Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - LESSON: Denver Broncos SUPER BOWL FORMULA Is Close

Starting point is 00:00:00 Super Bowl 60 revealed just how close to Denver Broncos are to being a Super Bowl winner. We'll break it all down here on today's episode of the show. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Well, the 2025 season is officially over and there is a Super Bowl champion. And over the weekend, we couldn't help just wonder, man, what if the Denver Broncos made it to the big game here? We'll break everything down here on today's episode. Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network,

Starting point is 00:00:39 the number one sports podcast network in the country. That's all thanks to all you every dayers out there in in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in and making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. Sarah and I, we got a lot to break down here on today's episode show. We're going to go through and tell you why the Broncos are very, very close to being able to win a Super Bowl here. They have the formula. They're just missing a couple of ingredients. We're going to go through while the Broncos, they need a run game in order to win the big game.

Starting point is 00:01:02 Plus, we'll tell you why Denver's got a Super Bowl. Super Bowl caliber defense already, and then we'll go through the 2026 schedule. And Denver's opponents that they're going to be facing this upcoming season, it is a Super Bowl contender-worthy slate here. And the Broncos can prove themselves as just said. You'll get all that here on today's episode of the show, folks. Brought to you by our friends over there at Fanduel. The winter games are on, and there's no better way to follow them.

Starting point is 00:01:24 Then with a bet on Fandual, Fandual, play your game. I'm Cody Rourke, Credential Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. Join, as always by Sarah Bedinger, Cy expert, predominantly orange.com. Sarah, Super Bowl 60 is officially over. The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions, and they defeated the New England Patriots in what was a defensive game. And you know me. I love defense, but man, that was a boring Super Bowl game.

Starting point is 00:01:48 It almost turned into the punt bowl. But it did reveal some things here that the Broncos could certainly do. And obviously, to make themselves more compatible to win a Super Bowl next year, I felt like the biggest thing, Sarah, was a run game. And that was a telling difference. in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday. Yeah, Kenneth Walker sort of dominated the game all the way to Super Bowl MVP, right? And even had a, I think a 70 yard touchdown wiped off the board by a holding penalty on the Seahawks Center.

Starting point is 00:02:16 But he was just kind of on one for that game. And it just emphasized the fact that the Broncos desperately need to go after a top tier running back in NFL free agency or if they trade for somebody. It doesn't really matter, Cody, because we know that RJ Harvey's going to play a big role for this team going forward. he obviously had nearly 900 yards from scrimmage, 12 total touchdowns as a rookie. We believe he's going to be one of those key pieces for the offense going forward, but you do need somebody that can win between the tackle, somebody with some size. And I don't know that it's J.K. Dobbins. I mean, I know a lot of listeners love J.K. Dobbins.

Starting point is 00:02:50 I love J.K. Dobbins. Love his attitude, love the mentality that he has, love the way that, you know, he presents himself to the media. But at the end of the day, you know, reliability and availability are the best abilities when it comes to being in the NFL. And I know that JK takes exception to the idea of being labeled as injury prone. And I would too if I was him. But I think that the reality is that he's had a number of significant injuries,

Starting point is 00:03:16 season-ending injuries. And if you put yourself in that situation that you were in 2025, once again, if you say, hey, let's run it back. I don't know if that's the wisest way to approach the off-season. I think you have to go after somebody, you know, even if it is a devil you know versus the devil you don't sort of situation when it comes to running back and injuries just being part of the game. I think the Broncos have to emphasize that early and often this offseason when it comes to free agency and even the NFL draft. Do you feel like that's got to be the biggest priority for them this off season is running back?

Starting point is 00:03:49 Is that the number one? I think it's got to be, yeah, I do. I think it has to be the number one priority because when you see what the Broncos lacked down the stretch this season was any semblance of an easy button whatsoever on offense. And there's nothing easier than handing the ball off to somebody and let that player go create offense for you. I mean, it's not necessarily a every single game. Hey, we need somebody to go 120 yards here. But I mean, would you agree, Cody?

Starting point is 00:04:20 I mean, that's the one thing that's really been missing since Sean Payton took over is the Broncos lacking a running game. And I don't know if it's just the running back or if it's the offensive scheme. But man, it does feel like they need to get the right combination at the very least in the backfield. Feels like a little bit of both, right? I mean, for Kenneth Walker, here's what I liked. I mean, they ran a lot out of 12 and 13 personnel for Seattle, obviously in the Super Bowl. And we know Denver loves to do that. I think that there is an argument to be made about how the run game can be better.

Starting point is 00:04:51 I think if you improve your tight end personnel, maybe, so to speak. But like with Kenneth Walker, I mean, his patience to extend outside. I mean, there's times where he's getting the edge. And it doesn't necessarily seem like he's. he's the fastest, but then he's got that, I would say that deceptive, explosive burst, right, to be able to get north-south, hard to bring down. What is he like, 5-9, I think 211 pounds. J.K. Dobbins is around 5, 10, 212 pounds.

Starting point is 00:05:16 Now, like, during this game, I'm sure you saw it, Broncos players were tweeting as the game is ongoing and I think that there was like this really collective frustration about like, man, we're pissed, we're not there. Like, we should, we should have been here. We should have been here in this game, right? And I think we're seeing a lot of what if scenarios. Like, what if Bownix didn't have the ankle injury, would Denver be there? What if J.K. Dobbins didn't get hurt and was able to play a full season?

Starting point is 00:05:41 Would he have been a difference maker maybe in the AFC championship? I think we can look at all that. I think going back to what Sean Payton said at the end of your press conference about going up to Zach Streep and talking about the run game scheme a little bit, I really do think Denver's biggest problem in the run game has to be scheme related. And it was a tough adjustment. I'll tell you this, talking to Broncos' offensive linemen and sometimes even just hearing them talk, the idea of like, hey, when we're running the outside zone scheme, we have to get to a specific landmark. But if a guy's already there, then it cheats our angle a little bit.

Starting point is 00:06:13 It makes things more difficult. I think the Broncos, especially when you talk about the offensive line is getting up there in age a little bit at some of the key spots, I think they have to embrace a power run gap style approach here. And certainly, I think we saw that work out a little bit for the Seahawks, because this was a defensive game. And we'll talk about Denver's defense here in a little bit. But man, this was a punt bowl here. It's a defensive game.

Starting point is 00:06:36 But what made the difference late in that game? Kenneth Walker, the ability to wear down a defense a little bit more, the ability to rattle off a couple of first downs, a couple of chunk plays to keep the chains moving. That really was the difference in the game. It wasn't like Sam Darnold and put on this electrifying passing performance. It was strong defense and it was run game. We know Denver has a strong defense,

Starting point is 00:06:55 but man, they got to find a way to get that run game to where it needs to be. And I think it needs to look entirely. different outside of RJ Harvey. And go figure that the one game that the Patriots didn't get a bunch of giveaways from the other team, they got blown out. I mean, that was the problem against the Chargers. That was the problem against the Texans for sure. The Texans turned it over five times against New England.

Starting point is 00:07:15 The Broncos giving them the ball at what, the 10-yard line on that backwards pass. And so just the one game. I mean, Seattle was one of the leaders in the NFL all season at giveaways. And they just played keepaway in the postseason. And they were like, we can win with our running game. We can win with the quick passing game. We can win with our defense. And that's where I say, okay, we talk about the running game being the, you know,

