Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - REIGN OVER: Denver Broncos RISE as Kansas City Chiefs Kingdom COLLAPSES

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Kansas City Chiefs rain inside the AFC West is over, and the Denver Broncos time is now. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos country? Happy Tuesday. Welcome into another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Lockdown podcast network, which is now the number one sports podcast network in the country. And that's all thanks to all you every dayers out there.

Starting point is 00:00:32 Thanks for tuning in, making us your first listen. you choose to do so. We appreciate you so much for rocking with us. I'm Cody Rourke, credential Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. Join, as always, by Sarah Bettinger, site expert of their predominantly orange.com. And the Denver Broncos time to run the AFC and the AFC West is now after the Kansas Chiefs, the kingdom has fallen. We'll talk about that. Plus, the Broncos banged up a little bit coming into this week. We'll highlight Brandon Jones and his pectoral injury. What's the latest on that? And other players who left Sunday's game with a little bit of an injury

Starting point is 00:01:04 bug coming out of the Broncos big time win against the Packers. And then we'll take a look at the state of the AFC West after week 15. The Broncos in firm control of being able to secure the number one seed. We'll look at that and how everyone else stacks up on today's show brought to you by our friends over there at Fandu. And if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit Fanduil.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. Sarah, the Chiefs dominated the AFC West from the onset. Peyton Manning retired. That was when they're streaks. began of winning the division. Patrick Mahomes obviously been a big, big part of that. And on Sunday, following their loss to Los Angeles chargers, and obviously the Broncos

Starting point is 00:01:44 win against the Green Bay Packers, the Chiefs have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. And unfortunately for the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes suffered a serious season-ending ACL injury that could impact maybe the start of their season next year. It seems like at this juncture, the Broncos are rising to the point where the Chiefs, not only are they dealing with the injuries, but they're also dealing with some major salary cap ramifications. That kingdom has finally come crashing down. The kingdom has fallen. Cody, there's no question about it. I mean, the Chiefs had a great run.

Starting point is 00:02:15 I would even say they've been a dynasty. However, I think that dynasty is over, not just in the AFC West, but in the AFC as a whole, right? What we've seen from the Chiefs the past couple of years is a team that's gotten pretty fortunate to get where they've got. They're one of the best teams in the NFL situationally last year. Obviously, we saw the one score games, but the last two seasons before 2025, Cody, they were middle of the pack in terms of offense. We've obviously seen a lot of their key pieces on both sides of the ball getting older, notably Travis Kelsey, Chris Jones.

Starting point is 00:02:48 We've seen some significant departures on both sides of the ball. They trade away Joe Tooney, which looks now like one of the worst trades of the year based on what's gone on with that team. And so we see that general manager, Brett Veach, is also not drafting well. And so I'm not trying to sit here and pile on the Kansas City Chiefs. I don't want to, I will never celebrate a player's injury. Never. But I also, I feel no sympathy for this fan base missing out on the playoffs. I feel no sympathy for this team not winning the AFC West again.

Starting point is 00:03:21 It's about time, right? And the Broncos took it from them. They eliminated them from winning the AFC West a couple of weeks ago. And that was the Broncos doing. The Broncos won 11 games. The Chiefs lost seven games. before this past weekend. And so the Broncos took matters into their own hands

Starting point is 00:03:37 and did what pretty much nobody said they could do, right? How foolish of Sean Payton to take a job in the AFC West? That's Patrick Mahomes Division. Why would anyone want to take a job with the Denver Broncos? They've got Herbert and Mahomes in the division, and you'd be the third or fourth best coach and the third or fourth best quarterback at best. You and I heard all that stuff, didn't we?

Starting point is 00:03:58 So now it's time for a changing of the guard. And what a better time than this year where we've seen, hey, there's a weakness in the Buffalo Bill's armor as well. There's a weakness in the Baltimore Ravens armor as well. The AFC, it's not as loaded as everybody thought. And the Broncos, they saw a crack in the door. They kicked it wide open. And they're in a position to do even more going forward, right?

