Down goes Kansas City: ESPN prediction gives the Denver Broncos a huge boost just days before the regular season begins

The Denver Broncos are looking to take an important next step in the 2025 season. With Bo Nix heading into his second season in the NFL, and head coach Sean Payton talking about how this team has what it takes to win a Super Bowl, Broncos Country is rightfully excited for the regular season to begin.

Seth Walder from ESPN gave the fan base yet another reason to celebrate, as their prediction has the Broncos winning their division and stealing the AFC West crown from the Kansas City Chiefs. Remember the Russell Wilson experiment a few years ago? It feels like a lifetime. Now with a stout defense and an up-and-coming offense, Denver is hoping that it’s more of a fact than a prediction when the regular season ends, and that they can finally dethrone the Chiefs.

Denver takes down Kansas City (and the Raiders and Chargers)

The Broncos share a division with the Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Las Vegas Raiders. Surprisingly, in his prediction, it all comes down to a Week 18 matchup between the Broncos and the Chargers for all the marbles, or the division in this scenario. Denver hasn’t won a division title since 2015, the same year it won the Super Bowl. Since then, Kansas City has run roughshod over the division, winning nine straight titles—not this season, though.

_{“Denver became the first team in a decade to dethrone the Chiefs from their AFC West crown. Tied with the Chargers at 8-8 entering Week 18, the Broncos secured the division title with an 18-15 win over Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers.”}

It’s no secret that Denver has one of the top defenses in the NFL and looked like the “No Fly Zone” in 2024, allowing the second-fewest yards per carry (3.9), while being No. 3 in the league in defensive points allowed. Adding to the fun they had on defense, six different players recorded at least five sacks for the team in 2024: Nik Bonitto (13.5), Jonathon Cooper (10.5), Zach Allen (eight and a half), John Franklin-Myers (seven), Jonah Elliss (five), and Dondrea Tillman (five). Walder’s prediction also has Denver finishing the season ranked first in defensive EPA per play.

Denver’s defense could be better

Denver’s defense has gotten its flowers on more than one occasion this offseason, with Gennaro Filice from NFL.com slating them as his No. 1 overall defense heading into the season. One of the big contributing factors is the team returning 14 of their top 15 players in defensive snaps, with Cody Barton being the lone loss.

_{“They signed big-ticket free agents Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga and then spent their first-round pick on versatile defensive back Jahdae Barron. So, the group that led the league in sacks and defensive EPA (expected points added) just got better.”}

With all the talk of the defense, there’s also the rise of Nix and the offense. While it didn’t dive into too many details on how the offense would operate, training camp and preseason have given fans a sneak peek at what the team may look like in the regular season. From Peyton Manning showering Nix with praise to Payton talking about how the quarterback has taken everything in stride and looks ready to take the league by storm, the offense may be just as exciting as the defense.

Winning the division sounds great, but there’s plenty of football to be played between now and Week 18. Broncos Country won’t have to wait long to see their team play in some meaningful football, as the season-opener is set to begin on Sept. 7 with the Tennessee Titans coming into town. Payton has talked over and over about a Super Bowl—dethroning the Chiefs would be a good first step.