The Denver Broncos are entering Week 10 of the NFL season, heading to Buffalo for a Monday night contest, which all of a sudden has massive playoff implications for both teams. Denver comes to town at 3-5 but riding high after an impressive win against the Kansas City Chiefs, along with three weeks of improved play, which has Denver beginning to look like a team that is starting to find their way. While defeating the Bills in Buffalo seemed like an impossible task only a few weeks ago, the Bills are currently sitting at a 5-4 record, losing 2 out of their last 3, and overall have not looked like the dominant AFC contender they were projected to be before the season. With the Broncos ascending and a Bills team looking to find their identity, the question now relevant is: if Denver wins in Buffalo, are they a serious playoff contender? Answer: yes, here are three reasons why Denver could shock the NFL world and make the playoffs.

#1 The Defense is Improving

Sine their South Beach vacation when the Denver Broncos traveled down to Miami for a Week 3 dud against the Dolphins where Denver gifted Miami 70 points and decided to take a vacation day rather than show up to play a football game; Denver has rebounded defensively due to a team that is starting to gel under Defensive Coordinator, Vance Joseph along with some roster moves, which are starting to make an impact and producing a defensive squad Broncos Country has been used to watching over the last few years.

Before the trade deadline, Denver traded free agent bust Randy Gregory, who signed a 5-year $70 million contract last season, to San Francisco, who, by coincidence, still has not won with the 49ers since being traded. The team also waived Frank Clark after the Linebacker agreed to a pay cut from his base salary of $3.5 million to the base salary of $841 thousand, making it possible for the team to waive him with a reduced salary cap hit. The roster moves have paved the way for Denver’s young outside linebackers, Jonathan Cooper and Nick Benito, to get more reps combined with last year’s breakout outside line backer, Baron Browning, to return following an injury and provide a spark to the defensive pass rush.

The revamped Broncos pash rush has been excellent the last few weeks. Nick Benito and Amare Cooper combined for a strip sack for a touchdown combo against Green Bay along with Baron Browning harassing opposing quarterbacks, which all of a sudden has created more opportunities for turnovers and slowed down offensive passing attacks.

The defensive rebound continued with the return of Justin Simmons and improved secondary play. Simmons importance to the Broncos cannot be understated regarding his leadership and big play impact he brings to the Denver secondary. Simmons missed time earlier in the year, but since his return, not only did Patrick Mahomes notice as the Broncos safety added to his title of being the leader of the Mahomes interception club during Denver’s recent impressive defensive performances against the Chiefs, but combined with the play of PJ Locke, Delarrin Turner-Yell, Fabian Moreau, and of course Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos’ secondary has settled down and played well.

With an improved pass rush and a defensive secondary now in sync the Broncos are starting to look like a playoff defense capable of help lead Denver back to the playoffs.

# 2 Javonte Williams and Jaleel McGloughlin

Running Back Javonte Williams might be superhuman. Since tearing his ACL against the Raiders in October last year, Williams has not only returned to the field far ahead of schedule, but what might be more impressive is the level of back he is returning to. The Broncos’ star running back is looking like his old self, which before the injury had him as a repeat contestant on the NFL Network’s Angry Runs Segment, running over defensive players, as some would say is “beast mode” like. While there is still a ways to go before we can restart the Marshawn Lynch comparisons, Javonte Williams looks strong, healthy, and a real force, which could be a real problem in the second half for opposing defenses.

The Broncos running back room with Javonte Williams alone would be enough to say Denver’s running game is promising, along with the play of Jaleel McGloughlin and Samaje Perine; the Broncos have one of the best running back rooms in the league.

McGloughlin, the talented undrafted rookie out of Youngstown State, has burst onto the scene in 2023 and looks to be a star in the making. Midway through the season, he is averaging 7.1 yards per carry and is a back who does nothing but make plays. McGoughlin is small and shifty but has demonstrated that he can move the chains and provide a spark to the Denver offense. Combined with Perine, who is a good pass-catching back, both provide Denver with a deep backfield poised to make a playoff run.