Starting point is 00:04:18 Obviously, after this year, the Russell Wilson dead cap money is off the books. The Broncos have taken care of a lot of key extensions to major foundational core players. And they have the opportunity now if they wanted to, essentially, if they really needed to figure out how to maneuver money for specific big deals for certain players at whatever positions they deem viable and free agency, they have the flexibility because they have the cash richest ownership group in all of pro sports. That signing bonus, that's funny money here to the Walton Penner family ownership group. So Denver's in a position where they can continue to load up and build and look. And I think them deciding at this point, you know, we were talking about

Starting point is 00:04:53 the NFL trade deadline. They still have all their picks. And so they have capital, which is that's currency in today's NFL, they are very much in control of the game pieces on the board, so to speak, right? And I know Sean loves to make the analogy after every season you flip up the board and you reassemble the pieces. I really feel like the fall of the chiefs and the rise of the Broncos really culminated a little bit last year, Sair, when Denver lost that game at Arrowhead Stadium on the block field goal, where all of a sudden you're seeing Bo Nick's going on the road at Arrowhead and he's competing. He's leading what should have been a game-winning drive against the Chiefs, who at that point

Starting point is 00:05:28 I felt like they were still pretty good. And once again, they turned the tie. They won a lot of one-score games last year. They proved that they were a good team last year. And Denver couldn't quite do it. That was the turning point to where it's like, all right, the chiefs, they continued to get by. That was motivation here for the Broncos. And they have done such a tremendous job.

Starting point is 00:05:46 I don't know off the top of my head here. I'm just thinking about this as we're talking about it. I'm curious to know what the Broncos record is since that blocked field goal in Kansas City. What the winnings, what the wins versus losses are at this point, how Denver's turned that around this season and has found a way to fight through adversity all season long and come back in games and prove that, hey, they're the most clutch situational football team in the NFL. To me, I look at all that and I say this is where the Broncos reign begins. And of course, look, I still think Kansas City can't overlook them, right? You can't essentially just close off and pat down the dirt on the grave that is Chief's Kingdom right now. and their rain that they certainly have had

Starting point is 00:06:27 because things can change really, really quickly, right? Even though Mahomes has the ACO, they might find a way to maneuver things in the offseason that maybe we didn't see. The Chargers, I still think, are always going to be a dangerous team, but I think that Denver has a more sustainable team. They have a more sustainable approach, and I think ultimately they have a better team

Starting point is 00:06:45 and almost all facets of their roster going forward. This is the chance for the Broncos and for Sean Payton to firmly plant their flag and say, hey, the AFC, it's ours now. And the focus that we've seen from this team is very, very clear. Because what did Sean Payton say? Sarah, we want to clinch a play spot. No, goal number one, we want to win the division.

Starting point is 00:07:05 Goal number two, we want the highest seed possible. Goal number three, we want to go to Super Bowl. That's what Sean Payton has outlined. And the Broncos are on track for some of these key goals that they have. And they're very much not looking ahead. They're in the present. Cody, that I had to look it up since you mentioned it. the Kansas City loss in Kansas City last year since that game,

Starting point is 00:07:29 the Denver Broncos are 17 and 5, including that playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. And obviously, we can think of all five of those losses off the top of our heads. It's the Bengals, it's the Chargers from last year, the Bills in the playoffs, and then obviously the Colts and the Chargers familiar this season.

Starting point is 00:07:44 It's pretty crazy to think about that this team has been that good. I know Sean Payton didn't want to talk about it at the end of last season about having carryover, how it's kind of like, you know, you dump the puzzle over on its backside and you mess up all the pieces. That's kind of what it's like going from one NFL season to the next. But I think we've definitely seen that momentum carried over for this team as a whole. I mean, 86% retention rate on the roster overall. You kept the majority of your coaching staff in place, right? You drafted well. You signed good players in free agency. You brought in guys who are selfless, who fit your

Starting point is 00:08:20 culture, guys who can be impact players at key positions where you were weak last season. I think there's no question about it that the Broncos, they carried that over from last season. And they kept that chip on their shoulder after a game in which that moment against the chiefs should have been something completely different, right? It should have been, wow, Bo Nix goes on the road to Kansas City, his very first game on the road against Patrick Mahomes. And he gets a win in that first opportunity to do it. Instead, it was a heartbreaking defeat.

