For the second time in four years, the Kansas City Chiefs have won the Super Bowl — serving as motivation for the Denver Broncos to find a way to dethrone the AFC West juggernaut.
Denver Broncos should be highly motivated after Chiefs Super Bowl win
There was once a time in Broncos Country when the Denver Broncos ran through the entire AFC West and the Kansas City Chiefs when Peyton Manning was the quarterback. Since his retirement, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City have become juggernauts inside of the AFC West.
After the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory on Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles, the motivation for the Broncos should be at an all-time high.
Until somebody dethrones Kansas City, they’ll be considered the top option inside the AFC West. However, the Broncos proved last season despite all of the controversies, they could compete with anybody inside the division. While the Broncos only won one divisional game last season against the Los Angeles Chargers, if Denver could have managed to avoid just one blunder in each of their divisional matchups — this past season could have gone entirely different.
After being down 27-0 in their first matchup with the Chiefs, Denver stormed back, eventually losing 34-28. Weeks later on the road at Arrowhead, Denver fell short 27-24. A muffed punt against the Chargers in their first matchup cost them a victory 19-16 in overtime. Several missed assignments in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 led to a 32-23 loss. Miscommunication on the backend of the secondary led to a 22-16 loss in overtime in Denver’s second matchup against the Raiders.
While 2022 is officially set in stone for the Denver Broncos, the narrative that they cannot compete is false. As it pertains to the 2023 Broncos, the story has yet to be written, but Sean Payton’s arrival in Denver could help them get over the hump next season. The Broncos new head coach will be tasked with helping quarterback Russell Wilson perform better against the division next year.
The most crucial thing the Broncos can do is to focus on bettering themselves rather than trying to make moves to keep pace with the Chiefs or others in the division. That is the type of mentality Payton’s former teams have invested in and the Broncos should as well.
How the Broncos plan to address personnel decisions in NFL Free Agency will be crucial for Payton and Broncos general manager George Paton. Specifically, improving the offensive line will help them gain the fastest track back to competing for the division. Payton has specifically mentioned how important having a strong run game is — which allows things to open up in the passing game.
Both Payton and Paton will put together a strategy for the NFL Draft that features them making their first picks in the third round. There is a possibility Denver engages in some draft day moves to accumulate more potential capital, but how they maneuver free agency will shed some light on how the team progresses in April.
One thing is certain; the Broncos should be motivated now more than ever when it comes to beating the Kansas City Chiefs and making strides toward taking back the division.
