Madden 2025-26 Broncos: Part 3 (Playoffs and Super Bowl)

After going 13-4 in the regular season, the Denver Broncos earn the AFC’s top wildcard in the postseason. But to get to the Super Bowl, Denver will have to get through the Kansas City Chiefs, who ran the AFC West.

This is part of my Madden 24 franchise story. Be sure to catch up with parts one and two,

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Wildcard Round: #5 Denver Broncos (13-4) At #4 Tennessee Titans (10-7)

Led by rookie Cam Ward (37 TD, 9 INT in the regular season), the Titans missed a 58-yard field goal on the game’s opening possession. But Bo Nix threw a signature interception on his second pass attempt to set Tennessee right back up. The Broncos defense held strong in the redzone, and the Titans took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Broncos moved the ball 32 yards on one play (17-yard pass to Mims Jr. + 15 yard roughing the passer) but settled for a field goal themselves on a once-promising drive. 3-3, still in the first.

The teams traded field goals again, with Lutz hitting a 59-yarder, for a 6-6 game.

More field goals, 9-9 game just before halftime, but a quick efficient Titans drive made it 12-9 Tennessee.

The Broncos found the endzone for the first time in the second half, with Audric Esteme and Jalell McLaughlin’s running pulling through. The drive started with an apparent 70-yard McLaughlin TD that was called back due to holding. Regardless, 16-12 Broncos.

Broncos continued to pull away in the second half, with a 14-3 advantage in the third and an 11-6 advantage in the fourth.

Broncos win 24-21, advance to Divisional Round

Player Stats

TEN Cam Ward: 33-for-41, 332 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Bo Nix: 15-for-26, 188 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 5 rush, 25 yards

Audric Estime: 13 rush, 80 yards, 2 TD

J.K. Dobbins: 10 rush, 66 yards, TD

R.J. Harvey: 5 rush, 19 yards

Marvin Mims Jr.: 5 rec, 82 yards, Fumble Lost

Divisional Round: #5 Denver Broncos (14-4) at #1 Buffalo Bills (14-3)

The Bills went three-and-out, the Broncos responded with a quick touchdown drive (sparked by a 59-yard catch -and-run by Courtland Sutton) capped by who else but R.J. Harvey finding the end zone. Just a couple plays later, Josh Allen threw a pick, and Denver responded with another Harvey TD.

The rest of the game was inexplicable. Any Broncos receiver that could get open over the middle of the field would do so with ease, and then catch-and-run with no safeties in sight. The Bills defense couldn’t do anything, and Bo Nix and the Broncos just kept pouring it on.

Denver won 72-27 against the best team in the AFC to reach the AFC Championship: with Nix smashing the record books with 612-yard, 8 touchdown performance.

Broncos win 72-27, advance to AFC Championship

Player Stats

BUF Josh Allen: 28-for-40, 307 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

Bo Nix: 38-for-47, 612 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT

J.K. Dobbins: 17 rush, 57 yards, 4 rec, 23 yards, TD

RJ Harvey: 5 rush, 15 yards, 2 TD

Vele: 8 rec, 180 yards, 2 TD

Mims Jr.: 7 rec, 111 yards, 1 TD

Sutton: 5 rec, 102 yards

Rec TD: Engram, Perry, Dobbins, Trautman

AFC Championship: #5 Denver Broncos (15-4) at #2 Kansas City Chiefs (15-4)

It couldn’t have been drawn up better: after finishing the regular season with identical 13-4 records, the Broncos and Chiefs meet for a third and final time, with a Super Bowl berth on the line.

Bo Nix’s opening drive turnover knack reared its ugly head: with Nix throwing a pick six trying to evade a sack. On the Broncos second drive, Nix fumbled on a third down scramble. Mahomes hooked up with Kelce on third down to put the Chiefs up 14-0 midway through the first quarter.

Denver took care of the ball on their next drive: ground-and-pound, with a fourth-and-1 pickup later leading a 5-yard Jaleel McLaughlin touchdown run. 14-7 Chiefs.

The Broncos kicked the ball out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff, setting the Chiefs up at their own forty, but the Broncos defense dropped Mahomes for a 14-yard loss on third down, earning the ball back.

The teams then traded punts.

On another slow, methodical drive, J.K. Dobbins scored a one-yard rushing touchdown 21 seconds before halftime to tie the game at 14.

