Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - BRONCOS SQUAD SHOW: Are the Broncos the BEST Team in the AFC? | Blind Ranking the Top 10 Teams

Episode Date: June 3, 2026

The Denver Broncos were 1 win away from the Super Bowl last season. If Bo Nix were healthy for the AFC Championship game, there’s a strong possibility the Broncos go on to face the Seattle Seahawks. Last year is over and done with, but the Broncos are still expected to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Where do the Broncos rank among squads in the AFC? Are they the best team in the conference? Join Aniello Piro, Cody Roark, Sayre Bedinger and Nick Ferguson as they debate on today’s Locked On Broncos Squad Show! Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Betterhelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Anilo Piro and the Broncos are one of the best teams in the AFC. The question is, are they the best team in the AFC? Cody Roa Kamala, high sports spoiler. Yes, they freaking are. I love it. I'm Sarah Beninger. Yeah, what he said. I'm Nick Ferguson.

Of course, I got to disagree with both Sarah and Cody because there is a better team in the AFC. Okay, we'll talk about it and we'll power rank blind. Finally the top 10 teams in the AFC on today's Locked-on Broncos Squat show. Let's get into a gentleman. From the South stands, it's the Broncos squad. Everything Denver Broncos every week. Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Mile High City.

The way only the Locked-on podcast network can. Hereup and squad up. The Broncos Squad show starts now. What is going on, Broncos Country? And welcome on in to your locked-on. on Broncos squad show here on this Wednesday, June the 3rd, cannot believe we already find ourselves in the month of June. But here we are, one step closer to training camp, the regular season, OTAs starting up this

week. I believe Cody Vork will be down there, Mani Yana. So we'll have plenty to talk about throughout the course of the end of this week. And of course, into next week. But we've got the full squad here today, AP, Cody Wark, Sarah Bedinger, and Nick Ferguson. What's up, fellas? How we live it? Hey, football is back, baby.

I'm excited about it. The grass is cut. The birds are chirping. It's time to go, man. Time to lock the end. Who was the guy who was always on the field right before the birds? Cody at training camp a couple years back. What was that wide receiver's name?

Oh, I was going to say me. I was always. Yeah, you obviously. There was a one wide receiver. Caden Davis. That's right. He's still in the league, I think. Yeah.

Shoot. Good for him, man. He's finding longevity. If you know, you know, man. If you know, you know. Had to be there. Real quick. let me throw this one out there just to curve ball off the rip.

We're going to blindly rank the top 10 teams in the AFC today. We'll also touch on a little bit of Broncos OTAs, but with the big seismic news yesterday of Miles Garrett being traded to Los Angeles Rams, let's just assume for just a moment, Aaron Donald comes out of retirement. Like, let's just play this game. Are the Rams the consensus best team in the NFL? I mean, they have to do, you know?

Yeah. On paper. Yeah. They are right now. They're even without Aaron Donald, for sure. Yeah. This move did it. This move did it.

They didn't make this move, but said Broncos, we were talking about this actually on today's episode of Locked on, kind of talking about it. Like when the Jalen Waddle trade happened, everyone said, hey, this is the move of the offseason across the NFL. It's supposed to the Broncos super little favorites. And now it's like the Los Angeles Rams, I don't know where they're getting all this money, by the way, too. But man, my goodness, with Trent McDuffie's contract, you also have Devante Adams, you got Pooka Nakua, and now you got Miles Garrett and his dishulu, man. But I feel like they are one injury. away from like being in dire straits and having to figure out what to do roster-wise. So yeah, especially.

Uh, cool. See, here's where I think people have, uh, lost it. And it goes back before the draft because everyone was wondering, why were the Rams in position for Ty Simpson? He only had 15 starts. To me, this move for Miles Garrett started way back when because they knew at some point Matthew Stafford is done, right? It could be this year.

It could be another year. So what they're thinking, okay, well, we're going to. to take a page out of the 49ers book. See, the difference is the 49ers had Brock Purdy and Mr. Irrelevant. And look what they were able to do. They got to the Super Bowl with Mr. Irrelevant. Sean McVe is saying, well, you know what? I know Kyle's office. Justice, well, he's no Cowles' Out offense. So we're going to go get, go out and get our own Brock Purdy, but we're going to draft him in the first round. And also, we're going to go get Miles Garrett. And everyone's talking about what they gave up. Jared versus a one, two,

in the three in the consecutive years. Les Needs said, Eft them picks. We don't need them. We're trying to run right now, and I'll take you guys back. What Les Ney is doing and what he did with Andrew Berry is the same thing he did with George Payton. You would think about it about four or five years ago when the Rams grabbed Jalen, Jalen Ramsey, Vaughn Miller, and Odell Beckham, Jr. He said, you know what? We went another Super Bowl here at home in Los Angeles.

No one cares three years down the row. We really don't care. We got two Super Bowls. So F them picks. It works. And this is it. This is their window. Like Matthew Stafford doesn't have much longer to play.

I mean, played at an MVP level. I sure. He was incredible. But they're really trying to go all in. They're trying to get him to go out on top with the Super Bowl win and adding Miles Garrett to that defense, which their defense was already really good.

Adding that to the mix, who it's going to be, it's going to be tough one. The Broncos space in week three, Sunday night football. Prime time, baby. It's going to be fun. So tell me this guy.

guys, who on the Broncos are going to block Miles Garrett? Because you got Barry down on the upside. So, and he had 15. Gary Bowles. Gary Bowles has done a good job. He's down. I mean, that Cleveland game a couple years ago, Garrett Bowles, I mean, put the clamps on, I guess.

If you can say that about a tackle, I mean, he did. Miles Garrett, I looked it up, has four or five games against the Broncos, one and a half sacks, four quarterback hits. It's five games. four quarterback hits, one and a half sacks. So in the opportunities that he has gotten, mostly all against Bulls, because I think they came in the same draft class,

Bowles has done pretty good. Yeah. Even extra tight end help, too. That's how you do it. That's how you try to counter. Hey, we're going to live with an extra offensive tackle, maybe a tight, but you know what?

What tidying on the Broncos are you going to throw over there? I'm just saying a body, just a body. You're not putting, you're not having that guy go one-on-one against Miles, Garrett, that'd be malpractice if you were to ever ask that of anybody. But it's like, hey, Adam, we've got a chip, you got to chip this guy. Garrett's going to help. And then, you know, let's say you have a hoss of another time.

And maybe Justin Jolie's bigger body, you know, bigger frame might be something they can also use as well. But I imagine they're going to have a backside protection for miles specifically in week three. But it's going to be a tough matchup. Touch tough matchup week three for sure, at least on paper between Denver's D against that Rams. And vice versa. I think this is going to be a pro. I mean, this deserves to be a contant matchup.

Could be Super Bowl preview. And what happens if Aaron Donalds joins them by the time the Broncos face them? That's a whole different. How about we wager? Do you guys want to do a wager? Chick-fil-A wager? Oh, you know,

I got a chick-fil-a-wage-wage. I got one in my back pocket from Coach. Let's go with another one here, all right? Geez, Louise. Aaron Donald is not going to come out of retirement. Oh, I'll gladly take that back. Clably. All right.