Starting point is 00:08:48 It was another, hey, you're the butt of a. another joke in this matchup against Kansas City who's been kind of your your daddy in this whole situation, right? Well, Sean Payton said it after the last time the Broncos played the chiefs this season, Cody. He was asked about the fact that, hey, Kansas City's kind of been running this division. They've been running the AFC West for the last 10 years or so. You know, what do you have to say about that? He basically was like, not anymore.

Starting point is 00:09:12 And that's the mentality that this team has had ever since that moment where Will Lutz had that kick blocked. And Denver has an opportunity. opportunity to get even better, I think, as time goes along. We know that even at times, the offense is playing great coming out of the by week. They haven't even played their best yet, which I think players, you talk to them, they even say, like, hey, we haven't even played our best yet. And when they do, I think that's a scary thought for not only just the rest of the AFC West, but I think the AFC and I think the NFL in general here, the Broncos are for real.

Starting point is 00:09:40 They're legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and they are here folks. So get used to it, national pundits. You can't move the goalposts anymore. The Denver Broncos, they're planting their flag. They are here going forward. Coming up next, Broncos country, Sarah and I, we're going to dive deep into some of the injury issues coming out of Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. The Broncos could be preparing to be without Brandon Jones for quite some time. We'll break all of that down and more here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. Today's episode of Locked on Broncos is brought to you by Fanduel. NFL Sundays, they move fast.

Starting point is 00:10:10 I mean, it's already week 16, right? It's crazy how fast this season has gone by. And one big play, suddenly everything feels different on a week-to-week basis. That's what makes live betting with Fandul so exciting because you're not just watching the game. You're reacting to it in real time. And with Fandual, you can place bets as the action unfolds. Every drive, every momentum swing, every highlight moment. And we know the Denver Broncos, they've had a lot of those this season.

Starting point is 00:10:37 And live betting, it's at its best when the game starts to shift, right? A receiver gets hot. A defense tightens up or the momentum flips after a turnover, just like when Pat Sartan picked that pass. off from Jordan Love and all of a sudden the Broncos had brand new life against Green Bay. And if you want to be in the middle of the action this season, visit fanduel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. FanDuel, the game moves fast and so can you. Brandon Jones and several key Broncos players left Sunday's game with injuries as they prepare now for the Jacksonville Jaguars. We'll go through all of that and give the latest updates that we

Starting point is 00:11:13 have here on today's episode of the show real quick. I want to say thanks to all the every dares out there in Broncos for tuning in making us your first list and part of the lockdown podcast network, which because of you is now the number one sports podcast network in the country. Real quick, I want to tell you a little bit about the everydayer club. Broncos country. If you want more Broncos content that you don't necessarily get here in this daily free show, you get film breakdowns and more as an all-access member. So make sure you head over to locked on Broncos.

Starting point is 00:11:38 Dot supercast.com and consider signing up for an all access plan because you get exclusive all 22 film breakdowns. You get one-on-one texting with Sarah and myself. You get daily exclusive newsletters. And on top of that, behind the scenes, footage, locker room footage from after games when we talk to Broncos players. You get all that in one spot. So thank you for being in every day.

Starting point is 00:11:57 Make sure you sign up here today. Lockdown Broncos. That's supercast.com. Sarah, the injury bug could be biting the Broncos at a little bit of an unfortunate time. As we saw on Sunday's game, a couple of players were dealing with injuries throughout. A couple of players were ruled out pretty quickly. We saw Marvin Mims return. But now as the Broncos prepare to face a tough red hot Jacksonville Jaguars team,

Starting point is 00:12:18 The injury situation this week is certainly one to monitor. It definitely is, Cody, obviously, some of the notable names that went down against the Packers. Safety Brandon Jones, like you mentioned, the Broncos having to deal with him potentially being out for some time with a pectoral injury. It's always a concern when Ian Rappaport or Adam Schaefter reports about these injuries before even Sean Peyton meets with the media, Cody. That to me was a bit of a red flag there. So we can only hope that Brandon Jones isn't going to miss that significant amount of time, meaning like hopefully he's available for the playoffs at this point. I mean,

