For decades, the proud Denver Broncos franchise had more Super Bowl appearances than losing seasons. For decades, the Broncos hadn’t had back-to-back losing seasons.
Those days are, unfortunately for Broncos Country, in the rearview mirror.
But Sean Payton is in town to turn that around in the Mile High City. In Payton’s first season in Denver, what needs to happen for it to be considered a success?
Is it simply having a better record than the 5-12 team last year? Or are the goals much loftier for the 2023 squad?
The DNVR Broncos Crew gives their take.
What is a successful season for the Broncos in 2023?
Zac: Have a winning record — A decade ago, the answer to this was Super Bowl or Bust. Oh how the mighty have fallen since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset following Super Bowl 50.
The year after No. 18 hung ’em up, the Broncos had a winning record (9-7) but missed the playoffs. Since, they haven’t even had a winning record. In fact, the most successful season they’ve had in the past six seasons is 7-9. In the past six years, Denver has averaged over 10 losses per season and fewer than six wins.
That, on top of going 5-12 last year with the worst offense in the NFL, is why having a winning record would make this year pretty darn successful. A 9-8 record in 2023 would make for a four-game jump from last year, which would be unquestionably successful.
Hank: Make the Playoffs — Jumping from the fifth overall pick to the playoffs is a massive leap, but it’s what the Broncos need to do for 2023 to feel like a success.
Sure, a 9-8 season would set a new high-water mark for the Broncos over the previous six seasons, but it would also leave the Broncos with plenty of questions about their future. The big one is this: If Russell Wilson can’t make the playoffs as a 35-year-old, can the Broncos bet on him becoming a championship-caliber quarterback as a 36-, 37- or 38-year old? I probably wouldn’t.
Wilson is on the books for less than 10% of the Broncos’ salary cap space this season. That number will increase to nearly 15% next season, and then to more than 20% in 2025. There isn’t room in the budget for mass improvements to the team around him. Reinforcements are not on the way.
The Broncos need to find proof of concept in 2023 that the Russell Wilson Era could feasibly end with a ring, otherwise it will be time to turn the page, which would entail a two-year teardown while the Broncos foot the largest bill ever for moving on from a player. If the Broncos head into the offseason debating whether to accept high-priced mediocrity from their quarterback or rip apart the current version of their team, 2023 won’t feel like a success.
Expecting the Broncos to double their win total and jump into the playoffs might not be reasonable, but success isn’t always easy. It certainly won’t be this season.
RK: Win more than they lose — The Denver Broncos haven’t had a winning record since 2016, that’s a damn long time. I can’t imagine a world in which they win nine games, miss the playoffs by one or so games and we look back at the season as unsuccessful.
I’ve watched enough football now to know that the difference between nine and 11 wins probably comes down to a couple bounces of the football. If the Broncos got nine, we would be talking about how close they are, not what a missed opportunity it was.
On the flip side, with everything Denver gave up to get Sean Payton into town, I can’t imagine a losing season would feel satifying in any way. This fan base is too proud to take anything less than a winning season as a some sort of moral success.
The best thing about the 17-game schedule in the NFL is there is no middle ground, you either had a winning season or a losing season. The Broncos need to have a winning season to get this fan base excited.
