2026 Denver Broncos Predictions with Best Bets and Odds to Win the Super Bowl

by Spencer Toth - 8/12/2026

The Denver Broncos were inches away from reaching the Super Bowl last season after losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. The weather certainly played a role, as did the fact that they were without Bo Nix due to a broken ankle suffered in overtime of the Divisional Round. A sturdy Broncos defense led by the legendary Sean Payton will take care of business on one side of the ball, while Nix is already proving he could be the next great quarterback to don the legendary Broncos orange. Can Denver build on their momentum with another stellar year, or will their only chance to reach the Super Bowl stay in the rearview mirror?

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Denver Broncos Offseason Recap

The Broncos defense was one of the best units in the league last season, logging a league-leading and franchise record-breaking 68 sacks. Everything went right for the Broncos on the defensive side of the ball, and they will be running it back with a nearly identical starting unit heading into this year.

On offense, the Broncos needed a fresh face, and they made a big splash by acquiring Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins. Denver has been craving a legitimate threat at receiver for the last decade, and they now have Waddle to line up alongside Courtland Sutton. He wasn’t cheap, costing Denver a first, third, and fourth-round draft pick, but none of that will matter if Waddle plays up to his potential. He eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his first three years with the Dolphins despite sharing the ball with Tyreek Hill and playing just 14 games in 2023. He was a crucial member of a high-flying Dolphins offense and continued to stay productive with 910 yards on 64 receptions last season. Waddle has been one of the most consistent receivers in the league over the last five years, and should help elevate a mediocre Broncos offense. Waddle isn’t a large and dominant receiver who can win 50/50 balls, but he more than makes up for it with elite speed and the ability to pick up yards after the catch. Head coach Sean Payton will be licking his lips thinking of how to integrate Waddle into the Broncos offense, as he is the perfect player for his creative coaching style.

Otherwise, the Broncos will be looking to retool with new talent within. Former quarterbacks coach Davis Webb was promoted to offensive coordinator, although Payton will still call plays, and the Broncos prioritized the tight end position with multiple draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Expect to see the Broncos run plenty of sets with multiple blockers in the hopes of jumpstarting a new-look offense.

2026 Denver Broncos Season Expectations

Were it not for Bo Nix’s ankle injury, a late blocked field goal, or the terrible conditions in the second half of the AFC Championship game, the Broncos would have been heading to the Super Bowl. Football is a game that will always have ‘what ifs’, but it is hard to find many other teams with the bad luck Denver had last year. After storming to the top of the AFC with a 14-3 record, the Broncos knocked off the Bills in a clutch overtime victory. Heading into this year with a revamped offense, a healthy quarterback, and a dominant defense, nothing short of another deep playoff run will suffice in Denver.

Bo Nix has been good, not great, during his first two years in the NFL when compared to the league’s best quarterbacks. The fact that the Broncos' defense helped surge them to the top of the standings put Nix’s game under the microscope and made it look like he wasn’t progressing as he should have. However, the reality is that Nix has all the tools needed to be a strong pocket quarterback, but also has the legs and mobility to make runs down the field. Assuming his ankle will be at 100% heading into the new year, Nix certainly has the ability to shock the league once again. He finally has some weapons to work with at receiver, with Sutton, Waddle, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims Jr. all capable of making big plays. Couple that with a trio of strong running backs, and this could easily be a top-ten offensive unit.

On defense, the Broncos are even better. Their 68 sacks last season were not only the most in the league, but the Broncos were in a tier of their own. They had 11 more sacks than the second-place Atlanta Falcons, while the fourth-place Detroit Lions were closer to the 31st-place New York Jets than they were to Denver. Nik Bonitto consistently made an impact from linebacker with a team-high 14 sacks, but the pressure came from all sides. A total of 17 Broncos recorded at least half a sack, with 12 of them logging multiple sacks. Getting consistent pressure on the quarterback is a great way to win in this league, and the Broncos will once again be a daunting unit in that regard. They were also 7th in yards allowed per game and 4th in touchdowns allowed, further emphasizing what is possible with this group of players.

