logo
Broncos Predicted to Topple Chiefs For AFC West Title

Broncos Predicted to Topple Chiefs For AFC West Title

Yahoo20-06-2025
Broncos Predicted to Topple Chiefs For AFC West Title originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Denver Broncos are one of the hottest teams this NFL offseason, adding big-time pieces to an already vaunted defense while also seemingly improving on offense. With a mix of youth and veteran leadership, the Broncos are positioning themselves well for a big season.
Advertisement
According to Jeffrey Chadiha of NFL.com, the Broncos have improved so much that Chadiha believes they are ready to topple the Kansas City Chiefs for an AFC West division win this season.
"The Broncos have an elite defense, and it looks like they landed a franchise quarterback in Bo Nix in last year's draft," Chadiha said. "We know [Sean] Payton can coach up the offense, especially as the Broncos add more playmakers."
The Chiefs have won the division every season since 2016, but the Broncos proved themselves as a team capable of giving Kansas City fits. In November of 2024, the Chiefs squeaked out a 16-14 win over Denver at Arrowhead Stadium. Then, in Week 18, the Broncos beat a Chiefs squad that was resting its starters.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton greet each other after the game at Empower Field at Mile High.Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Chadiha also noted that the AFC West is stronger across the board, with all four teams having head coaches who have reached or won a Super Bowl. He thinks that levels the playing field. Especially for Denver, who he believes is the best team outside of Kansas City in the division.
Advertisement
"With the other teams also creating more resistance to the Chiefs... Denver will earn its first [AFC West] crown since Peyton Manning was their quarterback," Chadiha said.
That was 10 years ago.
Related: Broncos' WR Troy Franklin Named Breakout Candidate
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tanner Gordon's 6 scoreless innings help Rockies beat Cardinals for their 1st shutout of the season
Tanner Gordon's 6 scoreless innings help Rockies beat Cardinals for their 1st shutout of the season

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Tanner Gordon's 6 scoreless innings help Rockies beat Cardinals for their 1st shutout of the season

DENVER (AP) — Tanner Gordon pitched six scoreless innings and Ezequiel Tovar hit a home run to help the Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 on Wednesday and win back-to-back series for the first time since Sept. 13-18, 2024. Gordon (2-2) gave up four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Jimmy Herget threw two innings of one-hit relief before Tyler Kinley pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. The trio combined for Colorado's first shutout of the season. The Rockies hit five consecutive singles in their four-run second inning off St. Louis starter Andre Pallante (5-7) and Jordan Beck added an RBI double in the fifth to make it 5-0. Tovar's solo shot in the eighth capped the scoring. Germán Márquez, who was scheduled to start for Colorado, was moved to the 15-day IL earlier Wednesday due to right biceps tendinitis. The Cardinals snapped their streak of scoring at least four runs in 11 straight games at Coors Field since Oliver Marmol became manager in 2021. Key moment Ryan McMahon drew a leadoff walk and, after Tovar flied out, Austin Nola, Kyle Farmer, Adael Amador, Tyler Freeman and Mickey Moniak hit five consecutive singles to give the Rockies a 4-0 lead in the second. Key stat Colorado, which was an MLB-worst 22-74 at the All-Star break, is 4-2 since their return. The Rockies have won as many series since the break (two) as they did prior to it. Up next Sonny Gray (9-4, 4.04 ERA) is set to pitch for St. Louis on Thursday against Yu Darvish (0-2, 6.08) in the first of four games against San Diego. Kyle Freeland (2-10, 5.19) takes the mound Friday for Colorado against the Baltimore Orioles, who haven't announced a starter. ___ AP MLB:

A frenetic offseason behind them, the Steelers are entering 'new territory' as training camp opens
A frenetic offseason behind them, the Steelers are entering 'new territory' as training camp opens

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

A frenetic offseason behind them, the Steelers are entering 'new territory' as training camp opens