Starting point is 00:07:39 okay, the number one thing that's going to push the Broncos past that, you know, the proverbial hump in the Super Bowl. Cody, I think, and I know we're going to talk about it on today's show, I think it's what was confirmed in last night's game, maybe more than anything else, is that the defense. Like, if you can rely on a defense to put a quarterback in a blender, you just need the right guys to be healthy offensively. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:08:03 Bo Nick's not being healthy, sunk the Broncos ship. I think he could have won it with throwing the ball if need be, because if you can play keep away and let your defense go do what it does, I mean, that was the difference for Seattle in that game. And that's something that I think the Broncos, that's why they are so close. Like you mentioned at the show open, they are so close, if not closer than even the Patriots who were in the game

Starting point is 00:08:27 because of that defense, because you now have continuity with Vance Joseph coming back, you've got the majority of the starters likely coming back. We'll see what happens with a couple free agents. But to me, that Seattle defense is what ultimately put the final nails in the coffin for the Patriots. And when you have that, shoot, I mean, you're closer than you think. And I think a lot of people, too, came away with the takeaway watching Seattle and saying, like, Denver, how they're constructed is very similar in a lot of ways, right? I would say maybe where Seattle right now is ultimately better is that wide receiver.

Starting point is 00:08:59 I think they're better at running back. And I also think they're better at the tight end position collectively. Even former Bronco, Eric Sobert, Sabby got himself a Super Bowl ring. But they didn't necessarily have a tight end who was going to go in and catch eight passes for 100 and something yards. But man, they had tight ends were big physical and athletic that could block. And then when they were thrown the ball, they made things happen. Barner for Seattle did a fantastic job in some situations. I mean, he was the first touchdown score.

Starting point is 00:09:25 really of the game here in Super Bowl 60. Denver, no disrespect to anybody else. Denver doesn't have anybody like that. Evan Ingram is not used that way. And that has to change here. But I think the Broncos can upgrade tight end. They can upgrade running back. Man, they are one or two explosive players, really good players.

Starting point is 00:09:43 Maybe you can throw a wide receiver into that mix as well. They could do it. They have a team that can win it, right? We talk about the formula being there, but they just need a couple more ingredients, I think, to really solidify it, to have the best product, potentially coming out of it. to solidify a case for themselves. And they have one really good supporting factor.

Starting point is 00:09:59 And I would say that is the Broncos defense. Denver has a Super Bowl caliber defense, folks. But is there anything missing? Sarah and I, we're going to debate and discuss that here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. Broncos Country. Today's episode shows brought to you by our friends over there at Fandul. The winter games are officially here.

Starting point is 00:10:15 And if you're anything like us, you're locking in for the events that you only want to see on the biggest stage every four years. And that's why following the winter games on Fandul, it just makes sense from metal counts, the individual events to finding your angle on the sports that you care the most about. Fandu gives you more ways to stay connected on the action. The drama of curling matches that start slow and somehow get intense fast. Or hockey games that feel different right from the opening face off,

Starting point is 00:10:40 even niche events become must watch when you're fully locked in to the competition. Fandu keeps the entire Olympic experience engaging from start to finish. And the winter games are on. There's no better way to follow them than with Fandual. FanDuel, play your game. The Denver Broncos have a Super Bowl caliber defense. What are the missing pieces right now? Well, we're going to discuss that on today's episode, Locked on Broncos.

Starting point is 00:11:04 And Broncos Country, we want to quickly say thank you to all of you every dayers out there. And right now, we're entering the offseys, which means that there's a ton of bonus content coming your way. And if you haven't already done so, Cody and I want to encourage you to check out the Everyday All Access Clubs. And there's two tiers that we want to break down for you. The first one is the member tier, $5 a month. you're getting an ad-free episode of the show and a number of other benefits. But for $15 a month, you're going to get everything that you would get at the member level. Plus, we're going to have some extra all-22 breakdowns, coffee talk episodes of the show,

Starting point is 00:11:36 15% discount on locked on merch and plenty more, including one-on-one texting with Cody and myself all throughout the course of the offseason and then into the next regular season, where we hope the Broncos can be Super Bowl champions, of course. I mean, it feels like they had a year stolen from them here, Cody, in terms of just the way this team played throughout the season, how they played for each other, so resilient, coming back in the fourth quarter of games. Of course, the Bow Nix injury played a massive role in that,

