Broncos ranked second best team in AFC by executive survey, trail Bills

The Denver Broncos beat the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs last year.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough to make them the No. 1 team in the AFC heading into the 2026 season.

Mike Sando of “The Athletic” polled six NFL executives and asked them to rank the squads in the conference 1-16. The Broncos checked in at No. 2, trailing only the Bills.

The Texans are No. 3 on the list, the Patriots are No. 4 and the Ravens round out the top-5.

After that it’s the Chiefs (No. 6), Bengals (No. 7), Chargers (No. 8), Jaguars (No. 9) and Steelers (No. 10). The Dolphins are dead last.

A run thru the AFC today

No pressure, #bills!

Look at the #chiefs, not even in top five. Too low?!https://t.co/gaIIRn5MiS https://t.co/KGXC1c75gJ pic.twitter.com/PfwSJVbQj9

— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) September 3, 2026

Denver received one first-place vote, two second-place votes, two fourth-place votes and one fifth-place vote among the executives surveyed. Buffalo earned four votes at No. 1 and two votes at No. 2, so the gap was clear.

This is in spite of the Broncos topping the Bills 33-30 in a epic OT thriller last season to go the AFC Title Game. Josh Allen again came up short, turning the ball over five times at Empower Field at Mile High.

“Sean Payton does a masterful job of making his teams feel they are better than where they are, and that exudes through their play,” an executive told Sando.

Payton’s been a winner his entire head-coaching career. He had the Saints as a Super Bowl contender many times in New Orleans and now has the Broncos coming off a 14-3 year in his third season leading the orange and blue.

“They have the defense, they have the head coach, they have the quarterback (Bo Nix) healthy, they added Jaylen Waddle. I don’t know about their run game or Houston’s run game, but I trust the continuity of those defenses,” another executive who doesn’t “buy” Denver told Sando.

It’s curious the front-office member would say he’s not “buying” the Broncos then list everything that makes them great. Nix is back and healthy after two offseason ankle surgeries, Vance Joseph’s defense is loaded and Waddle’s a playmaker Denver hasn’t possessed in years.

Another executive told Sando he thinks the Broncos could finish third in the AFC West, a bit of a tired narrative with folks overvaluing the Chargers and assuming the Chiefs will bounce back.

Still, No. 2 is a great place to be on this list with the regular season rapidly approaching.

To see the full AFC poll results and rankings, click here.

Related

Joel Klatt doesn’t get why the national media refuses to acknowledge Bo NixStephen A. Smith declares the Broncos ‘a top-3 team, they just ain’t top-2’Broncos finding out Waddle fits as easily in the locker room as on the fieldThe Broncos should have seen the Justin Joly claim coming from a mile awayJarrett Stidham won the QB2 job, but Sam Ehlinger made it closeFormer Broncos cornerback Alphonso Smith dies at 40