averaging 5 ypa over there. And yeah, I know, people are going to say “he just finally got fully healed up.” Whatever. Based on prior output, our best bet is going to be Jaleel, not Harvey. I think Harvey is either missing the vision or the patience or the explosiveness or some combination of those – at this point, anyway.
MHR – Bo looked more comfortable last week, setting his feet before he would throw and not seeing ghosts. Do you expect this whole sophomore season to be a little rocky still or has he reached a turning point?
jupistar: As I said, I’m a Bhoper. I see the ghost of Elway in him. Which means, yeah, it’s going to be rocky for a while, still.
Keep in mind, the Chiefs have a softer pass defense than run defense. I kind of expected Bo to do okay in that game.
MHR – The defense is just on fire. Do you feel like it’s only going to get better and better or do you sometimes watch with a “when will the other shoe drop” mentality because it almost seems too good to be true every week?
jupistar: A little of both, actually. I’ve had the “when will the other shoe drop” mentality ever since VJ came to town. And that first season – omg… I was so mad he didn’t lose his job. Then last season, the defense was crazy good and I’m so glad he didn’t lose his job. This year, they’re even better (howdy Hufanga, welcome, please stay awhile). But I haven’t lost the shoe-dropping fear since Miami two years ago. This year the Giants dropped 32 points on us and the Colts dropped 29. Here’s the thing, and I wish it weren’t true, but we just haven’t faced many top-tier offenses. The top half of the league has the Colts, Giants, Chiefs, and Cowboys. We took Prescott out of the game when we played them and that ruined their chances. But of the other three, only with the Chiefs were we able to keep the score under 20 points. I’m just… not quite there. But, here’s the thing, they’re getting better every week. And every week that passes and the other loafer doesn’t fall from the sky makes me more and more confident we’re finally reaching maturation.
MHR – There’s always so much attention on the edge rushers or the D-line or the cornerbacks – especially in Denver’s D. But is it about time to take our middle linebackers seriously? If not, what do you think of the unit this year – better, worse, good?
jupistar: I’m not sure we’ve seen enough from Greenlaw to know what we have with him. I think he just needs to get his game back and that’s going to take time. I’m so pleased with Strnad’s growth, though.
MHR – So now what is your favorite unit 
on the defense – Dline? Secondary? Edge rushers? Middle linebackers?
jupistar: This is actually a strangely hard question to answer. Every year there’s one player or one unit that lights it up and I love watching them play. This year, I just don’t have that. It’s the weirdest thing. The thing I think I enjoy watching the most is the edge… from the moment the ball is snapped and they’re collapsing the pocket in a fraction of an eye blink. It’s like fireworks on every play – ball is snapped, and bang, Bonitto or Cooper explode into motion.
After their 8 sacks of Josh Allen last night, the Texans now have 33 sacks on the season.
16 less than the Broncos 49 sacks.
https://t.co/iiurYNC0qG pic.twitter.com/DpLCZqtTTm
— RG
(@RyanGreeneDNVR)
November 21, 2025
MHR – Special teams had a rough start and Darren Rizzi’s job looked to be on the hot seat (except for the fact that he’s Payton’s guy so his job was probably secure) But what is your Bye Week grade on Rizzi and special teams?
jupistar: I’m not a buyer at this point. If we could trade coaches, I’d have him be dangled at the trade deadline just so Payton could watch his phone not ring. I’m not saying he’s terrible. ST is more than just kick coverage (though that’s extremely important). I’m just saying, there’s nothing to indicate to me we couldn’t do better
.
MHR – I get that Courtland Sutton is getting double-teamed by any smart defensive coordinator, but he’s so clutch on third and fourth down that… ?
jupistar: …that I think anyone who forgets what he brings to the stadium every week has their head buried in the sand. Sutton has been one of my favorite Broncos players for a very long time and not
just because of his skill. He exemplifies what I think of when I think of the Broncos. Passion, awesome attitude, work ethic, team first. And he’s a talker – I mean, a straight up “yapper”. Kid can’t get a question from an interviewer without giving us another “…and…” when his point was already made. But his smile and joy of the game is so infectious. And even in defeat, I don’t think he’s ever really down. But yeah, his clutch gene is straight up from the same ancestor as Nix’s. The two most clutch players on offense: Nix and Sutton. Good pairing to have, when you think about it.
