GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 25: Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos scores a touchdown after being hit by Kei’Trel Clark #13 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second quarter of the game at State Farm Stadium on October 25, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, Broncos Country!
A good dose of revenge is always good for the soul.
The Denver Broncos get their chance at a redo and to deliver a big one to the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. But the win does more than that for the Broncos’ goal of winning back the AFC West and, with it, a higher seed in the AFC playoffs. Denver’s odds of winning the AFC West took a hit.
Revenge is nice, mainly for the fans, but what comes with the win is important for Denver this Sunday.
As Broncos quarterback Bo Nix told the media Wednesday:
“I think point blank, it’s important to our team. It’s important to us as players. They’ve been a very good team for a long time, and they keep winning games … It’s very challenging because they’re a good football team in every way. It starts with the coaches, and then their players and their method.
“They do a great job, and they just know how to win. They built a great culture of winning. For us, it’s about the next-game mentality. We know it’s a big one. That goes without saying. After falling to them already this year, this one is important to us. I expect a good game.”
For Denver head coach Sean Payton, he didn’t have much to do in terms of sending a message this week. Players know what this game is all about.
“I think teams in our league start with goal (No.) 1, win the division, goal (No.) 2 is the best playoff seed, and goal (No.) 3 is to win a championship,” Payton told the media earlier this week. “So these division games work towards the first goal, and obviously, we’re playing a good team that will certainly be at the top of this division for a long time.”
If Sunday’s game is a “must win,” especially because it puts the Broncos in a good position to do so, Payton said there’s still a path to the AFC West title even with a loss, simply because of how much time is left in the season. Even a win makes the path “easier”.
“My message really after that I just said, ‘Look, don’t lose track of goal one, goal two, goal three,'” Payton told the media. “We’ll be playing in bigger games, but this is the next one, and I’m sure they’re looking at it the same way.”