Starting point is 00:12:05 but we saw in the AFC championship game that, man, that defense is Super Bowl ready. I think they had Drake May in an absolute blender, as did most of the defenses that he faced in a gauntlet of this postseason for sure. No question about that. And Drake had a great season. I mean, no trying to sugarcoat that. He had a great year, but he kind of crumbled against the great defenses,

Starting point is 00:12:26 definitely against Denver and Seattle. And what the Broncos showed, Cody, to me, is that they are, they're in a window, not just because Sean Payton's a Super Bowl winning head coach or because Bo Nix is capable of leading this team to the promised land. But I believe the Broncos are in a Super Bowl window right now because that defense is playing at a level that, I mean, they could keep up with the Seattle's of the world. Yeah, I mean, back to back, years of setting franchise records in sacks leading obviously in quarterback hits and pressures.

Starting point is 00:12:58 68 total sacks in the regular season for them this year led by a combination of four starters on your front seven that each had seven plus sacks each themselves. I mean, that right there, Sarah, is the formula here. And I couldn't help but watch this game on Sunday, Super Bowl 60. And look, you know me. I love defense. I'm a defensive guy. That was boring in terms of the overall flow of the game.

Starting point is 00:13:21 but if you're looking at how the defense played for Seattle, man, they had a combination of everything. You talk about obviously a good pass rush, but you talk about linebackers that can blitz the quarterback that can obviously drop back into coverage. And you talk about a combination of defensive backs. They're very good in coverage and also very good at coming up against the run, blitzing defensive backs as well. I mean, I think Denver is very similar in a lot of ways to that Seattle defense. I would say the only question mark where I think that Denver doesn't have necessarily the advantage is that inside lineback.

Starting point is 00:13:51 I felt like that was a huge difference maker for the Seahawks and how they won that game is the level of play from their inside backers, the ability to drop those guys back into coverage. They didn't really allow too many explosive plays really kind of until some garbage time, minutes where the game was really kind of already out of hand a little bit for the Patriots. I wanted to get your thoughts on this. What do you feel like on this defense? You and I both believe, and I think everybody listening for the most part in Broncos country, I think believes that the Broncos have a Super Bowl caliber defense in your. opinion, what is missing, if anything? I think it is, like you said, that inside linebacker position. And I mean, right now, that's kind of the low hanging fruit, isn't it?

Starting point is 00:14:31 Because they have two prominent free agents there. Dre Greenlaw injured a lot of last year, suspended for a game. Drew Sanders, that pick hasn't worked out for the Denver Broncos at this point. So really, it's just the unknown of, okay, where are we heading? What's the direction? I mean, there's options in free agency. There's options currently on the roster. I mean, Alex Singleton is still out there posting on Twitter.

Starting point is 00:14:53 Like he's coming back to the Broncos. Like, I mean, that's what I see. Cody, I don't know if you agree with me. But I mean, when he's talking about like, man, we're so close or, you know, this is where they feel like they should be. Like, I don't think he's talking in terms of, man, we missed our opportunity to about I'll never get a chance to play with those guys again. That's not the vibe I'm getting from a lot of the pending free agents of this team.

Starting point is 00:15:15 So I just feel like that's the bigger question mark though right now is that position. Do you have guys that can make impact plays in coverage when you drop them into zone? Do you have guys who can make impact plays when you're saying, okay, go be the quarterback spy and get after Drake May like Ernest Jones did in the Super Bowl, do that type of stuff? Do you have that type of player who can attack the line of scrimmage and be effective every single down when you ask them to blitz or when you're asking them to play all three down? So, yeah, I mean, I just feel like that's the one thing that's made. missing right now is that what should have been what Dre Greenlaw brought to the table this past

