Nobody expected the 2024 season to go the way it did. Honestly, if you’d asked most "experts" back in August of '24, they would’ve told you the Denver Broncos were headed for a top-five draft pick and another year of absolute misery. Instead, we got the first winning season in the Mile High City since 2016. It was weird. It was thrilling. At times, it was kind of confusing. But when you look at the denver broncos record last year, the final 10-7 tally tells a story of a franchise that finally stopped spinning its wheels in the mud.
Sean Payton basically bet his entire reputation on a rookie quarterback that half the league thought was a "reach" at pick twelve. That rookie, Bo Nix, didn't just survive; he shattered almost every rookie passing record in Denver's history.
What Really Happened With the Denver Broncos Record Last Year
The season didn't exactly start with fireworks. Denver stumbled out of the gate with back-to-back losses to Seattle and Pittsburgh. You could feel the "here we go again" energy vibrating through the stands at Empower Field. But then something clicked.
Between late September and October, the Broncos went on a tear. They won three straight, including a gritty 10-9 defensive masterclass against the Jets in a rainstorm and a 34-18 thumping of the Raiders. That stretch changed the vibe. Suddenly, Denver wasn't just a "scrappy" team; they were actually good. By the time they hit their Week 13 bye, they were sitting at 8-5 and squarely in the playoff hunt.
The Defensive Masterclass under Vance Joseph
While everyone was staring at the offense, Vance Joseph was quietly building a brick wall. The Broncos finished the year with a top-three scoring defense, allowing only 18.3 points per game.
- Patrick Surtain II cemented himself as the best corner in the game, earning first-team All-Pro honors and being named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by some outlets.
- Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto turned into a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, combining for a pass rush that actually had teeth for the first time in years.
- They led the league in red-zone defense. Basically, if you got near their goal line, you were probably kicking a field goal or turning it over.
The Bo Nix Factor: More Than Just a Rookie
You've probably heard the stats by now, but they're worth repeating because they're genuinely insane for a Denver rookie. Nix finished the regular season with 3,775 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. He didn't just play "game manager" football either.
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He threw for 29 scores and added 4 more on the ground. That’s 33 total touchdowns. To put that in perspective, John Elway didn’t even touch those kinds of numbers in his first year. Nix had seven game-winning drives. Seven! He was money in the fourth quarter, posting a plus-64 point differential in the final frame across the season.
There were growing pains, sure. The Week 9 blowout loss to Baltimore (41-10) was a reality check. But the way this kid bounced back to beat Atlanta 38-6 the following week showed he has the "short memory" you need to play QB in this league.
The Heartbreak at Arrowhead
If there’s one game that defines the denver broncos record last year, it’s the Week 10 heartbreaker against the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver had the game won. They drove down the field, drained the clock, and set up a chip-shot field goal to end the Chiefs' undefeated streak.
Then the kick was blocked.
It was devastating. It could have broken a lesser team. Instead, Denver won five of their last seven games. That resilience is why they ended up 10-7 and in the playoffs for the first time since the Manning era.
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Breaking Down the 10-7 Standings
Denver finished 3rd in the AFC West, which sounds worse than it actually was. The AFC West was a gauntlet last year. They managed to sweep the Raiders and split with the Chiefs and Chargers.
The most impressive part? They tied an NFL record with 11 one-score games. They were constantly playing on a razor's edge. Some people call that lucky; Sean Payton calls it "situational football."
- Wins: Buccaneers, Jets, Raiders (twice), Saints, Panthers, Falcons, Browns, Colts, Chiefs.
- Losses: Seahawks, Steelers, Chargers (twice), Ravens, Chiefs, Bengals.
The regular season finale was a statement—a 38-0 shutout of the Kansas City Chiefs. Yeah, the Chiefs were resting some starters, but a 38-point shutout is a 38-point shutout. It gave Denver the momentum they needed heading into the Wild Card round.
The Playoff Reality Check
Look, the postseason didn't go the way fans wanted. Traveling to Orchard Park to face the Buffalo Bills in January is a nightmare scenario for anyone. The Broncos fell 31-7. The offense looked cold, the Bills' defense was suffocating, and the dream ended abruptly.
But does a blowout loss in the Wild Card round ruin the season? Not even close.
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For a fan base that hadn't seen a playoff game since Super Bowl 50, just being there felt like a massive win. The "denver broncos record last year" isn't just about that one loss; it's about the ten wins that proved the culture had finally shifted.
Actionable Insights for the 2025-2026 Cycle
If you're looking at what this means for the future, keep an eye on the salary cap. The Broncos are finally out from under the massive dead-cap hits of the previous regime. This means they can actually go out and get Bo Nix some more weapons.
Next Steps for Denver:
- Find a true WR2: Courtland Sutton is a beast, but Troy Franklin needs to take a massive leap in year two to take the pressure off.
- Shore up the interior O-line: Quinn Meinerz is an All-Pro, but the depth behind him is sketchy.
- Sustainability: Can the defense stay top-five? Regression is a real thing in the NFL, and Vance Joseph has his work cut out for him to repeat that 2024 performance.
The 2024 season was the "proof of concept" year. Now, the expectations won't be "let's hope for a winning record." They'll be "let's win the division."
For anyone still doubting Sean Payton’s vision, the denver broncos record last year should be enough to quiet the noise—at least for a few months. The Broncos are back to being a relevant football team, and in Denver, that’s all anyone really wanted.