Sounds good. and Anilo are going to have so many Chick-fil-A dates. I'm about to be up a couple months. You're about to be 1-1, brother. That's where it's at. All right. Let's do a couple of housekeeping notes, though, on the Broncos again, we're going to do our blind

rankings here of the top 10 teams in the AFC. So we'd love to get the chat involved with that one. But before we get to that, obviously OTA started what yesterday? I also got some news on Pat Sartan, which seems like it's a foregone conclusion that he's just going to make a boatload more money with the extension

or not the extension, excuse me, the, what is it like a bonus structure that they restructured contract adjustment. Yeah. So, Cody, why don't you set the table for us? OTAs on Thursday, you'll be there. Expectation, vibe check, all that kind of stuff. Well, I mean, look, I think they've already going to have two days of practice in the books, rookies and vets.

Of course, they're not going to let any of us behind the curtain. They are not even releasing pictures from the practices that took place yesterday and or today. So tomorrow is going to be Broncos' country's first look at the 20. 26 Denver Bronco. We don't know who's going to be out there. We know who's not going to be out there. Like that right there is kind of the fun mystery. Will Bo Nix be out there?

Like that's the million dollar question. But more importantly, it's when you get to seven on seven, you get to 11 on 11. It's the positions that you can evaluate who stands out, who's making plays. Those are the things you want to see. And I'm excited for it. Just because we look, we get one practice this week, one next week. And then we get three the next week that we actually get back to back to back. So just a great opportunity.

And I'll have my handy dandy notebook out there. They're seeing who stands out and what the vibe is. Cody will be there in a pants and a hoodie. It's 95. Absolutely, brother. Absolutely. God bless you. Nick, are you going out there?

Yeah, I'll be out there. You'll see me. We're going to line up, man. One-on-ones, you and me. Let's go. You sure you want that? I got the fiercest. I got the fiercest T-step in the game, bro.

We're good. Can I bet on that too? Not in hell, we're going to go one-on-one against one another, and we both on the same side of ball. All right. Who are we going to go against? That's the thing. Well, first of all, there's no one out there covering the team that is equipped to go against either of us.

Let's be totally honest. Nick Cosmiter was a hooper. He's a hooper. He's got the size. I mean, he's got, yeah. He played basketball and he's tall. Like, I mean, that could put a fight. That's fine.

You know how many tall receivers I went up against? They can't get off the line and scrimmage you jam them, you know? I'm just saying that's probably the click. Who in the media could you possibly? Luca? Look at Luca. No. Really?

Really? Luca himself would tell you like, no. But Luca knows how to attack downhill, though. Well, don't ask Sean Pating about that one. I'm going to say, I don't know. I don't know who in the media. I mean, for you and I might be the most out of retirement. No, I mean, you know, Steve, we always say it all the time.

Steve says, I'm not, I'm not playing anymore. Like, he's like, I'm good. You know, he didn't up there. I don't think there's anybody. I think we got the advantage, Nick. Well, it's quick jam city, man. Choke them out. They should do what the Nuggets do

and have the coaching staff go up against the media in route. But like, part of me is wondering, like, I don't know, like Ronald Curry's not going to be doing that at this point. Like back of the day, he would smoke everybody. But like, they're going to have him do that. I think if anything, it's you do a media combine more than anything. But I already know a handful of guys. are not going to participate.

Cowards, bro. See if Willie Sneed will do it. See if Willie Sneed will be the player for the coach representative. He played a wide receiver? Yeah. Can't get in off the line of scrimmage. I don't know. He smoked me, man.

That's the thing. You could probably get to do something. Who? Tyler Prolumbus. No, he ain't going to do not. Do what? What is he going to do? I can get Phil.

Phil will do it. Bill ain't going to do no common, stuff for the fun of it. Bill will be the fastest. guy out there still, I bet. I'll bring it up to him on Friday. Phil's going to run those swing routes. So you get the chop off.

Yes. That's what he's going to run. Yeah. Catch a touchdown pass on his first ever NFL reception and then never get the ball thrown to him ever again after that. It's crazy how it work, man. My buddy was at the gym a couple nights ago and he's like they have a Broncos game with Case Keat and McCormack quarterback and

Philip Lindsay playing on the television. Absolutely. Oh, my gosh. Wow. It was like a fever dream. They were tapping into the archives on that one. The bad archives, too. Yeah.

That was a bad year. All right. Before we hit our first break, Cody, just anything else news and notes-wise with the Broncos. I mean, I thought the Certain stuff was pretty cool. I think that's just rewarding Certan kind of no. Like, the Broncos almost had to give Certan the restructure because they saw Sauce Gardner making $5 million more than him. And it's just like ridiculous because Certain is easily the best cornerback in the league. So that to me was more formality than anything.

But I think it also speaks to the relationship of Pat and the organization. Yeah. No, look, Pat's, Pat's going to be a legacy Bronco. That's one thing I'm excited about. But here's the thing that drives me now. It's Trent McDuffie getting paid more than he is. Sauce Gardner getting paid more than he is. Like the Broncos at the fact that they were able,

when Sarah and I were talking about this for tomorrow's episode of the show, we were talking about the fact that when the Broncos signed Pat to as an extension, right? Four year 96 mil, like, dang, that was the top cornerback contract. Reset the market right there. And then a few days later, Jalen Ramsey gets over $100 million because they wanted to restructure that to make him. Once again, the Rams doing that. But they also had to offset him because they couldn't afford to pay him. That's why he's now a Pittsburgh Steeler.

So you look at that, but then all of a sudden you have other guys getting their extensions. J.C. Horn, Derek Stingley Jr., you get Soss Gardner, unfortunately. Trent McDuffie getting the highest bag in the NFL. And McDuffie's not even close to the level of the PS2 is at. So for them, it's like, hey, we want to reward you. You get this $5 million race here. Oh, it's easy. you're going to make another easy 5 million because you just make a pro bowl or an all pro nomination.

Well, guess what? There's another 5 million head of your way. And I think easy money for Pat. That's $10 million in the bank. But, guys, to be totally honest, isn't that the nature of the business? One guy sets the market. And you hope that your contract expires at the right time. And Pat set the market for a lot of guys who are eating off of that.

And right now, when we think about the landscape of, of the NFL, hell, or just pro sports in general, every guy wants to be the highest pay, even though it may be for a week a month or even a year, but that's kind of where things are going. And you talk about Trent McDuffrey, who's now with the Rams. Hey, listen, I'm like you, Cody.

I don't know where the Rams are getting this money, but the Crockies, they got deep pockets, just like the Walton's too as well. But they're saying, okay, we are trying to go out and we're trying to solidify some of the league's top talent. And just so happens if your guy on your team sets that market, that next guy coming along, he's going to benefit. This is why I think that maybe a Trent McDuffier,

or Soss Gardner, maybe they should send PS2 a card or something, you know? Maybe a sweatshirt, a Nike sweatshirt saying, thank you for helping us get the bag. Yeah, no, and it's crazy. You bring up the cronkeys. It's like, man, that's one of the, they're such cheap, they're so cheap. The fact that they're not like, you know, when it comes to the nuggets, the abs, they don't want to pay certain guys.

They can't do this. They can't do that. It drives me nuts. But that's another story for another day. Yeah. All right. Let's hit our break because I want to have some fun here today. We have fun every day, but I love this topic today, kind of blind ranking the top 10 teams

in the AFC, the AFC in particular. We can maybe even do NFL at some point throughout the course of this offseason just in general. But let's hit a quick break. We'll come back. We'll do just that. We'll start with 10. We'll work our way up to one. And we'll have some fun here on your Locked on Broncos squad show back after this.