Starting point is 00:15:54 season. I think Drey Greenlaw can be that. But the thing is, is like, and I hate that we have to talk about it like this, right? Because it's like we know what Drake can bring to the table. But if you're the Broncos, you can't rely on Dre Greenlaw right now. You have to go into it, the mindset saying, hey, we don't know whether or not we're going to get a full season out of him. And that's out of his control. That's certainly out of their control as a team. It's just the nature of the game. And kind of where he's at is he's getting a little bit older. his career. But like with Dre, Dre's got all the capability of doing

Starting point is 00:16:23 those things that we saw Ernest Johnson doing right. Justin Sternad, I think, could obviously do some of those things. Well, I think Sternad could be a very, very good starter in the NFL. I think now, especially in this system that Vance Joseph is running, but if Denver were to make an upgrade, so to speak, right? Let's say they were to land a guy like Devin Lloyd. Do you feel like that addition right there alone defensively would be enough to kind of push Denver over the hump at that position?

Starting point is 00:16:46 Because the depth at the position, I mean, when you talk about future outlooks about starters, you don't necessarily get that vibe from Jordan Turner. You think he may be a good role player for you. You don't get that vibe with Lavelle Bailey, though he could be a very good role player for you. But when you talk about starting caliber players, I mean, Devin Lloyd would be a guy that would push the envelope a little bit.

Starting point is 00:17:07 If Drey Greenlaw stayed healthy, those two together would be incredible. I just don't know if Denver's got that yet. I'm very curious. Like to me, defensively, we're debating running back being a big need for the offense, It's 100%. But I would say like overall team aspect wise, I would say linebacker has a very strong case to be made.

Starting point is 00:17:25 It's like if the Broncos can just land one really key difference maker at this position, that might be what makes that defense even better, which I mean, it's very, very good as is. But when you talk about sustainability, you talk about maybe being able to win a Super Bowl, that is the type of unit that can't do. And I think a difference maker of that position certainly could do that. I think so.

Starting point is 00:17:45 I really do because what was the biggest problem for this Broncos? team throughout the course of the last two seasons. It's kind of the breakdowns late in the year defensively and getting what Sean Payton called during the 2024 season, you know, the free runners out there in coverage. And I think that is the big thing right there is getting somebody that, okay, when you're going up against Buffalo, you have to have that linebacker that can come up and make those TFLs on somebody like James Cook and shut things down. That Super Bowl 50 team, you know, they had some great linebacker play.

Starting point is 00:18:17 There's no question about it. And not that you're going to always have that, but man, you need to have somebody out there that can wear your green dot, that can call the defense, that can communicate the defense to everybody else who also, I know it's a lot to ask. I think like we're making it maybe sound a little bit easier than it is,

Starting point is 00:18:34 but you know, somebody who can wear the green dot who flies around the field, who makes plays, who's trustworthy, who's always in the right spot, like consistency, that reliability at the position. And I think that's just maybe Alex Sing,

Starting point is 00:18:47 brings maybe 80, 85% of that to the table, right? I mean, he is consistent, he's reliable, but does he have the ability in terms of the athleticism to be able to do what you need to do at that position in today's NFL, where you're trying to keep your safeties back and play those two high looks, or were you trying to attack the line of scrimmage and blitz? Is he the right fit for that? He knows how to communicate the defense.

Starting point is 00:19:11 He knows how to be in the right position, you know, but is it a step too late at times? And are we losing in terms of when teams are running the ball, they're getting to the second level a little too easily and getting past that second level a little too easily. I'm not pinning that all on Singleton either. I'm just throwing it out there. I think that it's valid to discuss at this point that the Broncos don't have the right answer there

Starting point is 00:19:34 with even some talented players that they've had the last couple years. Broncos country, make sure you let us know of the Broncos defense. Sarah and I both believe they're Super Bowl caliber, but we believe that maybe linebackers, the one position that maybe is missing something that could actually push them over the edge. Do you agree with us? Do you disagree? And if so, let us know who's out there that you feel like would be a game changer here for Denver's defense in 2026. Make sure you dropped it in on today's

