DENVER BRONCOS
(Friday, Nov. 27, 3 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium)
Series (including playoffs): Broncos 20-14-1
Last meeting: Steelers 13, Broncos 6 (2024 at Denver)
Coaching: HC: Sean Payton; OC: Davis Webb; DC: Vance Joseph; STC: Darren Rizzi
2025: 14-3, first in AFC West Division (10th total offense; 2nd total defense)
The Broncos opened the season 1-2 before tearing off the NFL's season-high 11-game win streak. A loss at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, by the Broncos' largest deficit of the season, 34-20, ended the run. Their other three losses – including an AFC Championship home loss to the Patriots – were by a combined seven points. Second-year quarterback Bo Nix saw his passer rating dip to 87.8 from his rookie year (93.3), and according to Next Gen Stats, Nix struggled with his intermediate game (32nd in NFL with 73.4 passer rating on 10-19 air yards). But he led the NFL with 7 game-winning drives. Because of the experienced offensive line and Nix's mobility, the Broncos were sacked an NFL-low 23 times. The defense was one of the league's elite, but the offense was middle of the road. Scoring 33 points in the first round of the playoffs and 7 in the AFC Championship (without Nix) was a microcosm of the season. It led Payton to make big changes on his offensive staff.
Key returnees
* WR Courtland Sutton led the Broncos with 74 catches for 1,017 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was named to his second Pro Bowl.
* LT Garett Bolles was named to his first Pro Bowl in nine NFL seasons. The cornerstone of a veteran Broncos line was also named first-team All-Pro.
* RG Quinn Meinerz was named first-team All-Pro for the second consecutive season. Meinerz, 27, also made the Pro Bowl after starting 17 games for the third consecutive season.
* DT Zach Allen is the Broncos' defensive stalwart up front. He had 7 sacks and an NFL-high 47 QB hits in being selected to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro.
* OLB Nik Bonitto led the Broncos with 14 sacks and had 28 QB hits in being named to the Pro Bowl. He finished fourth in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
* CB Patrick Surtain II, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, made his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl in his fifth NFL season. The shut-down corner was named second-team All-Pro.
* S Devon Key made a team-record 26 special-teams tackles. Key was named first-team All-Pro special-teamer.
* SS Talanoa Hufanga was named second-team All-Pro after posting career highs in tackles (106) and passes defensed (11).
* P Jeremy Crawshaw, a sixth-rounder, was the only punter drafted in 2025. He was voted to the All-Rookie Team with a gross average of 47.6 and a net of 41.1.
Key losses
* DL John Franklin-Meyers signed a three-year blockbuster deal with the Tennessee Titans. He was a pass-rushing interior lineman (14.5 sacks the last two seasons) who began losing snaps late in the season to Malcolm Roach and Eyioma Uwazurike.
* ILB Dre Greenlaw signed a three-year deal before last season but was released after struggling with injuries. Underrated reserve Justin Strnad is expected to replace him.
Offseason addition
* WR Jaylen Waddle and a fourth-round pick were acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins for first, third, and fourth-round picks. A former first-round pick with 4.37 40 speed, Waddle gives the Broncos a top deep threat opposite Sutton. Waddle has averaged 81 catches for 1,098 yards (13.5 ypr.) and 6 TDs over five NFL seasons.
Days 1 & 2 draft picks
Round 3: DT Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M, transferred from Iowa State and made 48 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 12 starts for the Aggies. An explosive, long-armed run-stuffer, Onyedim is in the mix of players looking to replace Franklin-Meyers.
Familiar face
King-sized WR Hakeem Butler was in training camp with the Steelers in 2023 and has re-emerged with the Broncos after being named last season's United Football League Offensive Player of the Year. It was his second such honor in the last three years. A 6-6, 227-pounder with 35-inch arms, Butler signed with the Broncos on June 15.
Matching up with the Steelers
The Black Friday matchup could have playoff or even seeding ramifications. The Broncos hope to make a jump on offense that can get them to the Super Bowl, and to that end, Payton promoted his former QBs coach and pass-game coordinator Webb to offensive coordinator in place of Joe Lombardi. Payton made two other moves on his offensive staff, but a bigger help could be the sustained health of running back J.K. Dobbins. Before going on the reserve/injured list after Week 10 with a Lisfranc injury, Dobbins had rushed for 772 yards (5.0 ypc.). The talented but injury-plagued Dobbins has played more than 10 games only once, his rookie season in 2020. His backup remains RJ Harvey, who ripped off three long runs but averaged 2.9 yards on his other 143 carries. The Broncos' passing attack is scary with Waddle and Sutton as receivers. While Nix was limited this spring because of his postseason broken ankle, he has been cleared for training camp. The offensive line remains intact for a third consecutive season.
Defensively, the Broncos again broke their team record with a league-high 68 sacks last season, and their secondary contains one of the league's best, if not the best cornerback in Surtain. But while the Broncos ranked seventh in overall pass defense last season, they were sixth-worst in defending tight ends. The NFL's second-ranked run defense allowed 3.9 yards per carry.