MHR – Is running back a position you expect it to target in the 2026 Draft? What kind of additional running back would you like to see in Denver?
jupistar: You asked a similar question of BayAreaUnitedinOrange last year and his response was quite prescient. We did almost exactly what he expected us to do with our pick in Harvey. But with Dobbins down, 1 year deal, maybe not back next year – I think Payton picks high for a heavier, more-proven RB – we need a quality RB of the Dobbins/Estime size to get us downhill yards. I love Jaleel, though. Somehow he keeps producing when given a chance. A RB with the patience and vision to find the holes and explode through them.
MHR – At this point in the season, give some grades for the following (can grade as a group or just specific individuals within the group). Add as much or as little explanation as you’d like!
- Bo Nix: B+ (I’d give him an A if he could get a little more consistency to go along with alien 4th quarter play)
- Offensive line: B (I think this line would give up a lot more sacks if Nix didn’t seem to have two additional eyes in the back of his head, or Payton didn’t call up so many boots/rollouts)
- Running backs: C (would be an A if Dobbins were not on IR)
- WRs: B (separation seems to be continuous problem with our WRs). According to pro-football-reference, the rating of the passer when throwing to our receivers from highest to lowest goes like this: Mims, Sutton, Bryant, Franklin (not counting TE or RB targets). Now, I know this stat, in a vacuum doesn’t say much. But it’s interesting.
- TEs/FB: C (will the real Evan Engram please stand up? 10% drop rate is Jerry Jeudy territory)
- Secondary: A- (just those damned DPIs that piss everyone off)
- D-line: A(wesome)
- Edge rushers: A(wesome)
- Special Teams coverage: D
- Marvin Mims: B+
- Will Lutz: A+
- Jeremy Crawshaw: A-
MHR – How would you grade Sean Payton? Is he Coach of the Year yet or JAG?
jupistar: Wow. “You’re a hard marker, aren’t you? People are either in or they’re out. Strictly pass or fail.” (
A Man Without a Face, 1993). Sean Payton has very few losing seasons. And since he’s come to town, the team has steadily gotten better and better. A lot of that is attributable to defense and not offense, though. So…is he just lucky to have found a winning combination of defensive players and defensive coaches? I don’t know. But he gets the blame when everything goes bad, so here’s me tipping my hat to the dude.
MHR – Which players would be your midseason MVPs on offense? Defense? ST?
jupistar: Nix, Hufanga, Lutz
MHR – The next game on the schedule is the Commanders…which may not be the contest it seemed it would be back in August. But it is prime-time and it would be 10 wins. It also would mean continuing the win streak. How important do you think it is to win right after the bye?
jupistar: My fear with long rests is that the team doesn’t come out refreshed and recharged like we might think, but rather lethargic and with not quite enough energy. Seen it before and it always scares me. So, if they come out and pick up the win against the Commanders, they not only continue the success, but they get back into rhythm for the remainder of the season. Yeah, that first game back is important. Not to their record, but to their momentum.
MHR – What is your favorite thing about this year’s Broncos team? How does your love for this year’s group compare to your “favorite Broncos teams” of the past?
jupistar: I’m not in love with this group, yet. I’m still waiting for the next Shannon Sharpe or Ed McCaffrey on offense. I’m still waiting for the next TD. But I’m hopeful for this team. They’re all so young, still, with lots of room for improvement. Lots.
"When Sean Payton came out to Eugene we talked football for hours..
He has so much knowledge and experience that I can learn from..
My Quarterback Coach Davis Webb always prepares me extremely well" ~
@BoNix10 #PMSLive https://t.co/8kLkRXUbPz pic.twitter.com/BVFpquN3FY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow)
November 21, 2025
Predictions
Total passing yards, passing TDs, rushing yards for Bo Nix by season’s end? Looking at the defenses he’s playing, I think his trajectory stays flat: 3750 passing yards, 27 TDs, 350 rushing yards.
Number of games with a running back over 100 yards in a game? We’ve only had four games with total rushing yards > 100, and JK Dobbins got 2 in those four. Next we have three teams who are pretty tough against the run, the Chiefs who are middling but stuffed us, and two who are relatively poor (Commanders and Chargers). *If* Payton leans into and we feed it to Jaleel, he could probably get to 100 in one of those two. I’m going to say that doesn’t happen. We end up with just the two games with Dobbins.
Total touchdowns caught among WRs/TEs? 21
Team totals for sacks, INTs and forced fumbles by season’s end? I think we break 80 by the end of the season. Getting that extra game of sacks will allow us to break the record. But INTs and forced fumbles? Sheesh – if we get any more, I’ll call it icing. Seriously, over 11 games, we’ve only forced 6 fumbles and 6 INTs. Okay, so, say 3 more each. For a total of 9 and 9.
Who gets the most sacks for the team by Week 18? Oh, toughie. Bonitto is currently in the lead, but teams are keying on him. I think it’s neck and neck at the end, but Cooper will win it by 0.5 a sack.
