In shadow of 2026 Super Bowl venue, Broncos not afraid of lofty goals

Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post on Aug 7, 2025

Published in Football

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Half a year can feel like an eternity or go by in a blink.

Six months to the day from Bo Nix standing at a podium here following a joint practice in the August heat, the stakes will be much different for somebody. An AFC team will be right down the road, a week into a hotel stay and preparing for the last night — likely sleepless — before it plays in the Super Bowl.

Levi’s Stadium, home to the 49ers and host to the 2026 NFL championship come February, sat just an easy, lofted deep ball away as Nix adamantly put his team’s aspirations for this season in bold.

“We should all be wanting to go win a Super Bowl,” Nix said. “If we’re not trying to win a Super Bowl, why are we here? If you’re not trying to be the best of the best in your particular area — ours is the NFL, the National Football League — I believe that’s why you go out there and play the game. Go out there and play the game to be the best, beat the best. And, I feel good about our team. But that is not just thrown around. It’s not easy to do, obviously, and we got a lot of work to do to go get that goal.”

Head coach Sean Payton certainly believes this team can make a run at playing for a Lombardi Trophy. And it clearly was not lost on him that the first time the 2025 Broncos played against another team this preseason was in the exact place they all hope to finish the year, too.

“That’s the goal. It’s always the goal,” he said. “But I think it starts really more in your division. And it starts with playing in your division well, having a chance to compete, win your division. And then the next goal is seeding, and then the final goal would be trying to get to the championship game.”

Even the division is quite a challenge. Kansas City has reigned supreme for nine straight years, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has made the AFC championship game every year he’s been a starter. The Los Angeles Chargers should be formidable, though a season-ending knee injury to star left tackle Rashawn Slater on Thursday highlights the way adversity can strike at any time on the calendar. Las Vegas should also build to at least competent and potentially more under Super Bowl champion coach Pete Carroll and veteran quarterback Geno Smith.

Still, the Broncos think they can force themselves into a conversation with the Chiefs, Buffalo, Baltimore and whoever else emerges in the conference.

“You want your head coach to believe that and send that message to the team because, if you don’t start the season with that belief, it’s really hard to get it as you keep going,” Mike McGlinchey said. “I believe it. I believe we’re capable of that.”

Many of the Broncos’ starting ingredients were on display here during Thursday’s joint practice.

A defense that should be top-flight inflicted a toll on the San Francisco offense. Nix looked sharp overall but readily acknowledged he has much to improve on. A big, veteran offensive line wasn’t perfect, but looked like a group that knows each other well and is rounding into form.

Of course, to end up back here in February will require all of those elements to work and much more. It takes good health, a couple of good bounces. and a team that, as Payton likes to say, is at its best when the best is required. That’s a big jump even from appearing in the wild-cardround as Denver did last year.

McGlinchey won a lot of games for the 49ers and has been part of Payton’s rebuild in Denver. He knows what it looks like. And he had a simple way of putting it on a day when February felt like a world away but also right next door.

“The Denver Broncos have a real chance because Bo Nix is our quarterback,” he said.

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