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Make sure to check out our friends over at BetterHelp. It's convenient, flexible online therapy. Just be sure to check it out at BetterHelp.com slash lockdown. And let them know that Lockdown Broncos sent you. All right, well, come back into your Lockdown Bronco squad show. AP, Cody Works, Sarah Bedinger, and Nick Ferguson. We've got the whole squad here today. And Cody, good time to tell the fine folks about the Everydayer Club.

Yeah, if you just want a daily Broncos fix, completely uninterrupted, ad free. the Everyday Air Club Lockdown Broncos. That supercast.com or the link in the show notes below to start your seven-day free trial here today. Be sure to check out that Everyday Air Club, Cody and Sarah, absolutely crush it. Okay, without further ado, gentlemen, let's get into our blind ranking

of the top 10 teams and the AFC. So here's how it's going to work. I will throw out a team and we will, I would assume, just go around the horn here. I wouldn't even throw out a team. I'd just say number 10 and go around and see who we have a 10. And we'll name the team. Yeah.

All right. I like that. I like that. Well, because you might, you might spoil. You might mention a team name and you might spoil number two, number three, you know, with that. So I think, and you know what's interesting about the AFC is there's like 11 or 12 really good teams, I think, or like competitive, like playoff caliber teams.

So how we end up ranking them, I think is going to be fascinating. So. If I were to tell you, no, go ahead. I was going to say, what if I were to tell you? I don't even, the chiefs aren't even on the radar right now. Well, you've already kind of given us a nice. idea of what your top 10 is going to look like by doing that. Well, good.

That's fine. I want people to know Kansas City is not even in it. All right. Okay. So are we ready to reveal our number 10 team then? I can't show you my whiteboard because I'll give away the whole entire one. But I'll tell you who 10 is. But yeah, AP set it up for us.

Okay. So we can do it one by one. Yeah, let's do it one by one. We'll have some fun here. All right. So who do you guys have for your number 10 team? I'll start with you, Mr. Work. We'll go to Sarah, Nick, and then myself.

I have, in terms of the end, folks, preface this. If you're just now tuning in, we are doing this based on the AFC, not the NFL, the AFC, so 16 teams in the conference. I'm going to go with the Pittsburgh Steelers at number 10. Obviously, I think defensively, they got some really good pieces. They have some question marks, obviously, with Mike Tomlin no longer being there. Tomlin was kind of the standard for a winning season every single year with that team. Aaron Rogers is obviously back for one last hurrah.

and they have some more, I'd say, improved playmakers around him right now coming into this upcoming season. Biggest question, though, Mike McCarthy, Rogers in his last year, not as mobile, not as good as he used to be. But still, I think because of that defense, because some of the playmakers they have, and I think they'll be able to run the ball a little bit better this upcoming season, I got them as number 10 on my power rankings in the AFC. Okay, I like it. Sarah, where are you going? Oh, I bet you're my number 10 team, I bet you none of you guys have them on your list.

I've got the Tennessee Titans as the number 10 team in the AFC. I think they're going to be the team that makes a massive jump in the AFC this year. First of all, absolutely love Robert Sala as a head coach. Second of all, Brian Dable for Cam Ward is, I mean, that's going to be perfect for him. We've seen what Dable can do with Josh Allen, his first year with Daniel Jones. Even last year, Jackson Dart, I think he's going to be really good for Cam Ward. And then they go out and get him weapons like Wondale Robinson coming in after his best. year of his career.

Carnell Tate, their top pick in the draft. Plus, you guys know, we saw it with the Denver Broncos in 2023. If you upgrade in the trenches, you raised the floor of your team. So who did the Titans go get this off season? The win got John Frank the Myers away from the Denver Broncos. Yeah, everybody. They trade for Jermaine Johnson. They draft Keldrick Falk in the first round.

They upgraded their defensive trenches around Jeffrey Simmons big time. And they spent a lot of money elsewhere. So I think the Titans are going to be that break. out team in the AFC. I wanted to make sure I got them in the top 10 without having too much of a hot take, but they're my number 10 team. All right. I kind of like that. That is a hot take, but it's based, right? Dayball, Sala, K. I have Ward taking a step. I don't mind that. I don't mind that. Nick, where you going? I'm going to go with Kansas City. And I know Cody said he's going to omit them from his list. Hey, I know why. But the reason I'm putting them at 10 because

they have great coaching between Andy Reed, Spagnola, on the defense, and you bring back Arabi Enemy. Now you have Patrick Mahomes coming off, Andrew, we don't know exactly what that's going to look like. They're projecting him to play in that first Monday night football game at home, hosting the Broncos. I wouldn't encourage that, but hey, I digress. But when I look at, you know, some of the rankings from last year,

they were 25th in sacks. And they only had 25 sacks last season. And that goes something opposed to what Spagnolla has done historically in his team as a defensive coordinator, whether it was with the Giants or whether it was with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, they rank 25th as far as rushing offense. That is something that they're going to improve with Emmett Johnson and Kenneth Walker. And once again, knowing Eric B. Enemy in his past, they're going to run around the ball.

They're going to lean on these two running back so you can expect a lot of play action. But the biggest reason I'm putting them at 10 because Patrick Mahomes is coming back. He's coming off an injury. they haven't done too well defensively creating turnovers and sacks and then the other thing you know Travis Kelsey's coming back for his final hurrah farewell tour but he is not himself and he's still slow as a tied in so Kansas City my number 10 team and the AFC okay I can respect that I can respect that I agree with coding I'm going with the Pittsburgh Steelers okay I number 10 team in the AFC I just I don't know man like We'll ultimately see what happens.

I think there's a lot of people that are expecting the bottom to fall out with them. But I have a lot of respect for Mike McCarthy. I think the guy knows how to win games in the regular season. I've said before, I'll say it again. I'm an Aaron Rogers guy. He's probably the most talented quarterback that I've ever seen in my time watching the NFL. I understand he's damaged goods and old and on his way out of the league. The other team that I debated here, so they're not going to make my list, is the Indianapolis Colts.

I'm just still kind of down and out curiosity with Daniel Jones and kind of the future of that organization. I thought they were a bit of a fluke team even before the Daniel Jones injuries last year. So I'm going to go with the Pittsburgh Steelers at number 10, agreeing with Mr. Rourke. Interesting, though. Interesting. A claim about Danny Dimes and the Colts and what they're able to do. People are going to love what I have to say about the Patriots, whatever I bring them. Where are you going for number nine, Cody?

I am going to go with the Baltimore Ravens. Obviously, last year was a rough year. Lamar was dealing with some injuries defensively. they weren't necessarily great, but they've gotten better in that department. Obviously, now they add Trey Hendrickson, Clayas Campbell is back in the mix, but I think the biggest upgrade they made this offseason getting Jesse Minter as the head coach. What he's going to bring to the table, I think philosophically for that defense, even if some of the personnel, they have some same pieces from last year,

they're going to be a much better unit right now on paper. And I think, and especially with how they drafted, Lamar coming back into the mix, I think the biggest question for them is going to be, can he remain healthy? I mean, you look at the weapons that you have there. you've got Rashad Bateman still Zave Flowers. You know, Ronnie Stanley is still back with you as well. Mark Andrews back, which was surprising. I mean, I thought we all thought Mark Andrews is going to be on his way out.

And Isaiah likely was going to be the next tight end one for them. But definitely that's not what happened there. But I think that the Ravens number nine in the AFC right now. And it'll probably make a little bit more sense to some people, especially I know Darren said, Darien said Ravens at 9 question mark. I'll have some reasons for, I'll have an explanation. but I think coming into the season, I think the Ravens will be much better. They'll kind of be back on the radar a little bit, especially in that AFC North.

