Not the Super Bowl champs? Well, the Rams were already loaded. Then they traded for Myles Garrett, too. They should be a freight train.

2. Seattle Seahawks

Mike MacDonald’s team will have a ring ceremony at some point and they might not even be the favorites in their own division. Welcome to the NFC West!

3. Denver Broncos

A lofty position for Sean Payton’s team, but they’ve got continuity, they added Jaylen Waddle and Bo Nix is heading into a critical Year 3.

4. Buffalo Bills

Could this, at long last, finally be Josh Allen’s year? He was foiled at Empower Field back in January, but he’ll have a squad again this fall.

5. New England Patriots

Drake Maye and Co. took full advantage of a strange year and played in a Super Bowl … well, technically. A complete team in Year 2 under coach Mike Vrabel.

6. Baltimore Ravens

The bet here is that former Payton acolyte Declan Doyle will be good for Lamar Jackson, and that Jesse Minter will be an instant success as a head coach. They’ll be fun.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Starting in 2022, the Eagles have won 14, 11, 14, and 11 games. You know what that means. Fourteen big ones inbound for Nick Sirianni’s team.

8. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers went from afterthought to nearly capturing the No. 1 seed in the NFC last year. If they can stay healthy, they’ll be a force. Been a big if recently.

9. Los Angeles Chargers

The Mike McDonald and Justin Herbert pairing is one of the NFL’s most fascinating. If Herbert gets comfy, it can be a scary offense.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags got hot last year and won the division. Imagine how much fun they’d have been with a healthy Travis Hunter. Hopefully 2026 is the year.

11. Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams started to look like a star in the making under coach Ben Johnson. The Bears are really back… and apparently moving to Indiana as well. The only explanation: Duh Bears!

12. Detroit Lions

The Lions went from Johnson to John Morton at OC. It… didn’t work. Drew Petzing should be a good fit for Jared Goff and Co., but Detroit����ap got to play defense, too, in a tough division.

13. Houston Texans

The Texans have perhaps the scariest defense in the NFL. They are an absolute hurricane under DeMeco Ryans. If C.J. Stroud finds his form, this will be an under-ranking.

14. Green Bay Packers

The Packers flamed out again, then extended everybody. At times, Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love look like a Super Bowl waiting to happen. Sometimes.

15. Dallas Cowboys

We know the Cowboys will score with Dak Prescott and those receivers. If former Denver assistant Christian Parker gets the defense straightened out, look out.

16. Kansas City Chiefs

This is destined to be a hilarious under-ranking if Patrick Mahomes quickly returns to form. He probably will. But, for now, questions abound around the all-timer under center.

17. Cincinnati Bengals

Every season Joe Burrow has played 16 or more regular season games, he’s thrown for at least 4,475 yards and 34 touchdowns. Let����ap do that again.

18. Washington Commanders

This team went to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, then Jayden Daniels’ follow-up season was scuttled by injuries. Here’s hoping for a healthy Year 3.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs will get great play from Baker Mayfield, have weeks where they look like one of the best offenses on the planet and somehow end up 7-8 but in the hunt for the NFC South.

20. Carolina Panthers

Basically the same as above, but just not quite as good at quarterback. Bryce Young, though, has a division title under his belt and a chance to repeat.

21. Indianapolis Colts

Daniel Jones is supposedly going to be healthy at the start or early in the season. That����ap good. Probably. This team was so fun for the first half of 2025.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers

If nothing else, the Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers reunion will be tremendous theater. What if they actually make one more run together?

23. Minnesota Vikings

What a calamity for Minnesota to let Sam Darnold go after a terrific 2024. Now they’ve got a Kyler Murray/J.J. McCarthy situation that feels like a Kevin O’Connell cry for help.

24. New Orleans Saints

The Saints can win the NFC South. That����ap in part because it����ap a bad division but also because Tyler Shough has juice and New Orleans was cooking down the stretch last year.

25. New York Giants

John Harbaugh should bring some instant calm and respectability to the Giants. If he can get Jaxson Dart to take another step, the G-Men will have a bright future.

26. Atlanta Falcons

Kevin Stefanski and Matt Ryan are the new braintrust in Atlanta, but the Falcons have questions at QB and around the roster. They’re quite a way away.

27. Tennessee Titans

Titans Cam Ward did some good things as a rookie and clearly has some moxy to his game. Now, can Robert Saleh help build the rest of it around the young QB?

28. Las Vegas Raiders

No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza (eventually) has fun weapons in Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty. Klint Kubiak is a talented offensive coach. It����ap going to take longer than a year.

29. New York Jets

Former Broncos asst. GM Darren Mougey has been wheeling and dealing. They’ve got troves of premium picks the next couple years. It’ll be fun. But those picks can’t play in 2026.

30. Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson said recently he’d be open to an extension in Cleveland. That����ap nice. Here’s betting the Browns think $230 million for nine wins (so far) will have been plenty.

31. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals all the way through the coaching carousel this winter felt a bit like they had nowhere to turn. Eventually it was to Dial-A-McVay Assistant. Or, er, Mike LaFleur.

32. Miami Dolphins

Give the Dolphins credit for going all in on the teardown. But they’re paying $112 million to players on the team and charging $179 million in cap space to players who aren’t.

Philadelphia Eagles

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 18-1; Over-under win total: 10.5

Strengths: Quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley will always be dangerous, especially operating behind an impenetrable offensive line that features Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata at the tackle spots. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is bringing fresh ideas to a Philadelphia roster that remains pretty loaded. Even after their Super Bowl title defense ended disappointingly without a playoff win last year, the Eagles have the firepower to maintain their monopoly on this division.

Weaknesses: Safety is easily the weakest position group following the loss of Reed Blankenship to Houston in free agency. Philadelphia’s by-committee approach might include nickel Cooper DeJean getting more safety reps. Linebacker Nakobe Dean and receiver AJ Brown were also key departures this offseason, though trading Brown to New England could turn out to be addition by subtraction after his social media antics developed into a major distraction last year.

Dallas Cowboys

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 25-1; Over-under win total: 9.5

Strengths: George Pickens proved to be one of the best acquisitions of the 2025 offseason. He amassed 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in a breakout year, pairing with CeeDee Lamb to provide Dak Prescott with one of the most impressive receiver corps in the league. This could be Pickens’ last season in Dallas with a potentially lucrative payday waiting for him next year. In the meantime, the Cowboys have a golden opportunity to lead the NFL in passing yards twice in a row.

Weaknesses: One of the league’s worst defenses is desperate for a philosophical overhaul. Can new DC Christian Parker deliver? The secondary was particularly pitiful last season, rarely generating interceptions and consistently making opposing quarterbacks look good. Returning cornerback DaRon Bland and rookie safety Caleb Downs — Dallas traded up to draft him with the 11th pick — are the best hopes to facilitate a turnaround.

Washington Commanders

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 66-1; Over-under win total: 7.5

Strengths: Quarterback, as long as you choose to believe the real Jayden Daniels was the one who appeared on MVP ballots and led an NFC title game run during his historic rookie season, and not the one whose completion rate dropped 9% during an injury-plagued sophomore year in which he missed 10 games.

Weaknesses: The Commanders signed 11 defensive players in free agency, so that unit will look completely different after an atrocious 2025. Offensively, they need the 30-year-old Terry McLaurin to stay healthy, or they’ll be thin on quality pass-catching options for Daniels to target. McLaurin also missed seven games last season.

New York Giants

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 66-1; Over-under win total: 7.5

Strengths: John Harbaugh was the flashiest hire of the coaching carousel this offseason. Can he spark an immediate turnaround in his first year away from Baltimore since 2007? At the very least, he has one of the best edge rusher rooms in the league at his disposal, equipped with edge rushers Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns (the NFC leader in sacks last year).

Weaknesses: Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo turned heads last year, but can the young QB-RB tandem elevate to a playoff level under a new coaching regime? Star receiver Malik Nabers also remains an unknown variable coming off a torn ACL. And as good as those edge rushers are, New York’s interior defensive line is nowhere near as complete.

On the roster (6): Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, Tycen Anderson, JL Skinner, Miles Scott, Parker Robertson

How many on the 53? Four or five. Five made the cut last year, but it would be easy to see the Broncos shave that down and rely on Key, Skinner, Anderson or Scott to fill two backup-safety and key special-teams slots.

Most impactful offseason move: Letting P.J. Locke walk.

Not exactly a busy positional offseason when the winner in this category is a guy who had 16 tackles last season, but Locke was an important piece of Denver’s roster for years and filled a key role as a third safety last season. After Jones suffered a season-ending pec injury late last season, Locke stepped in capably for three regular-season and two playoff starts, including a massive interception in the Broncos’ wild-card win over the Bills.

The Broncos opted to let Locke hit free agency — likely for a seventh-round compensatory pick in 2027 — and sign to play in Dallas under old Denver assistant Christian Parker. Makes enough sense, given it’d be cheaper for Denver to replace their third safety than match the $4 million one-year deal Locke signed with the Cowboys. And the Broncos filled the void this offseason by signing veteran special-teamer Anderson to a one-year, $1.5 million deal and drafting Illinois safety Scott in the seventh round in April.

There’s enough quality depth in this room, now, to identify a Locke replacement. Someone has to seize that spot in camp.

Biggest question to answer in camp: Did Hufanga and Jones get on the JUGS machine?

No, seriously. Hufanga could’ve wound up a down-ballot candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year in his first season in Denver in 2025 if he’d managed to simply catch and secure the approximate five or six potential interceptions that cracked off his hands last year; he finished with zero. He and Jones, in fact, ran smack-dab into each other while chasing a meatball from New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart in Week 7.

