Broncos Pick ‘Em: After beating the Chiefs, what should Denver's updated expectations be for 2023?

The 16-game losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs is finally over thanks to the Denver Broncos’ dominant 24-9 win on Sunday.

“What streak? What streak are we talking about,” Jonathon Cooper said playfully after Denver’s win. “It’s over now. It’s a one-game winning streak for us, that’s what we’re talking about.”

With the Chiefs in the rearview mirror, Denver rides in to their Bye Week on a two-game win streak and a 3-2 record in their past five games.

But sitting at 3-5 on the season, what are realistic expectations for the Broncos for the rest of the season?

“The playoffs is the bare-minimum,” Javonte Williams stated after Sunday’s win. “We’re trying to make a Super Bowl run.”

Should Denver’s expectations be set that high after beating the defending Super Bowl Champs?

The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks it down.

All odds below are courtesy of bet365.

What are the Broncos’ expectations for the rest of the season?

Zac: The 2022 Detroit Lions — Playoffs or bust is a ridiculous ask for this team after starting the season 1-5.

Instead, the Broncos should shoot to be the Lions. Yes, the Lions.

For decades, the Broncos wishing to be the Lions would seem like a ridiculous goal. But not after what the Lions and Dan Campbell did last year.

In fact, the 2022 Lions is the team Sean Payton has pointed to multiple times over the past few weeks as inspiration for Denver to turn their season around.

“I used the Lions last year as an example [who started] 1-6 then flipped the switch,” Payton explained. “They were 1-6. I know Dan [Campbell] well, and you keep fighting. There’s a grit element involved. Some mental toughness that’s involved. Pretty soon, here they are at the end of the season. They were eliminated before [they played their final game], but they were in contention. Here they are now as one of those teams. We’re kind of in that position. We’re bowing up, and we have to.”

After starting 1-6 last year, Detroit finished the season on an 8-2 run and just missed the playoffs. That finish carried momentum over to this season as the Lions have started 6-2.

The Broncos don’t have to finish with a winning record as the Lions did last year, but instead just finish the season strong and have a winning record the second half of the season. That could lead to serious momentum going into next season and help wash away the disgusting start to this year.

Hank: Four more wins — The Broncos have life!

All of a sudden, the Broncos are only 1.5 games back from Wild Card spot and their schedule down the stretch isn’t intimidating after they head to Buffalo. With two wins and some help around the league, the Broncos could sit in playoff position as soon as Week 12.

But winning back-to-back games doesn’t mean the Broncos have solved all their problems.

Their running game looks great, but their passing game dries up far too often.

Their defense has strung together a few good performances, but it’s shown how low it can sink when it doesn’t have its fastball.

The Broncos looks like a functional football team—and that’s a huge step forward from a month ago—but I don’t buy that they’re about to go on a tear, although it’s certainly possible.

What do I expect? A 4-5 record down the stretch, and a 7-10 record overall.

RK: Compete for the playoffs — When the Broncos didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline, they told us that this team is not in need of a full rebuild. They also told us that they weren’t confident enough in the team making a run that they could be buyers at the deadline. The only way that ends up being the best decision for this team is if they make a run towards the playoffs in the final nine games of this season.

The truth is, they really should make the playoffs to make those decisions make sense but I’m willing to lower the expectations a little because of how bad this team has been over the past seven years and this being Sean Payton’s first season.

As it currently stands, the Broncos are 1.5 games out of a Wildcard spot and after a post-bye matchup with the Buffalo Bills, Denver has a very favorable schedule moving forward. The expectation should be that Denver still has a chance to make the playoffs going into the home stretch of the season.

Picks Picks Picks

Dolphins vs Chiefs (-2.5) in Germany

Zac: Chiefs.

RK: Dolphins.

Hank: Dolphins.

Cardinals @ Browns (-8)

Zac: Cardinals.

RK:Cards.

Hank: Browns.

Bears @ Saints (-7.5)

Zac: Saints.

RK: Bears.

Hank: Saints.

Rams @ Packers (-3)

Zac: Rams.

RK: Rams.

Hank: Rams.

Vikings @ Falcons (-5)

Zac: Falcons.

RK: Vikings.

Hank: Falcons.

Seahawks @ Ravens (-5.5)

Zac: Seahawks.

RK: Sehawks.

Hank: Ravens.

Buccaneers @ Texans (-2.5)

Zac: Buccaneers.

RK: Texans.

Hank: Buccaneers.

Commanders @ Patriots (-3.5)

Zac: Commanders.

RK: Pats.

Hank: Commanders.

Colts (-2.5) @ Panthers

Zac: Colts.

RK: Panthers.

Hank: Colts.

Cowboys @ Eagles (-3)

Zac: Eagles.

RK: Eagles.

Hank: Eagles.

Giants @ Raiders (-2.5)

Zac: Raiders.

RK: Giants.

Hank: Raiders.

Bills @ Bengals (-2.5)

Zac: Bengals.

RK: Bengals.

Hank: Bills.

Chargers (-3) @ Jets

Zac: Chargers.

RK: Jets.

Hank: Chargers.

Leaderboard

Last week

Hank: 8-5

RK: 6-7

Zac: 4-9

Overall

Hank: 53-45-1

Zac: 48-50-1

RK: 45-53-1