I like it. I like it. Sarah. Yeah, I've got the Pittsburgh Steelers at number nine. I really don't love this placement for them. I don't think they're that good. I mean, I know that ninth is not, they've won the division last year. So I do see a regression for the Steelers this season, but I have three teams that I was kind of weighing in this spot between the Steelers.

the chiefs, as we've mentioned, and the Colts. And only one of them was going to make this list for me. And I went with the Steelers because I think they had the best combination of head coach, line play on both sides of the ball, as well as a quarterback that doesn't really make a ton of mistakes, right? And so I do believe what you guys have said about the Colts as well. I'm not buying the Colts really this year. I'm not buying the Chiefs really this year. I think the Chiefs are just on the outside looking in of this whole AFC discussion,

although I do think they're still going to be competitive. I think they're a dangerous team, even though I don't think they're necessarily going to have the best record. But I've got the Steelers here very, very reluctantly, I would say. I think that's fair. Nick? I am going to have to follow Sarah and go with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I know things don't look great for the Pittsburgh Steelers,

but I would encourage people to change their mind about the Steelers because of a couple of things. And I know most people are not looking at this as a huge tight. end, but McCarthy getting back with Aaron Rogers. I mean, those two guys bumped heads, but here's what I know. A lot of good things come out of a lot of friction and chaos. And when you have a second time to do things over, you do them a little different. So knowing as though this is the last dance for Aaron Rogers, he wants to put his best foot forward.

And like Sarah said, this is a guy who's a smart quarterback. He doesn't really turn a ball over. And regardless of what you think about him off the field, he is one hell of a quarterback on the field in the bona fide Hall of Famer. And when you look at the skill players and what they did this offseason upgrading, they added, you know, Michael Pittman, Michael Pittman Jr. to go with D.K. Mectad.

That's two big time wide receivers outside the numbers. And then that's going to create a lot of space for Pat Fiermoremore. And the problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers last year and Aaron Rogers was they couldn't really run the ball. So they have Jalen Warren and they added Rico Dowell from the Panthers. That should kind of give them a little more balance. But here's the other thing that helps them too. last year from a defensive standpoint, they ranked six in the league as far as sacks were concerned.

So they can get at the quarterback and make a difference because they have 48, I know it's entirely different from the Broncos, 63, but they have aspects on all three phases of their team that should make them competitive. I like that. I like that. It's going to be, I actually think the bottom five is a lot harder to rank than the top five. I mean, there's a lot of good teams in the AFC,

but I just even kind of going back and forth in my head. I'm like, okay, like this team, that team. For my number nine, and this is the team that I actually think has maybe the most upside outside of the Broncos and the AFC. But I'm going to go based off recent memory and just them not being able to figure it out defensively. I go to the Cincinnati Bengals. And it would not surprise me whatsoever if the Bengals find themselves in an AFC championship game. Just because that's how much I like Joe Burrow, I like Jamar Chase. I like what they've got going on offense.

And I know where they've struggled defensively. And I know they've tried to address that this offseason. Again, I think the Bengals have maybe the most upside of any team in the AFC, but recent memory tells me they're going to figure out a way to screw it up. Like, talent-wise, they're probably, you know, probably closer to that five or six range, if not higher. But I will put the Cincinnati Bengals as my ninth best team in the AFC. Interesting, interesting.

Paul in the chat says Raiders number nine, Raiders 16. Yeah, Raiders 60. They're not even in conversation. They're out of here. Right above the Dolphins. Cody in the Cardinals. Yeah, in the Cardinals. Numero-Ocho, Mr. Roark.

Yeah, I've got the Cincinnati Bengals at number eight. They're my team there in terms of where they're at. And the biggest thing is, can Joe Burroughs stay healthy? I mean, you talk about a guy who's, I mean, we talked about Justin Herbert last year, taking shots. Joe Burrow, I feel like he could put a mixtape together of all the hard hits he's taken throughout his career. But, I mean, I agree with you on the point, too. I think offensively, they have explosive talent across the board. defensively, they couldn't stop a nosebleed last year.

They're one of the worst defenses in recent memory in today's NFL and 20 factoring guys like Jamar Chase, T. Higgins, Yosevas. I mean, they're bringing everybody back offensively that they had for the most part last season. But they added a couple of key players defensively starting with Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence going out there and making the trade for him. And also getting Boye Amafi from the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl team. And then Brian Cook, they've upgraded their defense in a lot of areas where they have desperately needed it. Of course, they lose Trey Hendrickson. I think that the combination of

Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence together and even Maffa, I think that's going to be better on what they had with Trey Henderson. They got three really good players who can get after the quarterback here. I think they're going to be a tough team. And look, I think the AFC is going to be the toughest conference this year in comparison to what we've seen historically, you know, with the NFC. I feel like it's very top heavy. It's going to be a very big challenge for a lot of these teams, Cincinnati comes into number eight for me. I like it. You and I are one spot off there.

Sarah. Number eight. I'm going to have to throw another hot take in the mix here, guys. You know me. I'm doing it. Number 18 for me is the Jacksonville Jaguars. I know that they won the AFC South last year and they were one of the best teams in the NFL last year.

But similar to the way the 2024 Washington commanders were way ahead of schedule and caught lightning in a bottle. I think the Jacksonville Jaguars were way ahead of schedule last year, caught lightning in a bottle and lost two of their best players. Travis H.N., Aviat, running back, and then Devin Lloyd at linebacker, losing those two guys is no small deal. So to me, that's where I think we're going to see the Jaguars regress. Are they going to get outside of the AFC playoff race as a result of it?

That's where I think the discussion becomes very, very interesting because we have so many, teams that were out last year that are going to be back in this year. And in my opinion, so I've got the Jaguars at number eight, although I think easily they could be in that top five to seven range. You know what I said? I'm wondering what you did for number seven, because so far we're nine and eight, we have been right back to back. I have Jacksonville at eight myself because you lose a guy like Travis A-Chane on offense and you talk about Lloyd on defense. Those are two impact players for a team that was struggling just to kind of make themselves known and prove that Trevor Lawrence wasn't a bus.

So you take those two aspects off of offensive defense. You make it really difficult for him. And then keep in mind, every single team in the AFC, they found some way to get better. So I'm going to put Jacksonville at number eight for me. Interesting. I'll say I have Jacksonville obviously higher on my list or not my number of team. I think I have a little bit more respect for, I don't want to say more respect, but I just, I like what Liam Cohen is as a head coach. Do, bowl.

And so I think they'll figure out a way to be a really competitive team in the AFC again. Cody and I are flip-plopping here. I've got the Baltimore Ravens as my number eight team. And I think losing Harbaob, why it might not be the worst thing. I'm still just kind of like, when is this Ravens team going to live up to its potential? I know they've been really good in years past. But I think the new head coach thing is kind of a wild card factor for me, without Baltimore ultimately plays out this year. Obviously, we know that division's.

a gauntlet with Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland, you know, Cleveland's not very good, and I know they just traded Miles Garrett, but like those divisional games are always tough. So I just think there's more, there's not as much certainty, and I guess we thought theoretically there was a lot of certainty with Baltimore last year, and that didn't really shake out the way many people thought it would. I just think the jury still out on the Baltimore Ravens, again, much like the Bengals. I think they're a team with tremendous upside in their division, in the conference as a whole, but I got to see how Munkin kind of meshes with Lamar Jackson.

and how this all plays out. So I will go with the Baltimore Ravens as my number 18. Okay, so we got a few down. Let's hit a quick break. We'll cycle through some more. We'll start with our seventh best team in the NFC, excuse me.