All in all, the Broncos’ safety duo finished with a combined total of one interception in 104 combined targets as the closest defender in coverage last season. Simply not good enough for a pair of rangy defensive backs who form one of the most back-end tandems in the NFL. Denver needs all the help it can get to widen its margins after a rollicking season of comeback wins in 2025; start here as one of the most obvious areas for growth.

Battle to watch: Key vs. Anderson vs. Skinner vs. Scott for the third-safety job.

As previously mentioned, Locke is gone, and a stable of capable reserves are ready to seize his place. Especially important here: Hufanga just played a 17-game season for the first time in his career in 2025, and Jones has played a full slate just once in a six-year NFL career. Somebody in this group will likely see a substantial snap share this fall.

The 28-year-old Key just put together one of the best special-team seasons in franchise history, and should be the runaway favorite here for the job. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, even, said point-blank last year he’d be comfortable starting Key at safety in a pinch. But Denver also signed 2022 fifth-round pick Anderson in part to compete at depth safety, as a source told The Post in March. Skinner is a former sixth-round pick himself, and Scott is a mature seventh-round rookie who still has some clear developmental upside.

Key, Anderson and Skinner all bring considerable special-teams value, with no clear leg up from that standpoint on a roster spot. And in another interesting wrinkle, Jones is currently set to hit free agency in 2027; this year’s camp battle could prove an early audition for his starting job next season.

Under the radar: Skinner.

Joseph often deployed Skinner in late-game units to counteract desperation offensive situations last year, a move that theoretically made sense given the 6-foot-4 Skinner’s length. But a handful of late-game snaps against Philadelphia in Week 5 proved a complete and utter adventure, as Skinner was whistled for a costly pass-interference call that nearly gave the Eagles an opportunity for a game-winning score on their final offensive drive.

After another season as a primary special-teamer, though, Skinner revealed this offseason on his social media that he’d played the entire 2025 slate with a torn labrum and underwent surgery after the year. Upside still drips off his frame, and Skinner now enters the final year of his rookie contract in Denver. This could be the camp that he proves himself ready for an expanded defensive role in Joseph’s system.

Week after week, his digits splayed across his helmet in anguish after passes ticked off his hands and into the grass. Hufanga was a 200-pound whirling dervish from the moment he joined the Broncos’ secondary last year, and earned a second-team All-Pro nod for it. He also left five potential interceptions on the ground of NFL stadiums across the country, and visibly reacted to each as if he’d just been handed his entire season paycheck and accidentally dropped it down a drain.

Going back through DB tape from '25 after Talanoa Hufanga's discussion of dropped interceptions at OTAs last week. Story later.

But man, was Hufanga's self-disappointment evident on a few plays last year. A four-part portrait of four dropped picks:

— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans)

Months later, despite a full 17-game slate that exceeded anyone’s expectations for his first year in Denver, Hufanga’s hands still burn from the unfortunate memories.

“A lot of it (was) left on the board, and a lot of it was me, man,” Hufanga said last Thursday, when asked how the Broncos’ defense can be even better in 2026. “We left a lot out there in terms of interception-wise, and that����ap exactly what we’re preaching this year is taking the ball away. We did well in third downs and sacks and things like that, but when we look at the lack of production, it starts with me.

“I gotta lead that better.”

Missed opportunities for turnovers

True to Hufanga’s words, last season’s Broncos had one of the stranger profiles of any dominant NFL defense in recent memory. In coordinator Vance Joseph’s third season at the helm, Denver led the league in fewest yards allowed per play and tied for fifth in NFL history in team sacks; the club also tied for the fourth-fewest turnovers forced by any defense in the NFL. Despite Joseph’s creativity and aggressiveness on situational blitzes, the Broncos thrived more on situational conservatism: they tied for the league lead in fewest red-zone touchdowns allowed (21) and finished  in opponents’ third-down conversion rate (33.8%).

One needs nothing more than a handful of clips of dropped picks, though, to know Joseph’s unit still has acres of room for growth. And on the Broncos’ first day of OTAs last week, the 53-year-old veteran coordinator delivered a pointed message to his defense.

“Basically saying, ‘It����ap a new year,'” cornerback Pat Surtain II recounted last week. “‘Whatever you did last year doesn’t matter now. It����ap a new slate. Teams are getting better and better.

‘We gotta find a way to get better.’”

Indeed, opposing AFC West offenses have improved, after the Broncos surrendered more than 20 points in just one of six regular-season divisional matchups. The Chargers’ offense will likely see a jolt with new play-caller Mike McDaniel. Patrick Mahomes looks probable to return for Week 1 in Kansas City, with reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III now in tow at running back. The Raiders have their franchise quarterback in Fernando Mendoza as well as veteran Kirk Cousins.

The Broncos’ defense, by contrast, lost starting defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers in free agency — and didn’t add a single external piece beyond a handful of rookies and special-teamer Tycen Anderson. It’s unreasonable to expect Joseph’s defense to put up 68 sacks again in 2026. And such a level of retention necessitates internal defensive progress; that begins with the Broncos’ ability to create turnovers, which Joseph and head coach Sean Payton stressed both internally and externally throughout 2025.

