The evidence is in. Both sides have made their arguments. The case has gone to the jury.

After 17 games, it’s time to make a decision on the Broncos. Are they a legit Super Bowl threat, one about to make a run in the playoffs? Or are they a total fraud, a team about to be exposed in the postseason?

There’s certainly plenty of evidence on the side of Denver being a championship-caliber team. They finished the regular season with a 14-3 record, tied with the Seahawks for the best mark in the NFL. They’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC, giving them a first-round bye and a two-game path to Santa Clara instead of three. And they boast a top-flight defense, finishing second in both total yards and points allowed.

In almost every season, that’s a resume that is good enough to garner a lot of attention. That would make a believer out of the biggest pessimist. But with this year’s Broncos, well, it’s just not enough.

Why? Because so many of the team’s wins were in unimpressive fashion.

Denver finished the season with an 11-2 record in one-score games. That’s a positive because it shows that they know how to execute down the stretch, with the outcome on the line. But it also suggests a bit of smoke-and-mirrors. Having a .846 winning percentage in 50/50 contests feels like a hot streak that could come to an end at any point; it’s just a matter of time before the law of averages evens things out.

And a lot of those close victories were less than satisfying. In games that should’ve been more lopsided, the Broncos limped to an ugly win.

Sunday was a prime example. The Chargers didn’t play Justin Herbert and a lot of their other starters. But even against L.A.’s JV team, Denver sputtered.

The Broncos offense managed just 13 first downs and 240 total yards in Sunday’s win. They failed to reach the end zone, settling for four field goals. Denver’s defense accounted for more points than their offense, posting a pick-six and forcing a fumble that set up a “scoring drive” that netted -2 yards.

But even the good performance on that side of the ball felt hollow. Trey Lance was totally ineffective at quarterback in place of Herbert. The Chargers offense was anemic from start to finish. Holding them to three points wasn’t anything special.

That continues a trend that’s been happening all season. Yes, the Broncos defense has been good. But a lot of their glossy numbers have been posted against bad QBs.

Denver’s 14 wins have come against a litany of journeyman and so-so signal callers. They’ve beaten Cam Ward, Jake Browning, Justin Fields, Jaxson Dart, Davis Mills, Geno Smith (twice), Marcus Mariota, Chris Oladokun and Lance along the way. Yes, they also beat Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love, but those feel like exceptions to the rule.

Their three losses came against Herbert, Daniel Jones and Trevor Lawrence. So the Broncos were 10-0 against lesser QBs and only 4-3 against capable signal callers.

In the playoffs, they’ll be playing quarterback who fall into the second category. In the divisional round, they’ll face either Herbert, Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud or Aaron Rodgers. In other words, there are no more gimmes.

That’s why the jury is leaning toward the Broncos being a fraud. It feels like they’re about to be exposed. It seems like the clock is about to strike midnight.

In the last three weeks of the season, the Broncos haven’t good. They got dominated by Lawrence and the Jaguars at Empower Field, losing 34-20 on their home field. They snoozed through a 20-13 win over the Chiefs and their third-string quarterback. And then they sputtered to a win over the Chargers backups, winning 19-3 in the season finale.

That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. It doesn’t scream that Denver is peaking. It doesn’t suggest that Sean Payton has figured out what ails his team.

Winning the AFC West is great. Getting the No. 1 seed in the conference is awesome. But those aren’t things that are celebrated in the Mile High City.

Broncos Country is all about Super Bowls. The fan base wants championships. They demand parades.

Does the 2025 edition of the Broncos have what it takes to bring a fourth Lombardi Trophy to Denver? Amazingly, that question is tough to answer, even after 17 games.

But based on what was on display in Sunday’s win over Los Angeles, it doesn’t feel like it. With a final verdict looming in two weeks, the naysayers have to feel good about the case they’ve made.