Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Wild stat shows how unique Broncos' 2025 season has been

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Nov 11, 2025 6:38 PM ET

The Denver Broncos have been one of the best teams in the NFL through the first 10 weeks of the season, and that is yet another reminder that statistics do not always tell the entire story.

The Broncos improved to 8-2 with their win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10. They emerged victorious in that 10-7 defensive struggle despite punting seven times. The "Thursday Night Football" game featured a nauseating 14 combined punts.

In total, the Broncos and punter Jeremy Crawshaw have punted 53 times this season. That is the most in the NFL, ahead of the Cleveland Browns (49) and Tennessee Titans (42). The Browns are 2-7 and the Titans are 1-8.

Broncos have overcome their stalled drives

Denver has more stalled offensive drives than any team in the NFL. Despite that, they are tied for the best record in the league at 8-2. As reporter Vic Lombardi noted after Thursday's game, the Broncos also led the NFL in penalty yardage following the win over Las Vegas.

The @broncos have the best record in the NFL. They’re 8-2.

The @broncos also lead the NFL in PUNTS (53 punts) AND they lead the NFL in penalty yards.

Make it make sense.
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) November 7, 2025

The Broncos have averaged 73.6 penalty yards per game this season, which is only slightly better that the Jacksonville Jaguars' 77.6.

If you went by punts and penalty yardage, you might think Denver is one of the worst teams in football. Punting is typically a sign of failure, but the Broncos' defense ranks third in the NFL in points allowed per game (17.3) and yards allowed per game (270.7).

The Broncos have scored 23.5 points per game, which ranks 17th in the NFL. Quarterback Bo Nix has been inconsistent and not taken the kind of massive leap many expected in his second season under offensive guru Sean Payton. Fortunately for Payton, Denver's defense has been better than expected. The Broncos need to find more ways to finish drives if they want to become a legitimate Super Bowl contender, however.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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