The Broncos hired Sean Payton in February 2023. A coach who was highly successful in his tenure with the New Orleans Saints. In 15 years there, Payton went 161-97 overall with a Super Bowl victory over a great Indianapolis Colts team in Super Bowl 44. 

It’s clear that the team needed a sense of direction after the disastrous 2022 season. Payton also brought in former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator. He was ready to stamp his imprint on the team. 

Roster-wise, the team remained the same. Wilson was the starting quarterback, and the rest of the positions faced minimal turnover. This regime will be more successful, right?

Initially, not exactly. Denver began the season 0-3, with one of the losses being a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins. That was the low point. 

Fans wanted DC Joseph gone and were ready to even move on from Payton. The next few weeks didn’t go much better, as the Broncos started the season 1-5, with the most recent one being to the Kansas City Chiefs. At that point, they had beaten them 15 straight times.

It felt like the 2023 season was going to be a repeat of 2022. The next stretch, however, was an empowering moment for the franchise and its history. Denver somehow rattled off five straight victories. 

The most notable one was a 24-9 victory over the Chiefs at home. Yes, that same defense that gave up 70 to Miami was beginning to stiffen up. In the very next week, they beat the Buffalo Bills 24-22 on the road. The defense once again was the catalyst as they forced four turnovers. 

All of a sudden, there was a bit of hope. In the week after, the Broncos beat the Minnesota Vikings 21-20 to get to 5-5 on the season. Was the team elite? No. Was the team necessarily even good? Not really. 

What Denver had, though, was an identity. They were going to play stout defense, and the offense was going to win the game in the fourth quarter. Sound familiar?

The Broncos were 6-5 at one point, but they couldn’t sustain the momentum and finished 8-9. It was clear that Wilson wasn’t the answer, and the team as a whole wasn’t quite ready to make a playoff run. 

After the 2023 NFL season, Wilson was cut, and Denver was ready to draft a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. They drafted Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick, and the rest, up till this point, is history. 

End Of My 2023 NFL Season Rant