Starting point is 00:12:54 that's probably the most optimistic viewpoint I can hypothetically give at this point, although I have no idea what he's dealing with. It is concerning, however, that he was ruled out immediately during the game, right? I think that's the thing that you look at and you're kind of saying, hey, even during the game, they were like, no, there's no chance he's going back out there. Right? So you kind of get worried about what's going to be the prognation,

Starting point is 00:13:15 after that point. So Brandon Jones, the most notable, he's been one of the more underrated players on this team. I know there's, you know, a lot of listeners out there are wishing that we would talk about Brandon quite a bit more. Unfortunately, there's just always a lot of stuff to talk about. And a guy who does his job consistently, you know, he doesn't necessarily get the amount of love that he deserves, but Brandon Jones is a very good player and somebody who his absence would be felt. Yeah, it certainly would. And I think it's another reason why when you look at at the roster construction in hindsight, it's why the Broncos brought PJ lockback,

Starting point is 00:13:48 just because you can't have bad safety depth, I would say in today's NFL, with how much we see offenses look to air it out in the throwing and obviously the passing game. And PJ, a guy who obviously has former starting experience, gets thrust into the fire a little bit against Green Bay, which is one of the top offenses in the NFL, gets thrust into the defense coming in cold,

Starting point is 00:14:10 not having played a lot of snap so far this season defense. I thought he did a terrific job. Even Sean Payton highlighted that in his Monday morning conference call with us, highlighting what PJ was able to do. But this is exactly why you bring a player like PJ lockback. That's why you continue with your player development in guys like J.L. Skinner and Devin Key, who obviously right now is leading the NFL in special teams tackles. Unbelievable from him.

Starting point is 00:14:32 If Brandon Jones were to miss time, which it does seem like right now, that's the rumbling. That's the feel is that he's going to miss some time, whether it's for weeks, whether it's for the rest of the season, we don't know as the time that you and I are sitting down here on Monday afternoon and talking about this here with Broncos country. But what is Denver's contingency plan in place? Well, look, you got Hufanga, obviously as the starter. PJ Lock will likely start in the event. Brandon Jones is unable to go and is going to miss some time.

Starting point is 00:14:57 But now you get a little bit more of a chance to take a little bit of a deeper look at Devon Key at safety. JL Skinner, maybe in certain packages. Denver has some flexibility here, even if they are losing a key player in Brandon. So we'll just wait to see where things are at once we get out there to Wednesday's practice. or obviously if we get an official update from the team, which is very rare for Sean to get that info out. They usually make that decision during a practice day

Starting point is 00:15:20 when the wire comes out later on in the afternoon. So there's that. Let's talk about Justin Sternat as well, Sarah. He left the game with an injury after getting kind of leg whipped by Mitchell Frobony, which there was a Packers player who grabbed Forbony by the helmet, whipped him down. And obviously, for Bonney's legs come around. They hit Justinad.

Starting point is 00:15:38 They didn't call that on the Packers for that play in which they should have. but now Sternat, who I feel like has probably played the best at linebacker this season for Denver and one of your best special teams players, now there's some concern that he's going to miss some time as well. And that's why the Broncos ultimately, you know, signed Jordan Turner to the active roster to fill out that 53 men, uh, roster spot that they had open late last week that you and I kind of speculated about wondering, hey, how are they going to fill that spot? Jordan Turner filled in that spot and he played special teams on Sunday as well. So we'll see more of him going forward.

Starting point is 00:16:10 you really hope that, I mean, I guess Drew Sanders, Cody, this is kind of where he becomes that bit of a wild card to at least contribute on special teams, right? I mean, I've written an article about him late last week on predominantly orange because at this point, you're kind of looking at him in his third season. And I never want to throw in the towel on guys who, you know, they can't, they can't control injuries, right? You can't necessarily, that's out of your control to a degree, right? So for a guy like Drew Sanders, you just, you need to see him get out there. And so hopefully he can come back. I don't even know how close he is or if that's even a possibility. But if it is a possibility, this would be the right time for it to happen.