And I've got a name that I think is going to surprise some of the fellows. We'll hit a quick break. We'll come back and do just that right here on your Locked on Broncos squad show. All right, you guys, real quick. Let me tell you about our friends over at Square because you can support today's episode

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fellas, the seventh best team in the NFL. Cody, where are you going? Well, on the AFC, I've got the Indianapolis Colts right here. I've got them going. And look, last year, like, I'm operating on the assumption. Daniel Jones is going to come back and be who we saw really on. He was in the MVP conversation last year. Obviously, played through that leg.

injury, then suffered the crazy Achilles injury. That's always tough. And when you come off in Achilles, ask Kirk cousins, it is sometimes harder to get back to kind of who you beat, who you used to be. And for Kirk, I remember coming off the injury, he almost kind of had to change his stance up a little bit. And that was one thing that he even

mentioned in the NFL quarterback documentary. But, I mean, you look at them, let's operate on the assumption. Daniel Jones comes back and plays at the level in which he was last year. Obviously, they brought back Alec Pierce this offseason, his number one go-to guy. Tyler Warren was an absolute dog last year. Taylor fully healthy is an absolute dog for them. They added Nick Westbrook-Akinne this offseason.

They still have Josh Downs, who's very, very good. And they have Ashton-Dulin as well. They have a really good receiving core. Offensive line still intact here. But they also made additions to the defense, getting Arden Key, obviously adding C.J. Allen at the linebacker position, going out and getting Bryce Betcher double dipping there and then getting A.J. Halsey at the safety position. They have a lot of talent defensively already. And so they add some of these young guys that they feel like can come fit into the mix. I've got them as much. my number seven team for that. I do think as well, they've got a good coaching staff.

Okay. I disagree to a certain extent, but I could see where you're coming from. Again, they were a fringe top 10 team for me. It would not surprise me if they find themselves in the mix, once again, for the AFC South and make the playoffs. So I think you're pretty base in your reasoning there, Cody. Where are you going, Sarah, for number seven? I hated this section right here, seven, six, and five, because I didn't know exactly how to order these teams. but I chose for number seven.

I chose the Baltimore Ravens, and I wanted to put them higher for the sake of just Lamar Jackson. Like when you talk about teams that could bounce back this season, I mean, the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry, Zay Flowers, I mean, the cast of characters is all right there. However, I will say,

I think that obviously when you have a first-time NFL head coach and a first-time NFL offensive play caller, you kind of have to give a little bit, bit of maybe seniority to the teams or coaches who have been there and done that before. And I think there's just a little bit, I'll talk about that with the teams I have after this, but I do think the Ravens are a team that with Jesse Minter calling that defense, if Lamar Jackson and Derek Henry and Zay Flowers are doing what they do, there's no reason why the Ravens will miss the playoffs again this year, other than injuries, right?

I mean, and we're kind of assuming with these lists that like either guys are going to come back, healthy or they're going to be able to, you know, get back to forms in some way, shape or form. So I have the Ravens at number seven. I think that with Minter calling the defense, that unit's going to be improved. Linderbaum, that was a big deal for their offense. But I think ultimately, man, I didn't even say Mark Andrews. Mark Andrews is back too as well. So the Ravens, they've got a lot going for them.

And I think they're going to be a really tough team once again. Nick? Yeah, I got the Cincinnati Bengals at seven. And I know with the bingoes, just think about it this way. Zach Taylor could have been a part of four firings within that division, but he was able to be saved based on what Joe Burrow could do as a quarterback. And then you look at what their defense has been historically over the past couple of years. They add Dexter Lawrence, so they should give them a boost.

They added some other guys in the secondary, which should help out. But I still don't think this is going to be enough to get them over the top. Because if you're talking about the team and you're trying to put them in the top five, or make that team the top one, you got to be good on both sides of the ball. And I know with the Cincinnati Bengals, I mean, I know what side the bread is buttered for them, and that's on the offensive side.

That's where they have the bulk of their money. So I'm going to sit them at seven for myself. Okay. I like it. I like it. This is my first hot take pick of the day. I think the seventh best team in the AFC is the rating defending AFC champion, New England Patriots.

Wow. I am not buying. I was not buying what New England was selling at all last year. I think they're going to have this first place schedule. I know Cody hates that narrative. But I think their schedule was absolute dog water last year. I remember listening to an NFL podcast. Like when they played the bills the first time,

they were like trying to make an argument for like, hey, if you bet the Patriots of the division, here's like their next eight games. And even I was dumbfounded by some of the games they had to play on that schedule. I just think they're going to come crashing back down to earth. I think Drake May is a good quarterback, obviously, an MVP candidate last year. Questions just about with Vrable and this offseason stuff, does that trickle over a little bit? A.J. Brown, obviously, in the mix as well. I just, I don't see anything necessarily with the Patriots that I fall in love with.

I think they're a solid team. I think they're a respectable team, but there's nothing about New England. I think they just capture lightning in a bottle. I think they're just a middle of the pack, AFC team. So they're my centrist. I like it. I like it. I mean, it would be nice. if they were, right? I hope you're right. But I don't think that's the case. And I don't think really the Vrabel stuff, the off season, the Rusini stuff, I don't think that's going to matter really anything now.

Because if it were, if it was, something would have already been done about it. They're proceeding forward with business as, as usual with that. They're well coached defensively. Rable is a great coach, gets the most out of that team. But yeah, I mean, I just, and they've added two pieces. Obviously, you got Romeo Dobbs and you got A.J. Brown now. That's much better than what they have. had last year collectively at that position.

So I am very curious to see how they approach it. And they want to bolster their offensive line a little bit after they got exposed in the Super Bowl. So yeah, that's an interesting. Seven best. I just think they can crumble. Like, I can see them losing four. Here's my other hot take.

I don't think the Patriots make the playoffs this year. If you want me to go hot take session. Oh, geez. New England fans are going to find you and they're going to speak eight. I'm down on New England. I really am. I really speak in my language, man. Yeah.

Who's winning? Okay. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. Never mind. So, yeah, Patriots my number seven. All right, this is where I think it narrows out naturally, but also it's a little tough to pick some teams here. Where are you going for number six?

Oh, yeah, my six and my fifth. I felt like it could easily have been swapped here. Six, I got the Los Angeles Chargers, you know, and I'm not buying too much into the height, but I think that collectively adding Mike McDaniel to the mix for them is going to help things out with Justin Herbert. Justin Herbert, naturally, good quarterback, great off play action.

They want to run the football. Harbaugh wants to run the football. Mike McDaniel. knows how to create these run game schemes. Now, I'm curious to see if their scheme is going to change a little more outside zone because McDaniel is coming over. Well, Marion Hampton is not like a Devon A-chan. He's not, they don't have the guys like that. Obviously, that Denver has experience going up against their, but they want to physically run the football, set up to play action. And you look at the skill players and certainly the Charters have, Ladd McConkey being one of them,

Trey Harris getting a lot of love, Quentin Johnston. I mean, the narratives coming out of Chargers, OTAs about these guys as a receiving unit are very interesting. And on top of that, You look at that as well. Their tight end position, or Ronda Gatson emerged last year for them. They go out and they get Charlie Colars, a blocking guy to help with that run game personnel. And then you add David Nizoku,

who is not going to be a premier guy for them. It's not going to be a tight end one for them more than likely, but I'm probably going to be a red zone threat for them. The biggest questions, in my opinion, is going to be the health status of Joe Alth and Rashon Slater. If those guys stay healthy and return to form, I think that the chargers aren't going to be a tough team here. I got them at number six.