# 3 Russell Wilson

Proponents of Wilson for weeks have claimed Russell Wilson is reverting back to his old self and starting to settle into being the Broncos quarterback. Wilson has demonstrated this season to manage the offense, take care of the ball, and become one of the league leaders in touchdown passes with a good TD to INT ratio. While his statistics are better, that is not why Wilson is poised to go on a run to lift Denver to the playoffs.

Before traded to Denver, some Wilson critics claimed the Seahawks traded Wilson because he was physically washed and not able to make plays with his legs, well that hasn’t been the case as Wilson has looked good physically and has over 200 yards rushing for the year.

Continued criticism of Wilson is his inability to replicate Drew Brees ability to play from the pocket, therefor he is a shell of his former self and the Broncos should look to draft a new quarterback in 2024.

This claim does have some truth to it. Russell Wilson is not an elite quarterback in a spread out wide receiver set playing from the pocket. However it does pose some questions like would Tom Brady be good running the Lamar Jackson offense? How would Caleb Williams look today under center? Is Patrick Mahomes the same player without Tyreke Hill and his elite receivers? Heck, it even took Mike Shanahan to tell John Elway the Broncos were going to give him a good running game to help him get that first Super Bowl Championship. Elway sure looked a lot of better with Terrell Davis running the ball which can be the same for the current Broncos quarterback. Like any quarterback, Russell Wilson needs to be in an offensive talent built around his skill to make him successful, which we are starting to see in Denver.

In Seattle, Russell Wilson was building a hall of fame career based on a strong running game, good defense, and big play making abilities. Pete Carroll knew how to use Wilson so in Denver we are starting to see the same thing from Sean Payton.

Sean Payton has been leaning about what his current players can do and to what extent can Russell Wilson run his offense. Payton has shown a new commitment to running the ball which is going to force opposing defenses to add more resources to stop the Broncos running game.

With the Broncos, we are starting to see two out of three ingredients in place, with the third ingredient ready to be added to the Broncos’ playoff dish. The improved defensive effort, along with the Broncos’ running game opening up passing opportunities, the Broncos’ quarterback is set up to start making the big plays he has been making his whole career.

We have started to see a chemistry develop between Wilson and wide receiver Courtland Sutton, while rookie Marvin Mims Jr has shown big play ability, and despite a quiet first half of the season, receiver Jerry Jeudy has shown some of what made him the number nine pick in the draft with a TD and an impressive catch during the Kansas City game.

As Wilson improves it is important to remember he is only eight games into learning Sean Payton’s offense, which there has been steady progression and we are starting to see Payton setting up Wilson to succeed. If Denver is able to get their big play ability going into the second half then Russell Wilson is set up to break out in the second half.

The Denver Broncos are emerging as serious playoff contenders as they enter Week 10 of the NFL season. With their defense improving and creating more opportunities for turnovers, the Broncos are starting to resemble their dominant defensive squads of the past. The return of key players like Justin Simmons has bolstered their secondary, providing stability and playmaking ability.

On the offensive side, the Broncos have a formidable running game led by the superhuman Javonte Williams, who has made a remarkable recovery from injury and is wreaking havoc on opposing defenses. Coupled with the emergence of Jaleel McGloughlin and the versatility of Samaje Perine, the Broncos have one of the most dynamic running back rooms in the league.

Perhaps the biggest factor in the Broncos’ playoff aspirations is the steady progress and adaptation of Russell Wilson as the team’s quarterback. Wilson has shown his ability to manage the offense, take care of the ball, and make plays both through the air and on the ground. With the offensive talent starting to be built around his skill set, Wilson has the potential to become the big playmaker he has been throughout his career.

As the season progresses, it will be fascinating to see how the Broncos continue to grow and solidify their position as playoff contenders. If their defense continues to improve, their running game remains potent, and Russell Wilson hits his stride, the NFL world may indeed be shocked by the Denver Broncos’ playoff run. Keep an eye on this team, as they have all the ingredients to make a deep postseason push.