NFL Prepares for Super Competitive Postseason
Trevor Phipps
Well despite all the naysayers during the season, it’s official: The Broncos did it! Although it may have looked ugly for the most part, the team finished the 2025 regular season with the best record since the 2013 season.
Going into Week 18, the Broncos had sealed the deal on becoming AFC West Champions. They then just needed one more win to force the AFC Champion to win its way through Denver.
Throughout the season, many thought that the Broncos just kept getting lucky since they won many games by razor-thin margins. In fact, the team finished 11-2 when it came to one-score games. But the Broncs did only finish around .500 when they played against teams that ended the season with a winning record.
But one thing that can be said is that the Broncos improved on both sides of the ball as the season wore on. When it came to offense, the scoring got much better towards the end of the season.
To end the season, the Broncos finished with the ninth best offense and the third best defense. The team did snag first place when it came to sacking the QB with over 60 total sacks.
The Broncos also qualified the largest number of pro-bowlers this season since 2014. Pat Surtain, Courtland Sutton, Garett Bolles, Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, and Quinn Meinerz all made the league’s top team.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix definitely shined his sophomore year with over 3,700 passing yards and more than 25 passing touchdowns. Actually, Nix has impressed the entire league by being the first rookie with 20+ wins, 7500+ yards, and 50+ TDs in his first two years. Nix finished the regular season the sixth best when it came to passing yards and seventh in the touchdown category.
On defense, linebacker Nik Bonitto has definitely shined as one of the team’s best players. He picked up over a dozen sacks and had over two dozen solo tackles during the season. Plus, he picked up one amazing game-saving pass block in Week 13.
And even though the Broncos don’t have the best stats in the league, they did finish with one of the best records. And despite what their critics say, the Broncos have shown a stellar ability to stay in the game until the end and pick up a “W.”
Their close wins seem to be what keeps people saying that they will lose against the first team they play in the playoffs. But many don’t seem to remember that the Chiefs last season snuck by the majority of their wins by one score. And they went to the Super Bowl.
But while I don’t think the Broncos will be at the big game this year, I don’t think they will lose in the first round they play either. I feel that they are going to showcase their last-minute winning ability at least once.
Trevor’s 2025 Playoff Predictions
Due to deadlines surrounding the holidays, press time came up before the official playoff brackets were set at the end of Week 18. But after Week 17, most of the playoff spots were set with just a few seeds changing. For the sake of my playoff predictions this week, I am going to stick with the preliminary playoff picture with the Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks earning the number one seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively.
This year, both conferences seemed much more competitive than before. The majority of the teams in the postseason were mixed with teams that have showed dominance all year, and some teams that have showed a hot streak towards the end.
I also think that things ended up a little strange this year. Teams that were powerhouses the past few years (like the Chiefs, Ravens and even the Bills) seemed to lose their spark in 2025. But other less than stellar teams in the last few years, such as the Patriots, Jaguars, Texans and Broncos, have come swinging harder than they had in years past.
Personally, I think the Jaguars and the Texans will be the two teams to watch in the AFC postseason. Both of these teams have calculated late season win streaks and currently have a ton of momentum.
In the NFC, I think the Rams and the Seahawks will be the teams to tune into. Both have showed success throughout the season with their top-notch offenses.
When it comes to the Broncos (and again assuming the get the number one seed and the first-round bye), I truly think they will win their first postseason match. But then I’m afraid to say that I think they will fall to the Texans or the Jags when it comes to the AFC Championship game.
If I were to guess right now, I would pick the Texans and the Seahawks in the Super Bowl in February. And then between those two teams, I would have to pick Seattle to take home the trophy.