Solid, all fair points. Sarah? Yeah, I also have the chargers at number six. I think that they are going to be really good. I mean, losing Jesse Minter is kind of going underrated, in my opinion. I think that's like not talked about enough. I think the Mike McDaniel hire offensively really overshadows that because he was obviously just the head coach at, you know, Miami where they had one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL for a long time. and he had success in San Francisco and Washington before that. And so Atlanta. So he's had success everywhere that he's gone, especially with his run schemes,

which we've talked about on these shows before. I'm buying the Chargers having a more balanced offense, although I'm pretty sure they were already the best rushing team in the AFC West last year, if memory serves me right. So I don't know what that's going to look like with McDaniel calling the plays and how the offensive line comes together. Because Ryan Clayty had the same injury that,

that Rishon Slater had and Ryan Clayty was never the same. So I hope that I don't want Rishon Slater to never be the same, but I'm just putting that out there that it's possible that he's not. And Joe Alt, key for their success, of course, defensively you've got all those veteran players. I think they're going to be tough. I know they have a first year coordinator, but that group is like the group of old guys that's at the YMCA playing basketball

that you and your friends are like, man, we could go run it with those guys and make them look bad. and then all of a sudden they just dominate you because they've been, that's how the Chargers defense feels on paper. It's just a bunch of veterans who know what they're doing who are going to be able to help a first year coordinator. Nick? Well, I'm going to go with the Baltimore Ravens at number six

because Declan Doyle is calling plays for Lamar Jackson for the first time. He called plays allegedly called plays for Caleb Williams, but we all know that was Ben Johnson. So he'll get his first opportunity called plays for, you know, Lamar. And this is a big season for, Lamar. Like before, everyone was thinking, okay, well, you know what, chicken of the egg. Was it Coach Harbour or was it Lamar Jackson? Who was holding whom back? But we saw what Baltimore did. They made their decision. They decided on the quarterback, not the head coach. So this is a big,

making a break a year for Lamar Jackson. And then, you know, adding Tray Henderson, that should give the defense somewhat of a boost, right? It should help out a little. But we know this is a team last year that everyone thought that they were going to live up to that Ed Reed you know type of defense but but they didn't they didn't live up to it and Cal Halminton hey listen I respect his game he got some more money this offseason for Baltimore but they still come up short when it comes from a defensive standpoint but here's the other big thing when we talk about the Cincinnati Bingles and other teams we also talk about the skill players outside of Derek Henry and Lamar Jackson

who else do you have you know manrews I'm I mean, he's kind of slowing down. And like Cody said, I thought they would, you know, keep Isaiah instead of Mandru's, but Mandruz is still there. He's a viable target. But what are you doing at the wide receiver position? How many of those guys actually strike terror in opposing defense? So that's why I have them at number six.

Zay, Flowers, they're shot. They've been pretty, if they are healthy, they're good. They open things up. You see how you explain that. See, you didn't go exceptional. You just said good. And you were about to say pretty good. Yeah, if they stay healthy, I feel like.

And the way that the way that, the way that Lamar and Derek play together, like with the dynamic between both those guys, Lamar with his legs, now you got to worry about Derek Henry. And Lamar has evolved to be an better passer. I mean, the Broncos, in a couple of games over the course of the last four or five years, have challenged Lamar to beat them with his arm. And guess what he has torched them with his arm. So I just, I think those players certainly help.

And there's a lot of curiosity about it. If they could stay healthy, man, that they are going to be a team that could challenge. I mean, every time they face off against Cincinnati Bengals, these games always end up 41 to 38 somebody on the other side of it. So, I mean, the Broncos will be praying for 41 or 38 points in the game. Let's just hope Derek Henry doesn't follow the ball. He's getting older. This is true.

I'm just saying. Yeah, again, like I said, when I picked the Ravens, I think they could have, them and the Bengals, I think, have some of the most upside of any team in the conference. So it would not surprise me if either by those teams makes a deep. run. I'll keep mine short and sweet here number six. I know people are tired about talk about this team. I got the Kansas City Chiefs at six. I do not think Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes. I think they were down but not out. I think Kansas City is going to be better than people think. I know that's

maybe an unpopular take, especially here in Broncos country. I think they're going to bounce back. I love the addition of Kenneth Walker. I'll leave it at that. I got the Chiefs at six. and now we'll enter into our top five. We'll start with you, Cody. This is where I have the Jacksonville Jaguars where I felt like between them and the Chargers, he could have easily intertwined them, swapped them at five and six there. But look, I think, you know, Sarah made a point earlier about them being ahead of schedule. And certainly, I think there is a possibility getting ahead of schedule sometimes can hurt them. But also, I would say Denver was ahead of schedule as well as a more recent team in memory. And Denver has with the right coaching staff, with the right

pieces. Now look at the trajectory that they are on here. Now, Trevor Lawrence is the quarterback that Liam Cohen obviously believes in there. Jacobi Myers, acquiring him via trade last year changed everything for that offense. Brian Thomas, it opened things up a little bit more because now teams are focused on Brian. Jacoby's eaten. And then all of a sudden, Parker Washington emerged out of nowhere. And then you've got Travis Hunter as well, who's returning from his injury that he had last

year, though he's going to spend more time probably at cornerback than he is at wide receiver this upcoming season. It felt like they boosted their offensive line in the NFL draft with a couple of guys there. And they added, of course, they added Chris Rodriguez who ran really hard for the Washington commanders last year. Yes, Luce and Travis A. Chan is big. But Bayshall Tutin is a very, very explosive player. And they have a veteran guy as well and Amir Abdullah on the back end that can maybe help out there. But I think primarily Chris Rodriguez is going to be the favorite for that room.

And I'm curious to see how they run. And their defense last year was pretty dang good. It gave the Broncos problems, even though they lost Devin Lloyd, which is a big question mark. I think that Jacksonville is still a team. I think they're going to be the second favorite in that division there, specifically in AFC South. All right. I've got the New England Patriots at number five.

I'm with you, Anilo and everybody else in this. I mean, it sounds like we're all kind of on the same page. I'll be interested to see where we've got the Patriots all ranked. But yeah, I don't, it's not that I don't buy what they're selling. I really think this is just my opinion, but I really think that the off-field stuff is going to affect that team. I really do. And I know that that's probably, you know, you may be able to compartmentalize and kind of move past it and everything like that. But the Patriots lost their only guy who really got after the quarterback in the playoffs and not the regular season. Because remember last year,

this team was the worst sack differential in the entire NFL, meaning they had the most, you know, the worst combination of sacks allowed versus sacks as a defense. And now Kalevon Chase on is off to the Washington commanders. And so I think that you lose that guy and he was your only guy and your past rush is not quite there. And yes, Kevin Byard, nice addition on the back end, AJ Brown replacing Stefan Diggs. Like was that, how much of an upgrade was that? Like how much better production is Brown going to have than Stefan Diggs had last year?

He's a different player and probably a better player, especially at this point in his career. but how different is that production going to be and how different does it make teams defend the Patriots? I don't really think it does. And Romeo Dobbs is kind of just like, you know, generic wide receiver two. You know, you could put him in any offense and you have a lot of those guys around the league.

