The road to Super Bowl LX runs through the Front Range.
The route there is long and uphill for everybody, but it is shortest and most manageable for the Broncos.
That goal turned to reality at Empower Field on Sunday when Sean Payton’s team clamped the Los Angeles Chargers in a 19-3 victory that featured little in the way of offensive rhythm and everything Denver could have asked for in terms of consequence.
After a decade chase, they are once again the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They will watch Wild Card weekend as six conference foes are whittled to three.
They are two home wins from playing for the Lombardi Trophy in the Bay Area a little more than a month from now.
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“It’s significant,” Payton said of earning the bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. “And the reason is because you can see the light. Two home wins. That’s exciting. That’s why you do all this. It’s why you work late hours. It’s why the players train and lift.
“It’s a big deal.”
They finished the regular-season job Sunday riding the same strengths that powered an historic, 14-win regular season.
A dominant defense, which on Sunday held Chargers back-up quarterback Trey Lance and a motley crew of visitors to one field goal, 13 first downs and 217 total yards of offense.
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A belief, forged in close game after close game this fall, that the group will find a way to the finish line each time out.
“A win is a win. I don’t care if it’s 3-2,” said veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton, one of many players on this roster for whom this perch is, “unfamiliar territory,” as Payton called it. “It doesn’t have to be exciting. At the end of the day you just have to have more points than the other team and you get the ‘dub.’”
Against the Chargers, that meant overcoming an offensive outing that fluttered on the January wind between lackluster and downright bad.
The group had the ball at L.A.’s 20 yard line or closer four times and settled for a Wil Lutz field goal each time. For the first time since Week 2 in 2024 -- a span of 33 regular-season games — Denver didn’t score an offensive touchdown.
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“Our defense played incredible,” Sutton said. “Wil’s leg, he’ll probably have to ice his leg. But a win is a win and it’s exciting to be able to share this moment with the team. The team is well-deserving and there’s a lot of guys on this team who have seen some darker days.”
Added Payton, “Yeah we’ve got to clean some things up. And we will. We’ll be ready.”
On the flip side, Vance Joseph’s defense kept an opponent out of the end zone for the fifth time this season. They put points on the board themselves for the first time when nickel Ja’Quan McMillian ran a first-quarter interception back for a touchdown.
Nik Bonitto (15) of the Denver Broncos strip sacks Trey Lance (5) of the Los Angeles Chargers during the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 19-3 win at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)The defense basically gets credit for three more points after a third-quarter Nik Bonitto strip sack set the offense up in field goal range.
“It’s the best thing in the world,” inside linebacker Alex Singleton said. “You play this game to get to this point. And then once you’re to this point, now the next season starts and we get a game up on everybody.
“The playoffs run through Denver. We’ve worked for that. We’ve earned that.”
Wins are the only currency that buy advantage in the NFL. Style points don’t matter.
Everybody else in the conference is done for the season or at risk of losing next weekend.
“It’s the best possible position to be in,” quarterback Bo Nix said after finishing 14-of-23 for 141 yards and a season-high four sacks, one of his worst statistical outings of the season as a passer. “Two home games is where we want to be. It’s better than being on the road. It’s better than having to win an extra game. For us it’s the best-case scenario and it’ll be good to play here because of our stadium and the atmosphere."
The Broncos will get time off early in the week, practice Friday and Saturday and then watch as the Wild Card round unfolds.
"We can rest a little bit this week and then prepare and have a good week next week," Nix said. "It's like winning a playoff game this week. It's huge having that bye. And also you get an extra playoff check."
Then they’ll welcome one of four possible teams to Empower Field for divisional weekend. If the No. 7-seeded Chargers win at New England, they’ll be right back here in the middle of January.
The locker room, players said, was a wild scene immediately after the win. By the time reporters entered a short time later, though, the smoke had cleared and what remained was mostly clear-eyed and business-like talk about what’s ahead.
Getting to this point is a tremendous accomplishment. By definition, then, the opportunity ahead is not one guaranteed to come around often. That comes with pressure of its own.
Riley Moss (21) of the Denver Broncos breaks up a pass intended for Keenan Allen (13) of the Los Angeles Chargers during the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 19-3 win at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)“It’s a really special group and the fact that we’re here, you want to convert on it,” defensive tackle Zach Allen said. “You don’t want to be at the end of the year and kind of shoulda-woulda-coulda and have regrets. The only way to do it is one game at a time.
“It’s two home games but it will be against two great teams. You have to win the first one first.”
Nobody's been been after this kind of opportunity in Denver longer than left tackle Garett Bolles and Sutton.
"You enjoy it in the moment, but I think this team, we understand that this isn't the end-all, be-all," Sutton said. "Is it nice? Yeah, it's nice that we get to have the first-round bye and sit at home and watch these Wild Card games and figure out who we're going to play next weekend. But we understand that the job isn't finished. It's another checkmark on our journey of getting back to San Fran and ultimately trying to win the Super Bowl.
Singleton put it as simply as possible. Everybody else except Seattle must win four games to win a championship.
For Denver?
"You can see the light. Let's go get the job done," he said. "Play three and raise the Lombardi."
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