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Omar Khan grabbed both sides of the dais and paused. The Pittsburgh Steelers general manager, fresh off hailing the arrival of Aaron Rodgers, needed a minute. 'Let's see, what else have we done?' Khan asked Wednesday as the team reported for training camp at Saint Vincent College fresh off perhaps the busiest offseason in its 90-plus-year history. The man who promised to shake things up after another first-round playoff exit in January has spent the past six months proving they weren't just empty words. And the team that arrived for its annual three-week stay at the small Catholic school in the western Pennsylvania hills looks far different than the one that was run over by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry on that miserable night in Baltimore. Out are quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Temperamental wide receiver George Pickens, four-time 1,000-yard rusher Najee Harris, veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and — most stunningly of all — Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, too. In are Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, among others, as the Steelers try to end an eight-year postseason victory drought. 'We knew changes had to be made,' Khan said. 'And here we are.' Where that is — Khan, coach Mike Tomlin and everyone else hopes — is out of the purgatory of 'frequently good but never great' that the Steelers have been stuck in for nearly a decade. 'Our goal is to win the Super Bowl, so we're building this team to win the Super Bowl this year,' Khan said. The tack that Khan and assistant general manager Andy Weidel have taken this time around is a marked departure from what has been 'business as usual' at one of the most stable franchises in professional sports, one that hasn't endured a losing season for more than 20 years. T.J. Watt, who called the size of the record-setting extension he agreed to last week 'hard to fathom,' used the word 'new' 10 times while talking about 2025. 'We can sit here and talk and talk and talk about not winning a playoff game and how much I want to do it,' said Watt, who enters the ninth year of his career still searching for his first postseason victory. 'But at the end of the day, it's just lip service. It's all about what we do.' Watt skipped the team's mandatory minicamp in June, saying he wanted to stick to his routine at home in Wisconsin, fearful that if he 'held in' — as he did while negotiating a new deal in 2021 — he'd become a distraction. While the business side of things worked out for Watt, who acknowledged he'll be picking up the check for the foreseeable future whenever he takes his teammates out for wings, it also means he'll spend the next few days putting faces to names at a rate that he hasn't had to since his rookie season in 2017. 'There's going to be a lot of people to get to know and talk to,' Watt said, later adding, 'It's just fun. It's a fun time of year.' Far more fun, at least, than what has happened to the Steelers repeatedly in recent Januarys. Pittsburgh's run of playoff failures began in early 2018, when Ramsey and the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a stunner in the divisional round. Now, Ramsey finds himself as the team's latest attempt at finding a solution to its postseason troubles. Asked if his arrival is a 'full circle' moment of sorts, Ramsey shook his head. 'I can't talk about the past,' he said. 'I mean, this is different. Everything is different.' Not just for Ramsey, but the Steelers too. When Pittsburgh arrives in New Jersey for a Week 1 visit to the Jets, it likely will have new starters at quarterback, wide receiver, running back and at various levels of the defense. It's a nearly unprecedented level of change for a team that has had three head coaches in 66 years. Yet it could also be a sign of things to come. Khan, who agreed to an extension this month that will keep him with the club through at least 2028, pointed out that a youth movement is inevitable. The Steelers could have up to a dozen picks when the NFL draft descends on Pittsburgh next April. They almost certainly will be in the market for a quarterback in what could be a QB-heavy draft. And while the rash of additions of players in their 30s — or in Rodgers' case, their 40s — gives the impression that it seems like the Steelers are 'all in' on 2025, the reality is that Khan didn't trade away draft picks in search of a quick fix. A true youth movement is coming. But not before what could be one of the more fascinating seasons in recent memory, as a franchise that has long prided itself on its pragmatism enters, as Tomlin put it, 'new territory.' Even if some things, however, remain constant. Like the adrenaline jolt Tomlin feels whenever this time of year rolls around. Yes, his 19th training camp with the Steelers will be unlike the 18 that came before it. The thrill of the process of building a team that wants to be good enough to play into late January and beyond is unchanged. 'It's July 23rd, man," the longest-tenured coach in major North American professional sports said. 'It's juice time.' ___ AP NFL:

Browns DE Myles Garrett sets eyes on career milestones in 2025
Browns DE Myles Garrett sets eyes on career milestones in 2025

USA Today

time26 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Browns DE Myles Garrett sets eyes on career milestones in 2025

Defensive end Myles Garrett has reported to Berea, OH, along with his teammates for the start of Cleveland Browns training camp. The Browns star arrives after a dramatic offseason—one that resulted in a 4-year, $160 million contract, making him the second-highest-paid defensive player in the league. Along with a brand-new contract, Garrett is bringing high individual and team expectations for the upcoming season: 'I expect to get to the Super Bowl, that's our expectation every year. I expect to win back Defensive Player of the Year,' said Garrett. 'Whether we're practicing or playing, when I step in the building, I need to be the best version of myself and the best leader I possibly can be.' The Browns are currently projected to have a very slim chance of making the Super Bowl, especially in a heavy-hitting AFC North that features three extremely talented opposing quarterbacks. When it comes to the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett has as good a chance as any other defender. The Browns and Garrett face a tough start to their Super Bowl run, with four 2024 playoff teams on the schedule in the first five weeks of the regular season. Between the drama of his contract and the possibility of a trade, one thing remains clear: Myles Garrett is ready to win.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store