Starting point is 00:16:48 Unfortunately, you just lost Garrett Wallow on waivers to the 49ers as well. So might have to compensate in other ways. Yeah. And look, I think this is a great test because look, when Drew Sanders suffered that injury in training camp, Don did say, you know, eight or nine weeks, probably north of that. Well, we're well north of that. I think if you do the math, Drew has missed. 20 weeks. Now, granted, they were weighing whether or not he was going to have surgery or not at the

Starting point is 00:17:13 time in which Sean was talking about that. He did get surgery. For the last month and a half, he's been on the side field, Sarah. So could we see him maybe jump back into the mixture? Could they open up his 21-day window? Maybe that's a storyline for us to watch for here this week, but I agree with you. I'm curious to see what they do. They also have Lavelle Bailey on the practice squad as well, someone that they're very fond of, especially if Sternad and Brandon Jones. Let's say they have to miss time and they land on IR. That opens up to potential roster spots for you. I wouldn't be shocked if Denver looks and pokes around to some other teams practice squads so far this week, maybe to alleviate some of the depth concerns there.

Starting point is 00:17:49 But we'll see what type of shuffling gets done around. I think Ben Powers will be back this week. I think they'll officially bring him off of IR to the active roster. So they may even have the space to do that. And then Marvin Mims, obviously, I think one thing to monitor this week, he'll probably pop up on Wednesday's injury report with a shoulder. Finish the game, ultimately, you know, was testing it out, did not do kick returns to finish out the game. but did have a punt return late in the second half against the Packers. And then I think maybe something to watch is RJ Harvey. I think the initial observation might be rib-related,

Starting point is 00:18:18 but I saw him after the game. He looked like he was moving around fine, but Wednesday will be very telling for us when we get to the practice field. Might be a sincere McCormick week for the Denver Broncos there. Obviously, they're getting pretty thin at running back if RJ Harvey can't go. Certainly, that would be a tough blow after you already lost J.K. likely for the season, although there's maybe some hope that he can come back at some point. We'll see what happens there. But yeah, could be a promotion for sincere McCormick if R.J.

Starting point is 00:18:48 Harvey, you know, is just limited all week and they kind of take it a little bit cautiously. Maybe you do bring up McCormick this week and say, hey, we just need the extra body. Guys are going to be out there taking hits, right? So you maybe promote him for this week, Cody. And I think that it's going to be a test of your depth against another team in the Jaguars that Look, there's no rest for the weary, right? You go out, you make a statement against the Packers. You've got another juggernaut of an offense on deck for you here as the Jaguars have been playing some great football lately. So the Broncos, they don't have any time to really, you know, lick their wounds, so to speak.

Starting point is 00:19:24 They've got to have the next man up mentality immediately. Yeah, and they just put up 48 points over the weekend. They've been on fire, I think, in what, one, two, three, four, five, six of their last seven games, they've put up 25 plus points. I mean, they're red hot right now, and this is going to be a good test here for Denver. So we'll see how the injury report falls as week we'll have you covered here every step of the way, locked on Broncos. But coming to next, Broncos country, the state of the AFC is very interesting with three weeks left. The Denver Broncos are in firm control of their destiny.

Starting point is 00:19:54 Will they secure it? We'll take a look at here on today's episode of the show. This episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Rocket Money. Ever feel like your money just disappears each month? It happens fast, right? A few subscriptions here and impulse buy there. And suddenly the numbers in your bank account, they don't match the numbers that were in your head, right? Rocket money helps you get that clarity, track every single dollar and stay in control

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Starting point is 00:20:57 Rocket money.com slash locked on. As we jump in the fourth quarter of today's episode, Lockdown Broncos, we're going to take a little bit of a peek ahead of week 16 around the entire AFC. as the playoff picture becomes a little bit more clear. Thanks, once again, all the everydayers out there. Thanks for tuning in, making us your first list and however you choose to do so. Sarah and I, we appreciate you so much, Broncos country. I mean, I feel like week 16, Sarah, when you look across the NFL,

Starting point is 00:21:23 it couldn't have gone better for the Denver Broncos in terms of scenarios. Now, maybe if the chiefs and the chargers were to end in a tie, that would have been the best case scenario here. But you know what? The chargers, they beat the chiefs. They knocked the chiefs out of playoff contention. And now you have to hope here that the Chargers will drop a game that Denver can keep winning because they have a chance really to not only secure the AFC West this week if they win and the Chargers lose. But now they have a chance to gain some ground here for the number one seat, even though that there's a one game difference between the two teams right now.