Starting point is 00:19:57 episode of show. But coming up next, the Broncos, if they want to be Super Bowl contenders, well, guess what? Their 2026 slate of opponents will determine whether or not they are Super Bowl contenders. We'll go through what that looks like at home and away here on today's episode of the show. Broncos Country, today's episode of the show is brought to you by our friends over there at Indeed. If you've ever hired someone who looked good on paper but wasn't the right fit, you know how important that is. When you want candidates to truly match what you're looking for, trust Indeed, sponsored jobs here today because if you're hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other sites.

Starting point is 00:20:31 Indeed, sponsors jobs, put your post at the top of the page and helps you reach the right candidates a lot faster. If you need to hire someone quickly, but you want to know if they have everything that you're looking for in a candidate that's going to best maximize the results in your job. Indeed, sponsor jobs helps you find those right candidates today. Instead of struggling to get your job post seen, Indeed, sponsored jobs helps your listing stand out and reach qualified candidates faster. And according to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed, they are 90%, yes, 90% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs.

Starting point is 00:21:04 Spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes with less stress, less time, and more results using Indeed, sponsored jobs. listeners of this show get a $75 sponsor job credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at Indeed.com slash locked on NFL. Just go to Indeed.com slash Locked on NFL right now and support the show

Starting point is 00:21:22 by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply, hiring. Do it the right way with Indeed. 2026 is going to be a tough test here for the Denver Broncos after they had a successful 2025 campaign at 14 and 3. A playoff win over the Buffalo Bills and unfortunately falling short in a FC championship game without Bo Nix, a lot of fuel and a lot of motivation for Broncos players after Super Bowl 60.

Starting point is 00:21:47 But if they're going to get to Super Bowl 61 in Los Angeles, well, they're going to have a slate of opponents in 2026 that will determine whether or not they are true Super Bowl contenders. We'll talk about all that here on today's episode show real quick. I wanted to say thank you once again, all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen. We appreciate you so much here. And Sarah, the one thing that I think so many fans debate and grapple with, especially after the season the Broncos had,

Starting point is 00:22:13 and for them to fall short the way that they did, right, not having Bo Nix and come to find out he was miced up in that game. And we found out some new audio where, you know, the Broncos win. And Bo's saying they're like, I don't think you're going to have me next week. My ankle's blown out. Just kind of, it's a sobering reality. It's like, man, the Broncos were this close. And I really feel like with Bo Nix and the AFC championship game,

Starting point is 00:22:32 players have also expressed the same thing. I feel like they would have gotten over the home. they would have beat the New England Patriots, regardless. It seems like that would have been the case with ball. But we can debate all the what ifs, the could-ofs, the should-ofs all day long. But the reality is simple. The reset starts now. Everybody is zero-zero.

Starting point is 00:22:50 You have some off-season moves to make, recovery to go through. And now the Broncos in 2026, they are going to have a tough slate of opponents if we're just basing everything off of what happened last year, right? And strength of schedule, you get into these debates every year. It may not really matter much when the actual season. and starts based on how teams start performing, what happens to them. But I think right now on paper, looking ahead, Devor, if they are Super Bowl contenders, they're going to be playing a lot of other teams that are Super Bowl contenders.

Starting point is 00:23:17 And if they can win those games and take care of business, it certainly sets things up. Sarah, let's take a look at some home slate games here. The Broncos, we know they will face the Buffalo Bills at home. So Josh Allen, once again, they're going to face the Los Angeles Rams and MVP, Matthew Stafford, who rightfully won that award. They're going to face a defending Super Bowl champion. Seattle Seahawks at home in the Mile High City and then they'll face the Jacksonville Jaguars. What are the Chiefs going to look like?

