Sports Americana

The NFL has a funny way of making us wait.

Sometimes it’s decades.

Sometimes it’s a few years.

Sometimes it’s one very painful game.

For the Denver Broncos, the wait has been long enough.

Denver hasn’t played in a Super Bowl since Peyton Manning rode off into retirement after the 2015 season. Now, ten years later, the Broncos look like a team ready to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy.

And this time, they aren’t just going to get close.

They’re going to win it.

The Broncos Are Ready

Denver won 14 games last season and came within one victory of the Super Bowl.

Then came the cruelest part.

Bo Nix couldn’t play in the AFC Championship Game after suffering an ankle injury in the Divisional Round.

Now he’s back.

And Denver has given him another weapon.

The Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle, giving Nix a dynamic speed threat to go along with Courtland Sutton and a talented group of young receivers. The offensive line remains one of the team’s biggest strengths, while Denver’s defense has enough talent to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

This isn’t a rebuilding team.

It’s a team that believes its window is open right now.

The AFC Is Loaded

Of course, getting out of the AFC won’t be easy.

Buffalo still has Josh Allen.

Kansas City still has Patrick Mahomes.

Baltimore still has Lamar Jackson.

Houston is coming.

And New England is trying to prove last season’s run wasn’t a fluke.

But Denver has something the other contenders don’t necessarily have:

Momentum.

The Broncos have already been to the doorstep.

They know what the playoffs feel like.

They know what the pressure feels like.

And they know exactly how close they came.

Sometimes that’s enough to push a young team over the edge.

Green Bay’s Moment

On the other side of the bracket, give me the Green Bay Packers.

Jordan Love continues to be one of the NFL’s more underrated quarterbacks, and Green Bay has enough young talent to make a legitimate run.

The Packers have also been knocking on the door for several seasons.

Eventually, you have to wonder when they’re going to kick it down.

That’s what makes Green Bay such an intriguing NFC pick.

They don’t need to dominate.

They just need to stay healthy, get hot at the right time and let Love make a few big throws in January.

And that’s exactly what I think happens.

What About the Rams?

Yes, the Rams are the obvious answer.

They’re currently the Super Bowl favorite, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Matthew Stafford is coming off an MVP season, while Los Angeles has added Myles Garrett and potentially even Aaron Donald to a defense that could be terrifying.

But that’s why we’re not picking them.

Sports Americana doesn’t need another “the favorite will win” prediction.

Where’s the fun in that?

The Super Bowl Prediction

So here we go.

AFC Champion: Denver Broncos

Bo Nix gets another shot at the AFC Championship Game.

This time, he finishes the job.

NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love finally takes Green Bay back to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl LXI

Denver Broncos 27, Green Bay Packers 24

Denver wins it.

Nix throws the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Sean Payton gets another Super Bowl ring.

And Broncos fans get something they haven’t had since 2015:

A parade.

Maybe we’re crazy.

Maybe the Rams roll through everybody.

Maybe Patrick Mahomes reminds us why we’ve spent the last decade expecting Kansas City to be in this game.

That’s the NFL.

But if we’re putting one prediction in ink before the season begins:

The Denver Broncos are winning Super Bowl LXI.

Ten years after their last championship, Denver is back on top.