Starting point is 00:21:55 Denver essentially kind of has a two game tiebreaker being one game up over them, right? Because of the head-to-head tiebreaker over common opponents in the AFC over New England. And on top of that, they have one less loss at this. point there. So three games left, the Broncos play the Jags. They play the Chiefs that are now going to be without Mahomes. And then week 18s against the Los Angeles Chargers and what we hope is a game that the AFS-R to be locked up in. Denver is in very much control of their own destiny here when it comes to the AFC and getting, as Sean said, that goal that they have, the top seed. Absolutely. And it's well within reach, right? It doesn't feel like it's something that's,

Starting point is 00:22:33 hey, we're going to need this to happen and that to happen and all these different things to go. Right. That's the luxury of already having won 12 games and only having two losses at this point is that you really, you have a bit more margin for error here at the end of the season when it comes to that. And you are watching other teams kind of falter around you. The Patriots blowing a 21-0 lead against the Buffalo Bills over the weekend. So that really helps the Broncos a ton. I have to correct something I think I said previously in the excitement of the win against

Starting point is 00:23:04 the Packers, Cody. I'm like, the Broncos magic number is one. it is not one. The Chargers are only two games behind the three games to play. So, of course, the Broncos, if they win this weekend and the Chargers lose, you know, that changes the game a little bit there. But as of right now, still got to take care of business. And you want to go and take care of business against a team like Jacksonville, especially on your home field because you never know.

Starting point is 00:23:26 You might be hosting them here in a handful of weeks again. Yeah. And I think the rest of the picture, too, is taping up to be very interesting across the AFC. because now obviously with Jacksonville coming in, Trevor Lawrence is playing really well. Travis Eton is coming off of a big performance. You obviously have a good receiving core down there minus Travis Hunter. You know, he obviously have a former friend Tim Patrick who's coming up big and big time moments. This week could be a potential revenge game for Evan Ingram.

Starting point is 00:23:54 This could be Sean Payton's week to say, you know what, Evan, I know how you feel about the Jaguars. Let's unleash you. Let's hope that's the case here. But New England obviously at the number two seat right now, they're at 11 and 3. and their schedule this week, they're going to be at the Baltimore Ravens. I mean, obviously, Baltimore is not great, but you never know.

Starting point is 00:24:11 Like going on the road at Baltimore, we've seen stranger things happen. Can the Ravens find a way to, I'd say, knock down the Patriots a little bit more? Number three, in the AFC right now is the Jaguars because they're the leader in their division at 10 and 4. And they've pieced together some impressive wins. And like I mentioned earlier in the last segment,

Starting point is 00:24:30 that offense, they're high octane right now in, what, six of the last seven games, 25 plus points for them. So you have to worry about that. Say where things get interesting, too, is the four seed. The Pittsburgh Steelers right now as a time that we're sitting down here. Monday night football had been played. So this is Monday afternoon that we're talking about this.

Starting point is 00:24:48 They're at the four seed with seven and six record. Obviously, Baltimore, seven to seven. Pittsburgh, if they win on Monday night, which people are getting this episode Tuesday, the game hasn't been played yet, they would hold that. Even if they lost, I still think they would hold that spot there because they have the head-to-head against Baltimore. So I'm very curious to see how this is going to play out. But really,

Starting point is 00:25:07 five, six and seven, Sarah, I'd say is where things get dicey for the rest of the AFC playoff picture. Because those bottom three teams and those final handful of Cs, in my opinion, I think you make the argument, some of them are better than some of the guys who are leading the division above them.

Starting point is 00:25:23 I think so. I mean, when you look at the teams that right now are in the wildcard picture, it's not impossible to think both on the AFC side and on the NFC side. it's not impossible to think that the lower-seeded teams could all go on the road and pull off upsets in the first round, right? Where things look right now, I mean, obviously Buffalo has number one seed potential as a team. They've proven that they can beat the, obviously the Patriots now.