“That’s something,” Payton said after a December win over Kansas City, “that we’ve gotta improve on.”

The secondary’s lack of ball-production, in fact, became the subject of good-natured locker-room needling early in the year — and something slightly more, as weeks went by. The Post watched back tape of every Denver defensive pass breakup in 2025; players dropped a total of eight passes in coverage in the regular season, which would’ve jumped the Broncos’ league ranking in total interceptions from tied for 18th to tied for fifth.

Simple body language was even more telling. Surtain slammed his palms into the turf repeatedly after a fourth-quarter play in Week 7 against the Giants, when he and Ja’Quan McMillian tipped a can-of-corn pick away from each other. Two plays later, in that same game, safeties Hufanga and Brandon Jones ran smack-dab into each other and dropped another easy would-be interception from New York quarterback Jaxson Dart.

“I swear — as much as the lack of production in interceptions right now on the back-end — but we are trying to get the ball,” Hufanga reflected, a day later.

Back for more

He, for one, has a built-in excuse. He missed much of his 2024 season with San Francisco , and told reporters last week he wasn’t able to work his hands on a JUGS machine last offseason. He continued wearing a club on his wrist in 2025, too, and said his hand-eye coordination was “not great.”

“I’m going to be honest … I don’t know how I dropped all of them,” Hufanga smiled last week. “Because some of them, like — I’m being real with you, man, it dropped right in my lap. And I didn’t come out with them.

“And at the end of the day, a lot of my teammates would say, ‘You ain’t living right.’ So we gotta change that.”

This phenomenon extends beyond just picks, too. Despite a record-flirting sack season and excellent production against the run in 2025, the Broncos tied for the second-fewest fumbles recovered of any NFL defense last year.

There is no obvious external upgrade to that turnover margin, unless rookie linebacker Red Murdock manages to roll his NCAA all-time lead in forced fumbles into smashing NFL ball-carriers. Any salvation, then, lies within.

“What, realistically — we lost JFM, which is a guy that I’m gonna probably miss a lot,” Hufanga said. “But we did a really good job of being able to keep everybody intact, defensively at least.

“And so we’re super excited just to get this ball rolling.”

1,300 miles away, the biggest news of the day inside a quiet Broncos facility in Dove Valley: ?

The Broncos’ brass, of course, all took their seats in the war room for the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. They sat. And continued to sit, for 32 picks, as the rest of the league maneuvered around them. This was the reality all but ensured since March 17, when general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton and the rest of the staff decided that trading for Dolphins star receiver Jaylen Waddle would be well worth the ultimate price of their first-round pick.

NFL draft 2026 first-round winners and losers: The Jets QB of the future is smiling somewhere. Matthew Stafford? Maybe not

"We spent a lot of time looking at that selection, and trying to determine — we could safely say that pick would’ve been one of these 7 or 8 players," Payton said at league meetings in late March. "And we didn’t feel like that would help us as much as Jaylen Waddle.”

In a pre-draft press conference last week, Paton all but promised that Denver's draft festivities wouldn't start until Day 2 on Friday night, with the Broncos' current capital too limited to swing a massive trade to leap back into the first round from their No. 62 selection. And a handful of potential Denver options already leaped off the board in the first round as the Vikings swung on high-upside but injury-concern DT Caleb Banks at No. 18 (a Broncos top-30 visit) and the Seahawks snagged Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price with the last pick of the first round.

There's even more urgency for the Broncos to hit on their Day 2 selection now, though, as other AFC West teams leveled up Thursday night. The Raiders, of course, took their franchise man in quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall. The Chargers added a potentially instant-impact edge rusher, Akheem Mesidor, late in the first round. And the Chiefs to take LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane as a new antidote to the Waddle-Courtland Sutton combination in Denver.

The Broncos, however, will enter Day 2 with a slew of targets still left on the board, as Paton said last week, there's "six players we're kinda focused on" that the Broncos feel could fall to them at No. 62. Most of those six should still be there, come Friday night — whether the Broncos move up or back to get them.

Here's a breakdown of the 10 best remaining fits for Denver at their late-second-round slot Friday.

10 best remaining for Broncos at No. 62

RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas: One NFL assistant coach who's heavily evaluated this RB class told The Post that "some team will take (Washington) higher than they should" because of his size and speed. Maybe that's Denver. It'd be incredibly hard to imagine Paton spending back-to-back second-round picks on a running back, but Washington's upside — at 223 pounds with a 4.33-second 40-yard-dash — is as high as any RB in his class not named Jeremiyah Love.

WR Germie Bernard, Alabama: Denver won't — and shouldn't — take a receiver here, after the Jaylen Waddle trade. But Bernard is too good, and too perfect a fit in a Sean Payton offense, not to be listed here. The production (64 catches, 862 yards) is solid, the size (6-foot-1, 206 pounds) is good, and the blocking mentality is even better. Alas, in a different timeline.

TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt: The Post's second-round selection in our final mock draft of this cycle, Stowers still lingers, an explosive receiving threat who profiles as a hybrid receiver at the next level. But Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq, the consensus top tight end in this class, went relatively early at No. 16 to New York. That could well mean a team will swing on Stowers early in the second round.

TE Max Klare, Ohio State: This draft, as Payton said in a pre-draft presser last week, is ripe in both in-line "Y"-type tight ends and versatile "F"-type receiving threats. Klare combines the best of both worlds into one tidy Day 2 package, a 6-foot-4 pass-catcher who thrived from both the slot and as a run-blocker last year for the Buckeyes. He's not as athletic as a Stowers, but he'd be an excellent option for Nix.

OL Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon: Similar to Stowers' situation, Pregnon could find himself flying off the board early in Round Two after Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge went higher than consensus (No. 26 to Houston). The Denver native took a top-30 visit in Denver, but the Broncos might have to move up to grab him.

OT Travis Burke, Memphis: No. 62 might be high for Burke, but Denver's done plenty of work here for a reason. Burke has rare size at nearly 6-foot-9, and a nasty disposition to match. With veterans Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey both still locked in as 2026 starters, Burke could be a fascinating investment for offensive-line coach Zach Strief.

LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech: One of ����apountry's original favorites at the beginning of the draft process, Rodriguez has risen considerably up boards across the last few months — but not high enough to be off the table before Day 2. That could be good news for Denver, whether he manages to slip into a trade-up situation in the middle of the second round or simply prolongs an inevitable run of linebackers to fall into the Broncos' lap at No. 62.

LB CJ Allen, Georgia: Take your pick of Rodriguez or Allen as the second-best linebacker in this class. Allen revealed to reporter Brett Kollmann late in February that Georgia largely let Allen run calls and checks at the , and he could slot into the heart of Denver's defense for a long time.

LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas: Everything about Hill, traits-wise, screams star. 4.51 40-yard-dash. 37-inch vertical. Good size at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds. He led the SEC with 16.5 tackles for loss in 2024, and has some upside as a blitzer in Vance Joseph's scheme. He'd be a perfect fit to push Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad for starting reps while contributing in a third-linebacker role as a rookie.

S A.J. Haulcy, LSU: Not a frequently-discussed option for Denver at No. 62, given the Broncos' positional needs beyond safety. But Haulcy has fantastic ball production across his last two seasons, with eight interceptions total for Houston and LSU. Starting Broncos safety Brandon Jones will be a free agent after next season, and Haulcy played a season for new Broncos defensive backs coach Doug Belk with the Cougars in 2023.

But not for the reasons you might think. It was not a slap in Sean Payton’s face. There is no need to put the quarterback and coach on a couch and let them talk it out.

What played out this week is not an example of a feud, but rather just the opposite. It is the secret sauce of their relationship.

Spoiler alert: Payton is hard to work for, as a player and a coach. This is why owner Greg Penner likes him. Payton creates high expectations and holds people accountable, which is the fabric of his elite culture building.

But Payton cannot help himself. He is not a vibes guy. He is a mood.

He takes jabs at opponents, media members, and, yes, on occasion, his own players. Earlier this week, Payton said he thought a doctor found “a condition that was, like, predisposed” when evaluating Nix’s ankle. What he meant, according to those in the know, was that there was stress on the bone, suggesting a fracture was inevitable. This came on the heels of Payton’s joke falling flat after the win over Buffalo when he said he would not have drafted Nix had he known about his previous ankle issues.

Nix, who placed his recovery time at 4-to-6 weeks, pushed back. This is what he does. Remember the sideline shouting match with Payton during his rookie season? How about the multiple times he has yelled at his coach to hurry up with the play calls this year?

“He doesn’t really even know that,” Nix said of Payton’s reference to previous ankle problems. “But I think it����ap going to be good to get back to work, start from ground zero. Work from the bottom up, get back to training. And there is nothing really that concerns me, nothing that scares me going forward.”

Nix stands up to Payton. His position gives him stature, and it is appreciated in the locker room when Nix holds his ground with the coach. It is viewed internally as creative friction, the same back-and-forth that has defined the most successful partnerships in Payton’s career. He and Drew Brees had their disagreements. They came to understand each other, and their sense of humor.

There is a reason that Payton referred to Nix as Ferris Bueller as a rookie. The kid is not afraid to tweak the coach, to color outside the lines. Payton demonstrated the same tendencies as a young play-caller with the New York Giants.

Payton will pop off. And Nix, often with a smirk, will return the volley.

That trust and dynamic clearly did not exist in the Payton-Russell Wilson arranged marriage. Wilson never challenged Payton publicly until last year on social media over a perceived slight when Payton praised Giants starter Jaxson Dart.

Football is not played in an office cubicle. Tom Brady screamed at his coaches. Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday went nose-to-nose. Payton gets under people’s skin. And Nix is not afraid to give it back to him.

This is their connective tissue, not evidence of a fissure.

Bad Bill: Bill Belichick was not elected into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. A few writers who did not vote for him explained his omission because of the process that pits coaches against senior players and contributors. The system stinks. But not voting for Belichick to relieve a backlog of candidates is flawed logic. Secondly, if Belichick was punished for Spygate and Deflategate, that would be understandable, save for this issue. The Pro Football Hall of Fame, unlike baseball’s, does not have a morality clause. Voters have not punished previous cheaters in this fashion, and definitely not a candidate with Belichick’s resume. Are they going to apply the same standard to Tom Brady? The worst part of the snub? Belichick will get in next year, meaning Mike Shanahan will have to wait another year, if not longer, before entering Canton.

Final thought: Nikola Jokic is back. The Nuggets went 10-6 in his absence, and with Oklahoma City returning to earth, there is no reason Denver cannot win the NBA Championship if healthy.

At 31 years old, the Broncos pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach has become a top head coaching candidate. He is viewed as the new Sean McVay, a wonder kid capable of running an offense and a franchise.

As the Broncos prepare to host the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, it is time to acknowledge two truths: Payton had onions to hire a coach in his 20s, and Webb has never been more important than this week.

Webb stopped playing in 2022 and joined Payton’s staff in 2023. Everything about his hiring hinted that he was a meteor in the business. After the interview, Payton was looking over his notes and wondering why he even let Webb leave the building. He phoned him on his way to DIA and just like that the former top college prospect had a headset.

Webb has been on the fast track ever since. During the past preseason, Payton allowed him to call plays. It went well to no one’s surprise. That Bo Nix posted 53 passing touchdowns and 25 wins in his first two seasons is a credit to Payton’s play calling, but Webb deserves a tip of the cap.

He is a buffer. He is brilliant. And this game plan demands his best work, steeling Jarrett Stidham for the biggest challenge of his career, or any career for that matter. Webb is only two years older than Stidham. But his football knowledge belies his age. He has been keeping notebooks of plays for decades.

It is why he ran the Buffalo Bills’ quarterback room in his final season as a backup, becoming good friends with Josh Allen. So of course he is a candidate there. And with the Las Vegas Raiders.

He has the ability to digest loads of information and make it practical and useful for his pupils. That is critical for Stidham. He is cramming for the test. And while his confidence is real, Webb is a person he can confide in, letting him know what plays he likes, what makes him comfortable.

The Broncos are attempting to reach their ninth Super Bowl. If Payton pulls it off with a backup quarterback, it becomes his magnum opus.

And it will have happened only because he had the guts to hire a backup quarterback a few weeks after he signed Stidham as a free agent.

Pasties, anyone: New England passes the eye test as a good team. But let’s not pretend they navigated Pikes Peak to reach the NFL’s Final Four. They faced the easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. It is why winning on the road at Denver — something they have never done in the playoffs — remains daunting, even without Bo Nix starting.

Center of attention: The pushback for Andruw Jones’ election to the Hall of Fame was surprising. I voted for him. Yes, his .254 batting average is unsightly. But Jones deserved the honor for this reason: He is one of three center fielders with 400-plus home runs and 10 Gold Gloves. The other two? Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays. There are no qualifiers needed when explaining Jones’ entrance to Cooperstown.

Avs issues: The Avs have finally had their first hiccup with four losses in their past five games. This was always going to happen. And as much as it is annoying, it is necessary. Adversity helps focus expectations, providing a reminder that nothing has come easily for the Avs since winning the Stanley Cup. They will be fine. Now, if injuries surface, especially during the Olympics, it is time for fingernails to disappear.

Big Blue: Count me among the minority. I don’t see John Harbaugh as the perfect fit with the New York Giants. A blue blood name with a blue blood franchise. An adult in the room. The dots connect. Perhaps too easily. The Giants dissolved last year because they could not hold a lead. No one has been worse at protecting leads over the last few years than Harbaugh. And he had Lamar Jackson. Harbaugh can work. But let me see how his offensive coordinator does with Jaxson Dart before this is celebrated as the second coming of Bill Parcells or Tom Coughlin.

Five NFL teams, including Las Vegas, Arizona, Atlanta and the New York Giants, have lined up interviews with the Broncos defensive coordinator, a source with knowledge of the interview requests told The Post on Tuesday. Those three are in addition to Tennessee, which was reported Monday.

Two of those jobs are particularly interesting.

The first is the Cardinals because Joseph spent four years there as the team’s defensive coordinator under head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Arizona’s current general manager, Monti Ossenfort, was hired as Joseph was leaving for Denver in early 2023, but Joseph knows Arizona owner Michael Bidwill well from his years with the organization.

Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen has played all seven seasons of his career with Joseph as his defensive coordinator. He was drafted in the third round by Arizona in 2019, signed a free agent contract in Denver weeks after Joseph arrived and then inked a four-year, $102 million deal this summer.

“I’ve been with him seven years and I only want the best for him,” Allen told The Post last week. “I absolutely think the world of him and I think he deserves it all. Whatever he wants, he’s earned it and he deserves it.”

The other intriguing job interview for Joseph is the Raiders. Las Vegas is starting over after a failed one-year run with Pete Carroll. The Raiders’ general manager, John Spytek, is a former Broncos front office executive, though he and Joseph never actually crossed paths in Denver. In addition to Spytek, the Raiders’ search involves heavy influence from minority owner Tom Brady.

Coaching in Las Vegas, of course, would mean coaching against the Broncos and head coach Sean Payton twice per season.

The Giants represent one of the more compelling job openings of the cycle because they appear to have a young quarterback in place after Jaxson Dart showed promise as a rookie. Not only that, but they have a disruptive, talented defensive front that features Dexter Lawrence in the middle and the likes of Brian Burnes and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge.

“They have, like, four werewolves in there,” Denver offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said of the Giants before the teams played in October.

The head-coaching job in Atlanta, meanwhile, came open after the franchise fired Raheem Morris Monday despite ending the 2025 regular season on a four-game win streak. Atlanta also canned general manager Terry Fontenot, who has longstanding ties to Broncos head coach Sean Payton from days as an executive in New Orleans, amid sweeping organizational changes after two straight 8-9 seasons.

The Falcons also present an interesting option for Joseph, with young offensive talent like superstar RB Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London. There’s plenty of defensive promise, too, with rookie outside linebacker James Pearce (10.5 sacks in 2025) and first-year safety Xavier Watts (five interceptions). But Morris was a defensive-minded coach, and Atlanta could look to the other end of the spectrum for their next hire.

That means Joseph’s set to interview for five of the NFL’s current seven head-coach openings. A source told The Denver Post that neither Cleveland (who fired Kevin Stefanski Monday) or Baltimore (who fired longtime HC John Harbaugh Tuesday in a stunning move) have reached out to formally request a Joseph interview as of Tuesday evening.

Because the Broncos played Sunday and have a bye this week, Joseph can begin interviewing virtually with teams on Wednesday. Those initial interviews must be completed by the wild-card round. Subsequent interviews can follow either after Denver has been eliminated for the playoffs or, if the Broncos make the Super Bowl, on the bye week between the conference title games and the start of Super Bowl week.

“He’s the ultimate professional. That’s where we all get it from,” Allen said. “So, obviously, we’ll be playing for stuff while that’s all going down, but he’s the absolute best. Selfishly it’d be great (if he stayed) but we’ll see how the cookie crumbles.”

Broncos activate Karene Reid, sign McCalister. Denver will have a key special-teamer back for the playoffs, as the organization made the decision to elevate rookie inside linebacker Karene Reid off injured reserve Tuesday. Reid played 59% of the Broncos’ special-teams snaps before landing on injured reserve in early November with a hamstring injury.

Denver also signed safety Tanner McCalister to its practice squad, a familiar face. McCalister bounced around the Broncos’ practice squad in 2024 before being cut in June 2025, and offers some safety depth with starter Brandon Jones on injured reserve and backup P.J. Locke suffering a leg injury in Week 18.

This story will be updated. 

After Denver ground out a 19-3 win over the Chargers in Week 18, ESPN reporter Kris Rhim posted a video to Twitter of Los Angeles safety Tony Jefferson walking back in an Empower Field tunnel with a few very choice words aimed at the Broncos.

“They suck, bro,” Jefferson said, seemingly aimed at nobody in particular. “I don’t care. I have no respect for them. I don’t like nobody on the Broncos.”

Jefferson then appeared to acknowledge the camera, pointed, and called Broncos safety JL Skinner a “homie” before continuing with a flurry of shots.

If Chargers beat Patriots in playoffs, they get another shot at Broncos

"Broncos suck, though," Jefferson continued as he walked into the locker room.

Denver fell miles short of a top-tier performance against a Chargers team that rested several key players Sunday, including quarterback Justin Herbert. The Broncos didn't score a single touchdown on offense, and Sean Payton's unit averaged just 4.1 yards per play in a sleepy gameplan against a conservative Los Angeles defense.

Jefferson, for his part, recorded a team-high eight tackles for Los Angeles.

These Broncos have fed all season off national narratives -- perceived or otherwise -- and any dose of bulletin-board material. When the Broncos' and Giants' fanbases got into an online sparring match in Week 7 over a few dismissive comments by outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper towards quarterback Jaxson Dart, Broncos defenders went on a social-media victory lap after a comeback win. And head coach Sean Payton has effectively planted an "underdog" mentality inside a 14-3 team that's now the holder of the AFC's No. 1 seed.

Keeler: Broncos, make us Bo-lieve! If QB Bo Nix plays like he did vs. Chargers, Denver is 1-and-done in NFL playoffs

When asked Sunday night if he felt these Broncos were still underdogs or now "overdogs" -- a nod to a coined late-season slogan -- quarterback Bo Nix answered the latter.

"They'll still give you all the reasons," Nix muttered, "why we're gonna lose the game."

Jefferson's comments could certainly wash away in the span before the AFC divisional round. But if Los Angeles beats 14-3 New England this coming Sunday, they'll be guaranteed to return to Denver in two weeks.

"We’ve got, like, backlogs of tape on the Chargers," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Sunday night, in a discussion of Denver's bye-week plans. "They could very well be here in a couple weeks.”

Pour one out for Two-Way Travis: On Tuesday, former Colorado gamebreaker and Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter had season-ending surgery to repair a ligament in his knee, which could bring a swift end to his NFL career as a two-way player. It’s a shame. Hunter had just started to get going and will finish his rookie year with 28 catches for 298 yards on offense and 15 tackles on defense in seven games. But there’s little chance that his camp and the Jaguars will view two-way stardom as the best thing for his long-term health.

Joe Shiesty about to replace Joe Cool: The brief dream old-guy run in Cincinnati might be over for 40-year-old Joe Flacco, as franchise QB Joe Burrow has returned to practice after missing most of the season with turf toe. The Bengals opened Burrow’s 21-day window to return from injured reserve, meaning he could play again as soon as Sunday against the Steelers (much more likely in the following weeks, though). The Flacco trade didn’t exactly save the Bengals’ season, as they’ve gone 1-3 with Flacco starting. Still, he’s again resuscitated his career with a 102.6 quarterback rating in Cincy.

Trouble in Buffalo?: Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t , but he certainly didn’t deny it, either. It was a terrible loss for the Bills, who look suddenly vulnerable at 6-3. Quarterback Josh Allen has been typically excellent, but Buffalo’s offense has scored 20 points or less across a 2-3 stretch in its last five games.

Around the NFC

Giants throw in the towel on Daboll: The 2-8 Giants canned fiery head coach Brian Daboll on Monday, a few short weeks after blowing a 26-8 fourth-quarter lead to the Broncos in a game that could’ve saved his job. Instead, they blew another fourth-quarter lead to Chicago this past Sunday, and Daboll’s gone. Now, with franchise rookie QB Jaxson Dart in concussion protocol, former Broncos not-so-standout Russell Wilson got benched ������������— this time for QB3 Jameis Winston. There this year.

Good, better, best: Speaking of Chicago: How about Dem Bears? This year’s officially for real with Chicago sitting at 6-3 and rivalling Denver in sheer fourth-quarter magic. Sophomore QB Caleb Williams has taken a step forward in sack avoidance and decision-making, and is now tied with Bo Nix for the most fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives (four) of any NFL QB this season. First-year head coach Ben Johnson’s electric postgame speeches — — are one of the best things going in the league.

McBride needs better marriage: CSU product Trey McBride might well be the best tight end in the NFL at 61 catches for 603 yards and six touchdowns through nine games. But he’s stuck in purgatory in Arizona, where the 3-6 Cardinals have a near-Broncos-era-Wilson-level contract problem with perpetually hurt Kyler Murray. Backup Jacoby Brissett has been serviceable, but not a ceiling-raiser. McBride’s four-year, $76 million extension in April was great value for Arizona, but might be holding the Greeley native back.

Game of the Week

Seattle at L.A. Rams

Easy pick here. The NFC West is an absolute dogfight, and this game Sunday could decide the division, as the 7-2 Seahawks travel to Los Angeles to take on the 7-2 Rams. Seattle has a legitimate MVP candidate in QB Sam Darnold; the Rams have 37-year-old Matthew Stafford playing better football than at any point in his 17-year career. Plus, veteran WR Cooper Kupp will make his first return to Los Angeles as a first-year member of the Seahawks. Really good TV in the afternoon window.

Seattle 27, L.A. Rams 24

Lock of the Week

Baltimore at Cleveland

Lamar Jackson has been back the last couple of weeks, and the Ravens have survived a nightmare start to ride a three-game winning streak into a matchup with the hapless Browns. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has stuck behind rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel despite an overwhelming mountain of evidence he might be the worst starting QB in the NFL, and Colorado product Shedeur Sanders has still not seen the field. Baltimore could run the score up big-time here.

Baltimore 34, Cleveland 10

Upset of the Week

Houston at Tennessee

Why not? C.J. Stroud is out another week after suffering a concussion against the Broncos in Week 9, leaving the entirely mediocre Davis Mills to start another week as Houston heads to Tennessee. The Titans have been utterly miserable in a 1-8 start, but actually managed to hang with the Chargers last week. Rookie QB Cam Ward’s been playing better ball the last four weeks. This could send Houston into a spiral.

Tennessee 20, Houston 14