ESPN Sets Broncos' Win Total Prediction for 2025

My, what a difference a year can make for an NFL team. Rewind back to 2024, and the expectations and predictions surrounding the Denver Broncos were very low.

The oddsmakers infamously set Denver's over/under win total at 5.5 wins, which made head coach Sean Payton chuckle, though he used the disrespect as bulletin board material in the locker room. Harnessing and redirecting that energy, Payton led the Broncos to a 10-win season and a playoff berth as the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

Bo Nix was a big reason for that quantum leap forward and the Broncos' brutal defiance of the oddsmakers and prognosticators. With 2024 in the books, how is Denver's outlook shaping up?

ESPN Bet has set the Broncos' over/under win total at 9.5 wins — nearly double what it was in 2024. And it's much more in line with reality.

As a head coach, Payton had never finished with fewer than seven wins. That's how skeptical the NFL at large was over the team's roster last year, and the fact that it was counting on a rookie first-round pick — whom many of the same claimed was 'overdrafted' — to carry the starting load. Either that or the NFL completely overlooked Payton's resume.

The Broncos still have their proven coach, but hitting on the right quarterback and fielding a top-10 defense served as force multipliers for Payton's wherewithal and experience. The Broncos just made some excellent moves in free agency, filling most of their pressing roster holes with safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, tight end Evan Engram, and special teams maven Trent Sherfield.

In what remains of the roster-building phase of the offseason, the Broncos still hold a full complement of draft picks, including selections in each of the first four rounds. The biggest remaining need is at running back, though.

It's a good draft to be in the running back market, as experts predict as many as 30 rushers could hear their names called. The same holds true at tight end.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Broncos draft two running backs and a tight end to pair with the new arrival, Engram. Such a draft haul, complete with other smart selections from a proven draft artist like Broncos GM George Paton, would further solidify the building of the nest around Nix.

Consider ESPN's over/under a harbinger. More good times are on the horizon for the Broncos.

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