Colorado Pro Teams All Headed For Playoffs?
Trevor Phipps
Things started to look up for Colorado sports fans (except for maybe Rockies fans) in 2024 as three out of the state’s four professional teams are playoff worthy. If a miracle happens and the Rockies drastically improve, there is a small chance all of the state’s pro teams could see postseason action, but don’t count the chickens before they hatch.
The Nuggets and Avalanche look like they are staying strong and they should both make the playoffs. The Broncos are probably the biggest surprise as they officially earned their first playoff spot since the 2015 season, ending the second longest playoff drought in the NFL.
The Colorado and Colorado State football teams both turned things around and made bowl games in 2024. All of these things could be a sign of more good things to come.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have thrilled fans this season as they were already guaranteed a winning season after Week 15. The Broncos missed a couple of chances to secure a playoff spot in Week 16 and 17, but they sealed the deal in Week 18 with a 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. They earned a chance to compete against the Buffalo Bills in the first round. (Results of this game weren’t available prior to press time) Regardless, it’s been a great season, with the Broncs trashing the dooms-day picks of so-called Vegas insiders, who hopefully lost tons of money.
Broncos’ fans can only hope that Broncos’ quarterback Bo Nix keeps improving year after year and he is the guy of the future. If that’s true, the Broncos could see the postseason quite a bit in years to come.
In fact, the whole team is young and the mistakes they made in 2024 were pretty much the sole problems the team had. If the offense can all improve together, and maybe the higher ups invest in the offensive line a little bit, they could be a stellar team moving forward.
On defense, the team has been pretty solid, so it might just be a matter of being able to keep things the way they are for next season. Broncos’ fans everywhere hope that the team can return to the Super Bowl as early as 2026.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets haven’t performed this year like they had the two years prior, but the season is still young and they are currently in fifth place in their Western Conference. But, as long as star Nikola Jokic is on the team, the Nuggets should keep being stellar.
Right now, they don’t quite look like they have what it takes to win the championship, but they could easily turn things around before the season ends. They should make the playoffs at least, but fans will see what happens after that.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avs too have been kind of hit or miss lately, but they are still staying strong. They are in fourth place in their Western Conference, and they aren’t too far behind the top spot after winning six matches in a row.
The team still has a solid crew of star players, and it is definitely too early to count them out. The playoffs should happen for them, but they must stay focused if they want another chance at the Stanley Cup this decade.
Colorado Rockies
In 2024, the Rockies had another record-breaking, rough season. Fans would think that the Rockies would be working hard to change things up during the offseason, but they shouldn’t hold their breaths.
Besides at this point, it would take a lot of roster changes to make them competitive. Rockies’ fans though, can keep their fingers crossed that one day, things will change for the better. Maybe, they will finally hit the free agency route.
Colorado Buffaloes
According to some sports gurus, 2024 may be the last season Deion Sanders coaches the Buffaloes, even though he swears he is not going anywhere. Whether he stays or not, the team will for certain be losing their two stars players (Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter) who have basically carried the team for the last two seasons.
If Deion hits the road, there’s a valid chance that the Buffs will be back to their sad, winless days. If he stays on as head coach, he will have a lot of work to do to match what his team accomplished in 2024.
Colorado State Rams
During the 2024 football season, the Rams really proved that they can improve just like their rival Buffs. Even though they lost the Rocky Mountain Showdown, they finished with only one more loss than Colorado.
With a young quarterback, the team looks like they have a promising future. Hopefully head coach Jay Norvell can keep inspiring the team to play better and give the Buffs a run for their money next season.
Air Force Falcons
The Falcons definitely had a disappointing season in 2024 after they nearly went undefeated the previous year. They struggled to find a solid offense most of the season, but they looked better towards the end of the year.
The team is young, so Falcon fans can only hope that things will get better from here. It would be nice to see all three of Colorado’s major college football programs earn a Bowl Game in 2025.