Who ends up with the most tackles? Depends on when Singleton comes back, if he’s at 100%, and if he’s still a starter. Too many ifs, I’m going with Hufanga.
Which team wins the AFC West? Well, it would be mighty difficult for any other team in AFCW to overtake us in 6 games. We’d have to really just implode. I expect a beatdown party on the Raiders as a sort-of make-up for the pitiful showing in the last game. I think we take the Chargers this time. I think the Chiefs might get us, though, in Arrowhead. Too much history on their side – close game in Denver, home field advantage, winter in Arrowhead, fighting for their playoff lives. So, yeah, we do… I think we have 12 wins almost baked in at this point. The key is beating the Chargers in case they pull off a tie record.
The entire AFC? Honestly, I think the Colts are the most well-rounded team right now. I’m not saying they’re the better team of players, but they’re playing better than we are overall. More disciplined, better offensive output, solid – but not great – defense. But the Patriots look like they have the easiest remaining schedule. Us or the Pats. So, then, Us. Because it’s the Broncos Super Bowl to lose.
Final record this season? 13-4
"The fact that a guy like you is taking the time to come talk to high school kids — it doesn't get any better than that."
@TalanoaHufanga & some of his teammates showed up at Dave Logan's HS football playoff game
pic.twitter.com/JdjYv7eIb0
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)
November 21, 2025
The Favorites
Favorite John Elway win outside of the Super Bowls? I’m not sure what I said last time, but I’m going to refer to that Pittsburgh game. It was an important moment in my understanding of the game and what being a “winning” team means.
Favorite Broncos win ever? I can’t ever seem to stop the joy in my heart when I think about the Helicopter.
Favorite Broncos win between SXXXII and SB50? SB32
Favorite Peyton Manning win? Patriots AFC Championship – but it wasn’t really about PFM that game.
Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? It used to be Raiders and if they ever start getting uppity again, they’ll become the “most” again. For now? They’re harmless and the fun I get watching the Chiefs lose to us… well, they just annoy me so much.
Coach you laugh at the most in the NFL? Funny enough, Sean Payton – affectionately, though. Dude just cannot finish a complete thought before another thought jumps into his head and causes him to derail. Plus, he says crap you’re not supposed to say, and that’s always funny.
Coach you most want to throat punch? I can’t think of any head coaches that annoy me. There are some that remind me of my mother saying, “Bless your heart.” But they don’t bother me the way Josh/Nathaniel used to. And assistants just don’t matter that much.
Team you hate to lose to the most in the rest of the AFC? Lately, it’s a tie between the Bills and the Pats.
NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? The 49ers – I always feel like they’re our NFC brothers. Between the Lynch and Shanahan connection, they just feel close.
NFC team you want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? The 49ers. That way I win big or win little, either way. I’d feel kind of bad, though, if we faced the 49ers in this Superbowl and dashed young Shanny’s hopes of finally winning one after so many losses as either OC or HC.
Favorite game already this season? The Giants game. I was standing in my living room by the end of it. As long as Bo Nix continues his trajectory as our forever QB, that will end up being his The Drive – but more like The Quarter.
Rank the remaining games from easiest to hardest): Raiders, Commanders, Chargers, Jaguars, Packers, Chiefs
Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Still gotta go with Sutton. Always makes me smile.
Favorite Broncos player of all time not named John Elway? I gave a different answer last time. Maybe I’ll get to rotate through my favorite players of all time not named Elway: Terrell Davis. Class f’ing act with that dude.
Favorite new guy/rookie on the team? New guy: Hufanga, Rookie: Crashaw – only because of his outsized impact on the team.
Favorite game analyst/commentator? I like listening to Romo – he drops knowledge a lot.
Favorite Broncos uniform this season? No
Second favorite Broncos uniform because I’m sure I know the first! Just no.
Who is on your Broncos’ Mount Rushmore? No change, I suspect from what I said last time, Elway, Davis, Smith, and Sharpe
How did you become a Broncos’ fan?
No one in my family, extended or otherwise, follows football. My wife has to hear about it, but only under duress. I grew up during my formative years in Cheyenne, then Casper. So, the Broncos and Elway were the team to follow. It infected me and now I’m still following closely all these years (40ish) later. I’ve moved around a lot in my life and I’ve tried to root for other teams. But it’s not the same. They just never felt like the team I’m the fan of.
The soundtrack to our season.
There's nothing better than Dave Logan on the
#AsISawIt x
@koacolorado pic.twitter.com/06t2PNEof7
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)
November 22, 2025
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