There’s one thing standing between the Broncos and a Super Bowl

Denver's offense and defense have both operated at elite levels during the past two seasons, just never at the same time; if they ever sync up, look out

BY JOEY FREEBURG

Jul 22, 2026, 8:43 AM

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The Denver Broncos have a strange problem. It’s not a talent problem. It’s not a coaching problem. It’s not a quarterback problem or a depth problem or a scheme problem.

It is a timing problem. And it has been hiding in plain sight for two years.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, hosts Josh Dover and Cecil Lammey broke down the pattern that has quietly defined the Sean Payton era in Denver. A pattern that somehow produced a 14-3 record and an AFC Championship Game appearance last season without the offense and defense ever truly firing on all cylinders at the same time.

Dover laid out the dynamic in the most concise way possible.

“Sean starts slow, Vance hits this wall,” Dover said.

That’s the entire story told in seven words.

For the past two seasons, the Broncos offense under Payton has been a notoriously sluggish operation in the early weeks of the year. The most recent campaign began with a 1-2 record, the kind of hole that would have buried a less talented roster. The offense eventually found its rhythm, Nix settled in and the wins started piling up.

But by the time the offense was humming, something else had started to shift. The defense, which had sprinted out of the gates at a historic pace, with the front line on track to break the NFL sack record at midseason, hit a wall in December. The pass rush slowed. The turnovers dried up. The dominance that had defined the first three months of the season evaporated at the exact moment the team needed it most.

The two sides of the ball have essentially been taking turns carrying the franchise. When Vance Joseph’s defense is at its peak, Payton’s offense is still finding its footing. When Payton’s offense finally locks in, Joseph’s defense is running out of gas.

The result has been a team that is almost always very good, but rarely operating at its full, terrifying potential.

Dover captured the frustration with a question that doubles as a prayer.

“Is there some warm, perfect porridge for us somewhere in this Broncos season?” Dover asked.

That Goldilocks framing is exactly right. Broncos Country has seen the scalding-hot defense and the ice-cold offense. It has seen the scorching offense paired with a fading defense. What it hasn’t seen, not for any sustained stretch, is both units operating at peak capacity simultaneously.

And that’s where Cecil Lammey believes the conversation gets genuinely exciting.

“What if they came together at the same time? I mean they’re unstoppable,” Lammey said.

He wasn’t being hyperbolic. He was being mathematical. The Broncos went 14-3 last season with their offense and defense essentially working in shifts. If both units found their groove at the same point in the schedule, if Payton’s offense skipped the slow start and Joseph’s defense avoided the December fade, the resulting product would be one of the most complete football teams in the NFL.

We saw a glimpse of what that would look like in the AFC Divisional round Matchup against the Bills. The Broncos offense scored 33 points. The defense forced five turnovers.

Lammey then laid out the full thesis.

“The answer is the Denver Broncos are unstoppable if Sean’s offense gets going and Vance Joseph’s defense doesn’t kinda have this collapse in December,” Lammey said.

It’s a straightforward equation. The pieces are there. The talent is there. The coaching is there. The only missing ingredient is synchronization. Two elite units finding the same gear at the same time and sustaining it through the stretch run and into January.

Lammey closed with the kind of conviction that makes you sit up in your seat.

“They are unstoppable, they are a Super Bowl contender. And yes, Super Bowl 61 is theirs until it’s not. So go get that damn thing,” Lammey said.

That is the belief. That is the ceiling. And based on everything the Broncos have shown over the past two years, it is not an unreasonable one.

The defense has already proven it can be the best in football. The offense has already proven it can carry a team to the AFC Championship Game. The only question left is whether they can do it together.

If the answer is yes, Cecil Lammey is right. Super Bowl 61 is there for the taking.