Broncos can’t return to postseason without improving this mark, columnist says

At one point, the Broncos held the best home winning percentage in the NFL. But since Peyton Manning retired after Denver’s last Super Bowl, the NFL hasn’t been so afraid to compete at altitude. The Broncos are just 33-36 (.478) at home since the beginning of 2016. That’s 25^th in the league over that span.

Denver (4-3) has won three straight road games, an impressive stretch that could pay dividends later this year. But if the Broncos are going to return to the playoffs for the first time since that 2015 Super Bowl season, they need to return to home dominance. Denver Post columnist Troy Renck said that if the Broncos are thinking about being a playoff team, they need to have a winning record in Denver, and it needs to begin against Bryce Young and Carolina (1-6) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).

“It starts this week against the absolutely dogwater Panthers,” Renck said Tuesday on the Broncos Podcast with Troy Renck. “No excuses. Nobody wants to hear them. … The mile-high advantage needs to return.”

The Broncos have been up and down at home this year and inconsistent at best on the offensive side of the ball. After a dismal performance in a Week 2 loss to the Steelers, Denver rebounded with a 34-18 win over Las Vegas before struggling again in a loss to the Chargers.

“The fans are into it,” Renck said. “In that Chargers game, you wanted to poke your eyeballs out with a rusty fork through the first 50 minutes. The fans stayed. I give them credit. It was a hollow, empty-calories comeback by the Broncos but they made a comeback and the fans were into it. So, that was encouraging.”

What’s also encouraging is the Denver defense, led by AFC Player of the Week Cody Barton. The Broncos also get the Panthers on plenty of rest after their Thursday night win at New Orleans last week.

Another encouraging sign is the play of Bo Nix, who can become the first Denver rookie starting quarterback to win five games.

What’s more, Nix ranks third among all rookies in 2024 with 255 rushing yards, including 60 rushing yards in each the last two contests. Should he reach 60 against the Panthers, Nix will become the sixth rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era to record 60 rushing yards in three straight games, joining Lamar Jackson (five straight in 2018), Josh Allen (three in 2018), Bobby Douglas (three in 1969), Jalen Hurts (three in 2020) and Vince Young (three in 2006).