The Denver Broncos' path to repeat as AFC West champions will be tough . But it was a slog last year, and the Broncos weathered the storm by winning 14 games. It's an especialy rough first six weeks of the season, so the Broncos might not start the 2026 campaign on an especially hot note. That wouldn't be anything new, though; the Broncos started 1-2 in each of Bo Nix's two seasons at the helm, and Sean Payton teams are traditionally slow starters. The schedule itself has sparked reactions across the NFL media world. Many pundits see 2026 as the Kansas City Chiefs' return to the top of the AFC West, including Sports Illustrated 's Matt Verderame , who predicted the Broncos finish second with an 11-6 record. He has the Chiefs winning 12 and the Chargers falling to 8-9, but he may be overlooking some key factors that make the Broncos so dangerous. "The Broncos are trying to defend their first AFC West crown since 2015, and they’ll have a reasonable chance to do so.…