Starting point is 00:25:49 They're one-in-one against those guys this year. But is anybody really counting out Buffalo, even with their defensive struggles, when Josh Allen can put on that cape at any point in time? I don't think anybody's counting them out at this point. And then you obviously have the Houston Texans. down there in that mix where they probably have the best defense in the NFL right now. I mean, it pains me to say that because you wish that that was Denver, but I think Houston right now just playing a little bit better on that side of the ball

Starting point is 00:26:16 in each different phase, right, rushing the quarterback, making plays on the ball, consistently dominating other teams. That feels like Houston's kind of award right now in terms of where they're at. And so, yeah, you look at these other AFC teams and the Chargers, of course, are down there. and they're playing awesome defense. I mean, I want to sit here and say, man, the Chargers are frauds, the Chargers, they're not legit, but their defense is playing so well

Starting point is 00:26:43 that they're going to be in every game if they keep playing at that level. So it really does feel like if you're one of those road teams in the wildcard round, I mean, you might honestly be the better team in whatever matchup you draw. Here's the Chargers final three games of the season at Dallas this upcoming weekend. So Broncos country should be rooting for the Cowboys in this situation. At home versus the Houston Texans, which once again, I think with what we've seen from that Chargers offensive line and how Justin Herbert's been pressured and hit, my biggest question.

Starting point is 00:27:15 I mean, obviously I think on paper it looks like a defensive game. That is a tough game for L.A. And hopefully by the time the Broncos already have the AFC West locked up. So maybe that week 18 game is potentially a Jared Stidham game and the Broncos can get ready to have a first round by. but I think that is where things get very dicey for this team because now it's like you want to maintain like if you're Denver in this position you want to keep that number one seed right now and you hope that New England kind of stays at that number two seed because if Houston stays as the seventh seed and they could end up coming back and winning their division certainly but if they stay at that seven seed that means that New England's got to go on the I mean New England's going to host them and I think Houston is the team with their defense that they'll travel well like that Houston is a good football team and I know a lot of people early on the season we're trying to diminish the Rocco's victory over them. Houston, in my opinion, is one of the scariest teams right now just because of their defense. Yeah, absolutely. And you think if they go on the road in the playoffs, they're, capable of being road warriors. I mean, the one thing that they don't really do well right now is

Starting point is 00:28:14 run the football. And that is a pretty major concern. I know they had a get right game against the Arizona Cardinals. And that was the best their offense has looked. I don't necessarily think that that's going to be how they look every single game. But we've seen what they're capable of, you know. And I think with C.J. Stroud, if he hits a stride, right? He's going to be one of those guys that's dangerous in the postseason. That's just one of those teams right now that you look at and you say, hey, you know, New England, they haven't come back on anybody this year. What happens if a defense like Houston goes on the road in round one and gets a lead on a team like that? The Patriots aren't battle tested in that way. The Steelers, I think the Steelers are whoever wins the AFC North Cody,

Starting point is 00:28:54 biggest frauds in the AFC right now. And so that to me is kind of where things stand is that the lower seeds if the season ended today, they would all be probably favorites in their matchups in round one. Yeah, no, I'm excited about how it's going to all play out. Look, Sarah and I, we're going to be here every step of the way. Broncos country, thanks for rocking with us here for yet another episode. So make sure you share with us your thoughts here on the state of the AFC going into week 16 around the national football league.

Starting point is 00:29:20 And if you get a moment, if you want more access, more exclusive content that you don't get here on lockdown Broncos, join the everydayer club where you get the all access tier where you get all 22 film breakdowns. You get exclusive new fun shows like our Broncos coffee talk where Sarah and I, we sit down. We're more laid back. We talk about career. We talk about PR and handling of the media world and other things as well.

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Starting point is 00:30:00 how the Broncos matchup against the Jaguars' offense, and how can Bo Nix and the Broncos' offense keep the momentum rolling? Well, Evan Egram, he might be the key to that against his former team. You'll get all that on tomorrow's episode of the show.

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