The Broncos were so close to the Super Bowl they could taste it. Sean Payton and company took the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ offseason approach, instead prioritizing the re-signing or tendering of 17 free agents.<\/p>\n
The Broncos kept the band together, and beyond the draft, only made a couple of offseason moves, though one of them was tectonic: the Jaylen Waddle trade<\/a>. After seeing how far the Broncos got last year, and the message the team sent via its offseason maneuvers, veteran linebacker Alex Singleton believes they’ve now got a target on their backs entering 2026. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not chasing targets anymore,\u201d Singleton told The Denver Post’s Luca Evans<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re the target, now, I think, in the AFC. So we need to know that.\u201d<\/p>\n An AFC Force to Be Reckoned With DENVER, CO – JANUARY 25: Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton (49) directs the play before a snap by New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) in the first half of the AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High on January 25, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. | Dustin Bradford \/ IMAGO \/ Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n Singleton’s remarks were made within the scope of the team’s own “self-expectations,” per Evans. The 32-year-old linebacker’s take more accurately describes how the Broncos are likely viewed within the NFL than, say, the national media, which is still quite skeptical of Denver’s outlook<\/a>. <\/p>\n Again, the Broncos got the NFL’s attention two years ago. This is now a team to be feared and reckoned with in the AFC, which puts more pressure on the coaches and players to perform. <\/p>\n No opponent will be sleeping on the Broncos in 2026. Last year, when the Broncos went into Philadelphia, few expected them to upset the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, but they did. <\/p>\n In Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, the Broncos were infamously set up as home underdogs, which spawned Nix’s iconic “We’re the overdogs<\/a>” catchphrase after defeating them handily, 34-26. That final score makes the game look a lot closer than it was. <\/p>\n Going into the divisional round, as the No. 1 seed coming off a wildcard-round bye, the Broncos were initially set up as home underdogs against the Bills. By the time the game rolled around, the odds had flipped closer to a 50-50 proposition.<\/p>\n Honestly, though, at that point in time, the oddsmakers’ skepticism was fair. Yes, the Broncos had defeated some great teams in the regular season, going on an 11-game winning streak and winning the AFC West, but they still hadn’t won a playoff game since Super Bowl 50. <\/p>\n The season prior, the Broncos broke an eight-year playoff drought, qualifying for the postseason as the No. 7 seed in the AFC, which meant they had to travel to Upstate New York to take on the No. 2-seeded Bills. Buffalo absolutely dismantled Denver 31-7. <\/p>\n The Broncos then produced that dominant 2025 regular season, but they still had a lot to prove. They did just that, opening a lot of eyes by beating the Bills at Mile High. Remember, this was a Bills team that had finally gotten its clearest path to the Super Bowl with Josh Allen at the helm. <\/p>\n The Bills didn’t have to contend with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, or Joe Burrow and the Cinicinnati Bengals. Allen was supposed to cut a wide swath through the AFC playoffs and finally get the Bills over the hump. <\/p>\n Nix and the Broncos had different plans. That loss sent shockwaves through the Bills organization, leading to the firing of long-time head coach Sean McDermott. <\/p>\n The Takeaway<\/p>\n So, yeah. The Broncos not only have the NFL’s full attention; they’re a target now. Everyone in the AFC will be gunning for the Broncos, starting with the Chiefs in the AFC West. <\/p>\n Mahomes and company will be looking to prove that last year’s six-win season was an anomoly, and that they’re still the kings of the division. The Broncos are out to prove that last year dominance in the division was no fluke.<\/p>\n The two rivals get to cross swords out of the gates, with the NFL setting the Broncos up with a trip to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Chiefs in the regular-season opener. The Broncos got their first win at Arrowhead Stadium since Week 2 of the 2015 season on Christmas Day, 2025, but they’re still yet to beat the Chiefs in their own house with Mahomes under center. <\/p>\n The Broncos came achingly close to winning at Arrowhead in Nix’s rookie year, but close doesn’t cut the mustard in the NFL. If nothing else the Broncos’ 11-2 record in one-score games last season strongly implies that they learned that lesson. <\/p>\n The first half of the Broncos’ schedule is absolutely brutal<\/a>, which includes both Chiefs games, a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers, a home stand against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and all four NFC West teams, including the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. <\/p>\n If the Broncos can weather that storm at .500 or better<\/a>, they’ll set themselves up well for another deep playoff run and the chance to repeat as AFC West champions for the first time since the Peyton Manning era. <\/p>\n It’ll be fun to see how the Broncos perform under the scrutiny and pressure of these heightened expectations. Singleton may sound a bit paranoid, but he’s not wrong; the Broncos are the team to beat in the AFC, not the Patriots. <\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01kt015rnyj7220705rn.jpg\" "\\"Alex")
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