With the Denver Broncos now at 4-3 after that a 33-10 win about the New Orleans Saints On Thursday evening, fans were faced with a new question. How good are the Broncos' playoff chances?

Although the Broncos are mathematically in the hunt for a wild card spot at this point, this is anything but a given. The Broncos are a league average team.

The Broncos certainly have one of the better defenses in the NFL and a top special teams unit. However, the offense is at the bottom of the league.

So far, the Broncos have beaten a mediocre team Las Vegas Raidersa Saints team with few injuries, a league average team New York Jetsand a likely playoff contender in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Broncos deserve credit for the win over the Bucs, but Tampa's defense was missing some key players. Additionally, the Broncos were fortunate to beat the Jets in a low-scoring game.

Meanwhile, the Broncos lost to a legitimate playoff contender Pittsburgh Steelers and a likely playoff contender in the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos also lost to the Seattle Seahawkswho looked good at the start of the season but now looks more like a league average team.

While we saw some good things offensively, the slow start to most games was an issue. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has his problems, but not everything is his fault.

Another problem is that the Broncos lack legitimate playmakers on offense. However, it is not a given that the acquisition of a playmaker will change everything.

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In addition to improving the offense, there is also the question of the Broncos' remaining schedule. There are a few teams the Broncos will face that are either legitimate or likely playoff contenders. In some cases, their units complement each other better.

The Kansas City Chiefs are obvious. While they aren't giants, they have offense, defense and special teams that all rank in the top 10. If you have consistency in all three phases of the game, you are legitimately not only a playoff contender, but also a Super Bowl contender.

Perhaps the Broncos will be able to separate themselves against the Chiefs, although that could depend in part on where they stand in Week 18, when the two teams have their second meeting of the season. If the Chiefs' playoff seeding is determined at this point, they can rest their regular players.

But it's not just the Chiefs that the Broncos have to contend with. After Carolina Panthers The Broncos are facing the game Baltimore Ravenswho are another legitimate playoff contender. The Ravens got over an 0-2 start and performed better in all three phases of the game.

The Atlanta Falcons have won three straight in Week 7 and are solid on offense and defense. And while the Cincinnati Bengals Going into Week 7 at 2-4, they have a good offense.

However, it is the defense that has held the Bengals back. The Falcons are a likely playoff contender, while the Bengals are 2-4 but could do better in the coming weeks because they have a good offense.

The Chiefs (who the Broncos will play twice), the Ravens, the Falcons and the Bengals represent five games in which it is not a given that the Broncos will win. And even though the Broncos have parted ways with the Chargers in recent seasons, it's not a given that the Broncos will win the return game in Los Angeles in Week 16, especially if the Chargers continue to play well on defense.

The Indianapolis Coltslike the Broncos, are a league average team despite performing better on offense than the Broncos. However, the Colts are not nearly as good on defense.

Meanwhile, the Panthers and Browns are bad football teams while the Raiders are mediocre. The Broncos should be the favorites in these matchups, but you can't take anything for granted.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that the Broncos beat the Panthers, Browns, Raiders and Colts in the coming weeks. That would give the Broncos eight wins on the season, so that wouldn't be enough to ensure a winning record.

To achieve a winning record, the Broncos must win at least one of their remaining games against the remaining teams on the schedule, and to have a realistic chance of making the playoffs, they must win at least two, but preferably three.

Some have argued that the Broncos need to trade a player that will give them a playoff spot. However, there is no guarantee that such trading will do this. Additionally, a trade would likely bring in a player the Broncos only have for the rest of the season when they need more guys long-term.

It may be better for the Broncos to forget about trading to acquire another player unless they make a player-for-player trade that may involve swapping third-day picks. But when it comes to trading players for picks, the teams that have a realistic chance of making the playoffs are better positioned to take advantage of it, rather than a team like the Broncos that is still working to make things happen ways to guide. (For those mentioning the Jets, jobs are at stake there, while the Broncos are not this season.)

While it's still not a certainty that the Broncos will make the playoffs, consider this: Most analysts expect the Broncos to be a five-win team. Given the Broncos' defense and special teams, the wins they've picked up early in the schedule, and the condition of some of their future opponents, it's clear that the Broncos are better than a five-win team.

However, they are still around league average and need to focus on getting better every week this season. In the 2025 offseason, it's time to figure out what they need from free agency and the draft to improve the offense.

But Broncos fans can still rejoice that the Broncos have proven they are a better team than some predicted, even if the playoffs are not a given. Above all, they should hope that the Broncos continue to trend in the right direction and think about their next steps in 2025 to make them a legitimate playoff contender.

In the meantime, Broncos fans should rejoice in the wins and the reasons for optimism and let the rest of the chips fall where they may.

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