Like every team seemingly has a Romeo Dobbs. So I just, I don't know if I like what the Patriots did this offseason all that much. And I think the off-field stuff is really going to have an effect. Well, really quick, my number five team would be the Houston Texans. And the reason why I'm going with the Texans, Texans had that team that a lot of people were afraid of facing because of their defense. When you look at what they have with Daniel Hunter, Will Anderson, Derek Lively, not Lively, excuse me, Derek Stenley. That team was amazing defensively.

And there were two things that the Houston Texans didn't do well. One of them, they didn't have great quarterback play. We saw that with C.J. Stroud. The other thing was that they were not efficient at running the ball. They added David Montgomery, who was a versed to running back. He's really physical, a downhill type of runner. They're hoping all of those attributes helped them out. And Jaden Higgins, the rookie, he came on last year.

He had some moments. But then the chemistry between Nico Collins and C.J. Strout, that is something I'm looking to see how that takes off this year. but they're going to have multiple opportunities with that defense that they have. But it was just a slow part of C.J. Shrout that made me question the Texans and put them at five. That makes sense. That makes sense. I think Houston is a little bit higher up on my list. We'll get to them in my list here a little bit as well. But I understand where you're coming from with them.

Not to echo Cody too much. I've got the Jacksonville Jaguars at five. I think that everything that Cody just said about them in his answer also applies to my. answer, I think they lost a couple of key players in Lloyd and Travis Achan. I'm still waiting for like Trevor Lawrence to kind of string together like another consecutive season. Right. I think there's some volatility potentially. I think that's where Liam Cohen balances it out, which is why I didn't have them lower on my list. But I think Jacksonville is once again going to be a really competitive team. I think Jacoby Myers everything he brings to the table as well. So we'll see what happens

with Jacksonville. But they are my number five team. Okay, let's hit a quick break. When we come back, Final four here, ladies and gentlemen, our four best teams in the AFC when we come back right here in your lockdown Bronco squad show. Well, we know the Broncos are guaranteed to be top four for all four of us because no one said the Denver Broncos yet. We'll ultimately see

where they end up on this list. Cody, I'll start with you. Your fourth best team in the AFC. Yeah, I've got the Houston Texans by virtue of their defense, man. Because if they can get C.J. Stroud to play any better. I mean, last year, I was watching C.J. And I was like, the regression that we've seen from him from the time he was a rookie to now.

I was like, man, is he in a slump or is he just like, is our defense is now figuring out? Is his skill set limited? I don't know what the true answer is for Stroud, but if Stroud can play back to the level he was as a rookie and get back to just playing competently on a consistent basis, this is a scary team. The number one reason is because of their defense. Danil Hunter, obviously Will Anderson.

They got dudes across the board that take the football away, get after the quarterback. And I think in the second ever as well, Derek Stingley Jr. is an absolute stud. Caden Bollick at the safety position is a stud. They added Reed Blankenship this off season. I don't think that's necessarily going to be moving for them because, I mean, I don't even think he's going to be as much of a game changer. Camari Lasseter emerged last year.

Jalen Petrie is another stud there. Camari Ramsey, they added him as well as a rookie in the NFL draft. That is a defense that is just banking on the fact that is going to be our strength. They were the number one defense in terms of points allowed. Takeaways. They were up there in the top five, obviously. That's a scary unit right there. And the big question, too, I think offensively, I mean, they had the skill players.

Hank Dale, is he going to be back this upcoming season? And if he is and if he can just, I don't think he's going to be who he was. But maybe he can. Maybe he can surprise a lot of folks. I think that Houston is a scary team to play. And look, I'll say this as well. There are a lot of people trying to diminish the Broncos win against the Texans on the road last year. I'm saying that was their biggest win of the season on the road.

They found a way to do it. And I think that they're a top five team. More than Philly. I mean, yeah. I mean, I think that was the circumstances at that time for Denver were huge, what they had to come back from. But I think the Philly one is definitely the most entertaining. The reason it mattered more for Denver against Houston is because it was a conference game

versus a non-conference. Fair. Okay, I like that. Sarah, in Roquatro. Yeah, I've got the Cincinnati Bengals at number four. This is a team that's been, I mean, their quarterback's been to the Super Bowl, right? I mean, they've got the best wide receiver duo in the entire NFL. They've got elite weapons.

They've got an offensive line that's improved. And their defensive front getting Dexter Lawrence, boy, him off a. Hopefully they get more for their sake out of Shamar Stewart, a first round pick last year. They got Cassius Howell in the second round this year. The defensive front is ridiculously improved. I always forget about Jonathan Allen as well. They also got Jonathan Allen after the Vikings cut him. So that defense is bad.

vastly improved and you get a second year in that scheme as well for the guys who are holdovers. I just think that the Bengals are going to be like you said earlier, Anilo, like I could see them being in the AFC championship game representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. I know their defense is not top tier, but I think it's improved enough to the point that they can be in that conversation. Yeah, when I put the Bengals,

I think I had them at nine, right? Like I kind of cringed when I did that just because I really do believe in them, but I just think there's a lot more stability with the other teams that we put ahead of them. So I think your reasoning is absolutely spot on there. I think Cincinnati, like I've said a couple of times now, it has as much upside as any team in the AFC. Nick, number four. The New England Patriots.

And the reason why I'm going to say the Patriots, you add a guy like A.J. Brown, veteran wide receiver who's familiar with Mike Brable. They had their friction when both guys were members of the Tennessee Titans. But it's just something about having. having somewhat of a do-over, you learn or you live and learn and you try to change things. And Romeo Dobbs, even though he didn't seem like he was the guy for the Packers, he was their guy when it came to kind of short intermediate routes.

And if you needed to play, he was that guy that made the play. So you add those two guys to the mix and you kind of smash them between Josh McDaniels and what he's going to come up with from an offensive standpoint, to me, it makes that team somewhat of a threat. Now, I know the biggest concern was their offensive line. Now, Will Campbell was one of those guys and teams are going to try to find him, but I think Josh McDames is going to try to do different things, known as though he has two big-time-wide receivers that will take the pressure off of the

offensive line because now, instead of dropping a guy in the box, you got to play too hot. And when you play too high, that favors the running game. And they got two quality running backs from Andre Stevens. and Trayvon Henderson. So for me, this is why I put the Patriots in this kind of position, but also think about Drake May. No one was giving Drake May a lot of credit. And yes, they lost the Super Bowl because of the Office of Line didn't do a great job, but it wasn't just all because of Drake May. And having two proven wide receivers to go with those two running backs should make life a lot easier for Drake May. Okay. I understand it. I certainly do. I wrestled

with three and four. This is number four for me. I'll put the Los Angeles Chargers right there. I think that's a team that I have quite, because both my three and four, I have questions about the quarterback, but outside of that, I like the makeup of both teams. Justin Herbert has been a very good regular season quarterback. It's just been a matter of staying healthy and then executing in the playoffs, of course. So I will go to the charges at four. I like Harbaugh as a head coach. I think bringing in McDaniel will do a lot for them. I think they're going to be an easy double-digit win team assuming they can stay healthy. I do have the same questions that we all have about their offensive line.

And Sarah, you talked about their veteran makeup on defense. So I like that as well. Chargers are going to be a tough out. I think the Chargers are going to be the Broncos biggest rival for the AFC West Crown this year. So I will put the Chargers at four, which brings us all to our top three. Cody, where you going? Oh, we should go rapid fire here since we're running up against the clock here.

My top three, I got the Patriots as the number three team. The Buffalo Bills is two and the Broncos at one. They're the top dog. And I know some people are like, oh, take your orange. I don't have orange color glasses. I think the team that won the number one seed last year and was an injury away from the Super Bowl, I still think that this team coming back to the addition of Jalen Wattle. I think that there's going to be a chip on their shoulder even more so this year.

I think they're the team to be, though. I think you can make a great argument for the Buffalo Bills just because of the talent, because of Josh Allen, because of what they did in terms of changing head coach, getting an offensive minor head coach and Joe Brady there, Jim Leonard coming over, trying to keep that defense intact. I think all these teams, Broncos, Bill's Patriots made some really big offseason and additions. That's going to be my top three, though. Sir? Yeah, I think to me, these are the three non-negotiable teams on my list,

although I would say I won't be offended if anybody out there would have these three teams in any order that they would want to put them in. I don't, it wouldn't bother me because I think, yes, I had the Broncos as the number one team in the AFC. They are the reigning number one team in the AFC. I don't think that's ridiculous or egregious. I've got the bills right behind I could easily see the bills being the number one team in the AFC when it comes to like playoff seating. And I've got the Houston Texans, I think are a non-negotiable inclusion in the top three teams of the AFC. And I could see them being anyone's number one team. It's obviously not all on C.J. Straub.

We've seen this team absolutely dominate defensively. I think the Texans have the best defense in the NFL. I think they have elite weapons. I think they have a vastly improved offensive line. You go out. you spend a first round pick on Rutledge, you make the move to get Wyatt Teller. They already had pieces that they had acquired last year to upgrade their offensive line. So, I mean, that defensive backfield was already ridiculous.

Now you get Reed Blankenship, who's kind of like a veteran, like a, I think he could be kind of like the Alex Caruso of the Houston Texans already joining. Oh, man. He's like the guy that everybody hates out there on the back end, right? So I think Houston is, that's the one team that I would pound the table and say like, hey, Houston is elite. Like their roster is unbelievably good and balanced. And they get David Montgomery at the running back position to fix their one weakness there.

I mean, yeah. So Broncos, Bill, Texans. That's my top three in that order. But I wouldn't be mad about any arrangement of those three teams. Oh, okay. For me, from three to one, I got the Chargers, Broncos, and I got the Buffalo Bills at number one. Here's where I put the Buffalo Bills. known as though they were the number one rushing team all season last year

because, I mean, you got cooked and you got Josh Allen. And you talk about the Broncos being upset that they didn't get to the Super Bowl. You know what else is going to be upset? Josh Allen, right? Who's a new father? And if you've been a father before, the one thing you want to do is all about establishing your legacy and living something memorable behind.

And he wants to bring a championship to Buffalo. He wants to do something that Jim Kelly never did. And if he does, he'll be a god in Buffalo. And if you look at the Chargers, the Chargers were 11 to 6 last year. That's three games off of what the Broncos' seasonal record was. And they had a bad offensive line. So you bring in Mike McDaniels, you bring in Keaton Mitchell over from Baltimore. That should improve them from a run game standpoint.

And you got arguably the second best tight-in room in the league with David and Joku and Arrondi Gaston, Jr. So for me, the Chargers are going to be right there. And as far as the Broncos concerned, look, Jalen Wilder was somewhat of an upgrade. We still don't know what we're going to get out of Davis Webb and how much of it is going to be Davis Webb calling plays or Sean Payton. But I think like Sarah said, you can finagle, you can go back and forward. But I think this is a nice one, two, three fit. And anything can change. Injuries can change how these teams kind of fall in place.

Yeah, I agree. I think that's good reasoning. My top three are very similar to Sares. think, I mean, it's the same top three. It's Texans. I'm going to put Broncos at two bills at one. And I think the Broncos could easily be the best team of the AFC. I think the Texans could easily be the best team of the AFC. I just think Josh Allen, like, they've consistently been a top three team in the AFC. I have the Buffalo Bills. I think the Broncos are going to be good. The reason I don't have them at one is like, if we're going to look at where they end up

number one seeing the AFC, that first six week portion of the schedule is a gauntlet for this Denver Broncos team. And could they get through at six and oh? Sure. Could they get through it three and three? absolutely could they have a losing record? I could see that as well. Texans at three for me just because of their defense. I think that is probably the second best defensive unit in the league behind the Broncos. I think the only question with Houston is their quarterback. And I think C.J. Stroud in a pivotal year for his contract will figure it out. I would make the comparison, maybe not apples to apples, but you saw what happened with Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs. He's still going to get a max contract. But like a guy who was playing at an all-NBA level fell off. I think

C.J. Stroud's due for a little bit of a redemption. arc. I think he'll be back in the mix as one of the upper echelon quarterbacks of the NFL. And I think the Broncos are right there as well. The Broncos are a top three team, not three. I think they're one or two. And I think you can have a fun debate, whether it's the Buffalo Bills or the Denver Broncos. So that's where I end up. I have the exact same top three listed teams as Sarah. And I think you can play musical chairs with those three, however you would like. But I do think the Broncos are a top two team in the AFC. I will say, you forgot who else was a father this off season?

this is bone nicks bone nicks became a dad but who do you think would be more motivated because remember Josh Allen they lost here to Denver and the Buffalo Bills still had an opportunity if you don't get the farmer

before halftime and Josh Allen tucks the ball and then if I'm not mistaken Dawson Knox was wide open in the right of the end zone if he could just get the ball over to him he just missed him so I think Josh Alan is still one of those guys who are frustrated because he's not being talked about the way that he feels he needs to be talked about as an elite quarterback.

And there's only one way to get there. You actually have to win one of the big ones. And he is falling short. So I think he's going to be motivated. But Bo outduled him. And also, I mean, playing devil's advocate here, who's more motivated to than Bo Nix being one game off of the not being able to play an AFC championship game? I'm still going to go with Josh Allen because who is who has done more in his career?

and who was undermined early in his career, who said that he couldn't do it. He wasn't that quarterback, and that was Josh Allen. I get it. Some people, you could make the argument are saying the same thing about Bo as well. Like, some people are trying to diminish his 24 wins in his first two seasons too.

So, I mean, I think that they're going to, I mean, Josh Allen's obviously an MVP. He's got those enhancers to his name. I think a lot of people are going to start putting some respect on Bo Nix's name, though. That's all I'm saying. I agree. But Bo has to go out there like Josh had to do it

earlier in his career and make it happen, right? Because we can sit here and talk about it and debate it. And both quarterbacks are damn good quarterbacks, right? But the proof is in the pudding. You go out there, you do it. Then you get the validation, and that's what Bo is trying to do. He's trying to get that MVP validation. So we'll see if Jalen Water could help him get there.

Fair enough. I love it. I love it. It's going to be a fascinating season for the AFCs a whole. And, of course, the Denver Broncos, we're all expecting. Big, big things from them this upcoming year. All right, that is going to do it for us on today's Lockdown Bronco Squad Show chat. Feel free to get involved after the fact as well.

What are your top 10 teams in the AFC? Let us know your thoughts there. And we'll be back again later this week talking about what we've learned from Broncos OTAs. But for now, for Cody Works, Sarah Beninger, and Nick Ferguson. I am Manilo Piro. Thank you guys so, so much for tuning in. Hit that like button and subscribe button on your way out the door. And we'll talk to you guys later this week.

Peace.