Starting point is 00:23:41 I don't know. The Chargers are certainly going to be an interesting team. Don't know what they look like. But that is a tough slate of opponents. But man, I'm glad that Denver's got those games at home as opposed to on the road. 100%. I mean, you and I talked about that too when the opponents were really finalized of saying, man, the draw is nice to have those teams coming to Denver as opposed to.

Starting point is 00:24:03 Can you imagine if it was flipped? you know, if it was flipped and those games were all on the road. I mean, that would be really tough. And that would be something that you would sit there and be like, man, what did the Broncos do to Roger Goodell to deserve that? I mean, the road schedule and the teams that they play on the road already is, is decently tough. I mean, you go to New England, you go to San Francisco and you go to Carolina,

Starting point is 00:24:26 as well as obviously playing your divisional opponents. But Cody, to me, I feel like the Broncos got a really favorable drive. I know that a lot of folks are already talking about how difficult next year's schedule is. And certainly, I mean, I think you're looking at three, the three top teams in the NFL are on that schedule, right? Or maybe even the top four or five, depending on how you look at it between the Seahawks, the Rams and then obviously the Broncos themselves, but then the New England Patriots, that might be, I mean, obviously the final four this past season. And they look like they're all going to be able to reset and reload and be great again this next year. But you're right. I mean,

Starting point is 00:25:02 going into this past season, we would have said, oh, shoot, you got to play Joe Burrow in Denver on Monday night football. And it ends up being their backup quarterback, right, Jake Browning. And then you say, well, shoot, late in the season, you got to go to Washington. You got to play Jaden Daniels. I think the Broncos might have preferred to play Jaden Daniels in that game, you know, the way that he was playing this past season. So it is just interesting how different things are year to year in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:25:28 And it's not always going to be like, oh, shoot, well, if you're playing the, we got the Rams on the schedule in Denver. Well, what if it's Jimmy Garapolo coming to, I mean, we have no idea what it's going to be. So that's the tough thing right now. But on paper, I think you look at the defenses that you're going to be facing. Those, that right there, Cody, the defenses that are coming to Denver this year, I mean, top of the line across the board. And you're going to have obviously Jim Leonard coming to town as the new DC for the Buffalo

Starting point is 00:25:56 Bills knows that's Joseph's defense might be able to give them some intel there as they I undergo a new era with Joe Brady is the head coach. But, I mean, obviously they're going to have film from the playoff game. You know, the Rams, you mentioned that, that defense is very good. The Seahawks defense, very, very good. The Jaguars defense this past season was very, very good. Could JFM end up maybe in Jacksonville? That's one of those teams that have been kind of listed as they keep an eye on this team there.

Starting point is 00:26:20 If he were to land there and let's say they lose Devin Lloyd, they're still a very good defense. Patriots defense pretty dang good, 49ers defense. They'll probably have Bosa back in the mix, a healthy Fred Warner, all that stuff certainly is going to matter, at least on paper right now when you look at it. And then obviously the Panthers defense, is Giro Evereaux's got a really tough unit that has played so much better than Evers' first year

Starting point is 00:26:40 when he was the D.C. Over there in Carolina, where it looked like he could have been a one and done candidate, so to speak. And then obviously the charges. And what's that defense is going to look like now that Jesse Minter is now in Baltimore as the head coach there.

Starting point is 00:26:52 And just so many questions. And obviously, so many different changes. Like there are going to be a lot of teams here that we've talked about. And certainly even with Denver themselves that are going to lose players in free agency. They're going to gain new players in free agency. You're going to bring in key additions via the NFL draft. I'm very curious to see what Denver does to kind of say,

Starting point is 00:27:10 hey, all right, we were here at 14 and 3, one, 15 games, including a playoff game there, but we can't just expect that we're going to be right back in it. What are we going to do schematically? What are we going to do from a player personnel standpoint? Heck, what are we going to do as a coaching staff to where we can continue to grow to get back into it? Like I think that's what really shows the mark of a good franchise

Starting point is 00:27:29 is, okay, hey, you made it this far. You can't have a year where it's like, now we didn't even make it that far. We didn't even make it, period. The expectation is a FC championship a game for this Broncos football team. And they're going to have to do a lot of things in between in order to get back there. But, man, I'm excited about this type of schedule because you know what we heard all season. Well, the Broncos, they didn't play anybody.

