The Denver Broncos are ready to turn heads in 2026. On the Pat McAfee Show, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky made quite the bold statement when talking about the Broncos earlier this month. "I think the best team in football that we're not talking about — and should be a favorite in the AFC to go to the Super Bowl is the Denver Broncos," Orlovsky said. "I don't understand how — and I have so much love for the Cincinattis and the Buffalos and the Baltimores and the Kansas City's, and all that — but Denver was the best team in the AFC last year. And Denver has only gotten better with some of their signings and the addition of [Jaylen] Waddle, and the fact that they have a third-year quarterback that is coming off a pretty darn good season... they're going to have a top-five offensive line, they've got pieces on the perimeter, they added a receiver that is a vertical juice guy that Bo Nix hasn't had a player like this. "The defense, everybody knows, is absolutely suffocating. Sean Payton, one of the great coaches in the league, I just sit there and say, 'Is Buffalo better than Denver? Not right now.'" You can view Orlovsky's segment on McAfee below.
"I think the best team in football that we're not talking about is the Denver Broncos.. They should be the favorite from the AFC to go to the Super Bowl" ~ @danorlovsky7#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/VxWjBNv3MF — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 7, 2026 Orlovsky also shared similar comments on ESPN's "Get Up" program last week:
"The Denver Broncos are the best team that for some reason hasn't been talked about since the Bo Nix injury."@danorlovsky7 has his eyes on the Broncos heading into a new NFL season 🏈 pic.twitter.com/1VCNvkFIS8 — Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 14, 2026 Broncos coach Sean Payton told Kay Adams that this team is a championship-caliber team, much the same (roster-wise and feel-wise) as 2025. "I think we have an uncommon team," Payton said last week. Denver looks to be uncommon as they navigate through the 2026 season, trying to make their way back to the top of the AFC. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Dan Orlovsky says Broncos should be an AFC favorite for Super Bowl