Despite a 14-3 regular season record, an AFC West division title and becoming the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos found it hard to garner respect outside of Broncos Country. It appears that is going to continue into the 2026 season. 

The Broncos fell one step short of reaching Super Bowl LX, losing 10-7 in a blizzard against the New England Patriots while having to play without their starting quarterback. The Broncos lost just four games in 2025 and beat some very good teams in the process. 

But as Josh Nagel of CBS Sports points out, looking at early odds for next season put out by DraftKings Sportsbook, only one team in the league is predicted to repeat as a division champion and it’s not the Broncos; it’s the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Broncos not picked as favorite to win AFC West in 2026

When it comes to the AFC West division, the Broncos are not only not the favorite, they don’t even have the second-best odds. Instead, the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs have equal odds of +175 to win the division. The Broncos are at +210.

The Chargers will be a formidable opponent in 2026 and in the only game where both teams were playing their starters last season, the Chargers beat the Broncos… in Denver. However, the Chiefs suffered through a miserable season in which Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in December. 

The Chiefs have earned the right to have their believers, but bypassing the Broncos that easily is definitely questionable. 

However, Garrett Podell of CBS Sports sees the Broncos as a team that will take a step backward next season, stating that the Broncos are poised for a major fall. Here was Podell’s analysis of the subject:

“The Denver Broncos are similar to the Bears in terms of being a regression candidate. Of their 14 regular-season wins, Denver won an NFL record 12 in comebacks. The previous record was 11 by the Chiefs in 2024, and the Broncos tied the Chiefs’ mark with 11 one-score wins. As mentioned with the Bears, the Chiefs fell back to earth and missed the playoffs entirely in 2025. 

It’s also worth wondering whether Bo Nix could regress in 2026, given his recovery from an ankle fracture and a relative step back in his performance in 2025. His efficiency metrics — completion percentage, touchdown to interception ratio, and passer rating — all declined to being ranked in the bottom 10 among 33 qualified quarterbacks, while his pass yards per attempt average has remained in the bottom 10 in the NFL in each of his first two seasons.” 

The NFL sees a lot of parity from one season to the next. Though Broncos fans are going to scoff at the notion that the team won’t win the division again next year, odds are in favor of that being the case. Looking back at the eight division winners in 2024, only two teams — Philadelphia and the Houston Texans — were able to win their respective divisions again in 2025. 

MORE: Ranking Denver Broncos’ in-house free agents

The Broncos will face many obstacles. Nix will have to get back from his broken ankle and the team will face a much more difficult schedule. Sean Payton will have his work cut out for him in order to keep the Broncos on top.

More Broncos Content

Former Broncos head coach lands new job: Tracking where former coaches will be in 2026

Broncos have dream prospect fall to them at No. 30 in this mock draft

Broncos’ John Franklin-Myers predicted to be ‘most important’ signing for AFC North team

Does 2025 NFL Draft redo show critical mistake made by Broncos?

Broncos projected to give up third-year linebacker as part of massive trade to get A.J. Brown