2026 Denver Broncos Schedule Breakdown

The Broncos cruised to the AFC West title last season, snapping the Chiefs' streak of nine consecutive division titles. This year, their divisional games will not be as easy, as a motivated Patrick Mahomes and a sneaky Los Angeles Chargers team will make for four difficult matchups. Overall, the Broncos have the 11th-easiest schedule based on this year’s win totals, putting them near the middle of the pack.

The Broncos' schedule is a tale of two halves, and we will learn very early on what this team is made of. They open up the year at Arrowhead on Monday night, before hosting the Rams and Jaguars in the next two games, both very highly rated teams. It doesn’t get any easier either as they travel to the 49ers and Chargers in the next two weeks before hosting the reigning champion Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. If they can survive the first six weeks with a .500 record, the road to the playoffs gets a whole lot easier. Their next seven games feature just one team expected to have a winning record, and include their Week 10 bye. They close things out with the Bills, Patriots, and Chargers, but could be riding a massive win streak by that point.

2026 Denver Broncos Odds

The Denver Broncos had the best record in the AFC last season, but are expected to regress this year. Their win total is set at 9.5 wins with -130 odds to the over, and they trail both the Chiefs (+165) and Chargers (+185) with +200 odds to win the AFC West. They are far from a lock to make the playoffs with -140 odds to do so, and the oddsmakers have lowered their ceiling significantly this year. Despite doing so last year, the Broncos have +2000 odds to finish with the best regular-season record, which puts them outside the top ten.

Looking to the postseason, the Broncos have +1000 odds to win the AFC, good for joint-seventh with the Bengals, and +2000 odds to win the Super Bowl.

2026 Denver Broncos Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Broncos will be interesting to figure out this season. Their defense was truly remarkable last year, which allowed them to rack up wins with an average offense. On one side of the coin, if the offense improves, the Broncos could once again be leading the AFC heading into the playoffs. On the other hand, if their offense remains average and their defense dips, suddenly they will be on the outside looking in on the playoff race. I’ll be betting on the former.

A 9.5 win total for Denver is flat-out disrespectful. They took care of business on the back of strong defensive showings and can easily be one of the best teams once again. Bo Nix will only continue to develop; he has flashy new toys to play with on offense, and a team-first defensive buy-in makes it hard to defuse the Denver defense. This team put 14 wins on the board last season, and expecting a sudden drop-off with an easier-than-average schedule is ludicrous. The Broncos traded away some of their future to win now on Nix’s rookie contract, and that is exactly what they will do.

In terms of how to attack them in the regular season, I am all over their win totals and alternative win totals. Not only do I think the Broncos can win 10+ games, but I see a 12-5 record well within reach. Denver has +260 odds to secure 12+ wins, which would still be a two-game dropoff compared to last year. I am high on the Chargers too, which means I won’t touch their division price, but will happily take their standard win total with a sprinkle on the alternative one too.

In the playoffs, I am staying away. Denver’s defense will allow them to dominate against the bottom two-thirds of the league, but I think Nix is still one year away from taking the next step against the best of the best. The AFC was decimated with injuries, and the Broncos got the bye on a tiebreaker, which is unlikely to happen again. Nix and company would need to win three playoff games to cash the +1000 AFC ticket, and we are probably better off waiting and seeing rather than locking it in now. I don’t see this price getting much shorter in the near future, and if the Broncos stumble in the early stages with a tough schedule, we may get a great time to buy the dip in the middle of the season.

Pick: Denver Broncos Over 9.5 Wins -130

Top Pick: Denver Broncos 12+ Wins +260

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Start:	August 12, 2026 @ 10:00 PM
Expert:	Scott Spreitzer
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2026 Denver Broncos Predictions with Best Bets and Odds to Win the Super Bowl

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