Starting point is 00:27:50 2026, they're going to play people, right? They're going to play some really good teams on paper. And we'll see how the Raiders look. We'll see how the Chargers and the Chiefs ultimately look. They're going to play the Pittsburgh Steelers. Will Aaron Rogers be back there as Mike McCarthy? Obviously undergoes his new start there as the head coach. There's just so many different pieces that we look at here.

Starting point is 00:28:09 What are the Arizona Cardinals going to look like? I don't think a lot of people have high expectations on them. But, hey, you never know. We've seen worse to first teams happen before, especially in that tough division that is there. But that's probably a little more unlikely for Arizona, especially with Nathaniel Hackett being the play caller there. I just think that the argument, like I wonder what people are going to try to do to move the goalpost this time around about the Broncos,

Starting point is 00:28:32 especially if they're finding ways to win these big games against these tough opponents on paper. Yeah, and it might not be the same level of, I don't want to call it luck, because when you're winning one-score games, you're winning situationally. But, you know, there is a bit of the ball bounces your way, sort of favor when you have, what, 11 wins by one score or less,

Starting point is 00:28:52 right over the course of us, or whatever it was for the Broncos this past year. So let's say they are a 12-win team again. 12 and 5 or something like that. I know it's 17 and 0 until we ain't, but just walk with me here for a second. But if they're 12 and 5 and say, you know,

Starting point is 00:29:06 the chargers end up like 13 and 4 or something, you know, you get into situations where you might be a better team than you were here in 2025, but your record shows that well took a step back in some ways, right? You won 14 games last year. Now you won 12 games or, you know,

Starting point is 00:29:24 but I think the Broncos have an opportunity, Cody, no matter what, to be a better team regardless of their record. Because there is a ceiling on that. You know, I mean, you're not going to go undefeated every year. And you're not going to be able to necessarily lose just one or two games every year or three. So you have to be ready. And when you do get punched in the mouth, how do you punch back?

Starting point is 00:29:44 And I think this Broncos team is going to be one that I don't really expect to lose like multiple games in a row. I think they're at that level right now where they're just, okay, the continuity is there. The coaching is there. your quarterback, year three jump, we're expecting it. Davis Webb increased role. The defense should be elite. So this is a Broncos team that I think we're going to see take that next step

Starting point is 00:30:06 regardless of what their record ends up being. Broncos, make sure you let us know your thoughts here on today's episode. Locked on Broncos, especially for Denver, the expectations surrounding them, they are much higher. I'm of the premise of saying it's got to be double digit wins regardless, right? I'm not going to come out and say, oh, they need to win 14. They need to win 15. Double digits usually gets you into the game.

Starting point is 00:30:25 but you do want to see, I think, improvement in certain areas offensively. You want to see them upgrade, maybe at some positions at linebacker on defense, so to speak. But a lot of moving pieces here. It's going to be a very fun off season, and Sarah and I are going to have you covered every step of the way. But Sarah and I were kicking off a new series where tomorrow, Sarah is going to do an episode of lockdown Broncos where he's going to tell you what his ideal offseason is. The top three things he wishes would happen this offseason. You'll get that tomorrow. You'll get mine on Wednesday and we'll continue to do even more.

Starting point is 00:30:54 Plus two episodes this week of the Broncos squad show. You know, we got you covered every step of the way all throughout the entire off season, leading all the way up into next season as well. It's a fun place to be. So Broncos country, stay locked in. We're going to see it tomorrow for a brand new episode of the show.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - LESSON: Denver Broncos SUPER BOWL FORMULA Is Close

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.