The Broncos FUMBLED the second half kickoff, setting up Kansas City with an ultra-short field. A holding penalty limited the Chiefs to just a field goal: 17-14 Chiefs.

Following a gutsy fourth-and-2 success (overriding a 26-yard FG attempt) with Nate Adkins, the fullback caught a TD a play later to put Denver up 21-17 in the third.

The Broncos defense got another stop (Kanas City’s offense was slow all day, their biggest breaks were the pick six and the fumble) and the offense got it done once again: but rather than going up 11 points, Denver went for two, for a commanding 29-17 lead.

Nix made a crucial mistake trying to tack on a passing TD rather than just hand it off from the one-yard line, giving the Chiefs the ball, down 12 points, with 3:17 to play. Mahomes tossed an INT to Brandon Jones on the next play. Nix ran in the game-clinching touchdown, and Denver went for two again, for a 37-17 lead.

Mahomes hit on a long TD pass, 37-24, then the Chiefs RECOVERED the onside kick. But Riley Moss picked off Mahomes.

Nix threw another pick in garbage time. So did Mahomes

BRONCOS WIN 37-24, ADVANCE TO THE SUPER BOWL VS. GREEN BAY PACKERS

Player Stats

KC Patrick Mahomes: 22-for-29, 187 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT

Bo Nix: 21-for-29, 185 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 6 rush, 48 yards, TD

Dobbins: 25 rush, 102 yards, TD

Estime: 11 rush, 45 yards, TD

Mims Jr.: 5 rec, 61 yards

INT: Moss (2), Surtain II, Barron, Jones

Super Bowl “58”: Denver Broncos (17-3) vs. Green Bay Packers (15-5)

In a rematch of Super Bowl 23 (Broncos won 31-24):

Jordan Love came in to the matchup with an insane 48 TD – 6 INT ratio. Naturally, he threw an opening drive INT: a 60-yard bomb intercepted near the endzone. The Packers still struck first, with a field goal for a 3-0 lead, and then Nix threw an ill-advised INT on the Broncos second drive. Green Bay settled for another field goal, and a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Denver’s third drive was looking incredible: a 31-yard carry by RJ Harvey, a 20-yard rush by J.K. Dobbins… but then Dobbins coughed up a fumble deep in Packers territory… allegedly, but the call was overturned! From there, Harvey pounded it in, getting the last 12 yards of the drive on three rushing attempts for the game’s first touchdown. 7-6 Broncos with 6 minutes left in the second quarter.

Deep in Broncos territory, Love threw his second pick of the game, this one to Riley Moss one-on-one. Harvey moved the ball down field, and then Nix found Sutton for a 33-yard touchdown pass. Denver successfully went for two (Dobbins run) to go up 15-6, securing a two-score lead instead of a one-score one with halftime approaching.

Love surgically moved the ball in to field goal range, so Green Bay managed to head to the halftime locker room down just 15-9.

The Broncos failed to pick up a first down on their second half opening drive, and Green Bay nearly responded with points, until Zach Allen stalled the Packers drive with a 12-yard sack on third down, forcing Green Bay out of field goal range.

Playing it safe on third-and-9 in the redzone, the Broncos handed it off to Harvey: content with 3 points, but he punched it in for 6. Make that 8, with Harvey getting the two-point conversion as well. 23-9 Broncos with 11 minutes left to play: a good lead, but still just a two-touchdown game.

And the comeback was on. Love threw his first TD pass of the game in the fourth quarter, cutting the Broncos lead to 23-16 with 9 minutes left to play.

On a bizarre play, attempting to slide (double-tap X), Nix threw an illegal forward pass that was intercepted by the Packers with 6 minutes left.

But on fourth-and-6 at the Broncos 35-yard line, with the game pretty much on the line, Love couldn’t find an open receiver.

Denver took over with 2:49 to play, and a seven-point lead. They were forced to punt, but obviously burned all of Green Bay’s timeouts. The Packers took over on their own 20-yard line with 1:37 to play, and Jordan Love needed 80 yards to force overtime. The Broncos defense just needed to not allow a touchdown.

Love moved the ball alarmingly fast, forcing the Broncos to call a timeout at 0:13 to regroup, with the ball on the 34-yard line.

Playing Cover 6, Denver also dropped Nik Bonnito deep in pass coverage: he caught a bobbling ball for the game-sealing INT!

BRONCOS WIN 23-16, WIN SUPER BOWL 58, ROOKIE RB RJ HARVEY NAMED SUPER BOWL MVP