Bold AFC West predictions: The Broncos will be pesky for rest of 2023

Let's be clear: the Denver Broncos are not a competitive franchise going forward for the Kansas City Chiefs. They will live in the lower levels of the AFC West for years to come. Yet in the present, while we would never say they're going places, our bold prediction here is that they will keep other franchises from going places.

Why would you believe in the Broncos to be a surprise pesky team? It begins at quarterback where Russ Wilson is having a better season than most people realize. He's already hit last year's touchdown total (16) and actually leads the NFL in touchdown percentage. He's completing 5.5% more of his passes than a year ago, and he's only thrown 4 INTs on the season compared with 11 a year ago. His passer rating has gone from 84.4 to 101.7 under Sean Payton.

Beyond Wilson, the Broncos kept all of their offensive toys instead of selling at the deadline. Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are a nice one-two punch as playmakers with Marvin Mims to develop. Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, and Jaleel McLaughlin are a nice trio with the latter serving as an exciting and unexpected accompaniment on offense.

Our third installment in our Bold AFC West predictions series looks at a competitive Broncos team and the rest of their season ahead.

The defense, however, is why the Broncos are being peskier than expected. The Dolphins put up 70 points on the Broncos' defense at one point, but what no one was saying at the time was how many guys were out with injuries. As the year has gone on, the Broncos shed some dead weight with the releases of Randy Gregory and Frank Clark. They've also welcomed back the likes of safety Justin Simmons, linebacker Josey Jewell, and linebacker Baron Browning in recent weeks from IR. Remember, the Chiefs were 1-of-8 in the red zone against the Broncos and held to 28 points overall.

Are these Broncos ready to climb in the AFC West standings? Not so much. The Chiefs have this division on lockdown. That said, there's room for a spoiler, a team feisty enough to make noise and stand in a contender's path with a worthwhile challenge. We could see them as a frustrating opponent for the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions.