It’s been a season rife with injuries in the NFL, but the Denver Broncos have been relatively lucky. Where teams like the Chiefs and the Vikings have had to plug the gap with trades, the Broncos have been a relatively stable unit through the season so far. And it’s not like they’ve been massively underperforming at 5-3. Sure, their offense rates are in the bottom half of the table in terms of yards/game, but their defense is in the top 3 by that very same metric. So are Sean Payton’s boys keen on any last-minute trades?

According to NFL Insider Dianna Russini, these sharks are not sniffing in the water. According to Russini, “The Denver Broncos love what they are building with their young players, especially after their best offensive performance last week.” Again, this is a decision they can make because of their lack of injuries. Relatively speaking, that is. They’re still missing their gifted starting center, Luke Wattenberg, and a handful of their defensive players. But all in all, they make up a cohesive unit.

Further, she added, “Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been a superstar, orchestrating a unit that has slowed down some high-powered offenses this year. Still, I don’t expect the Broncos to be buyers or sellers.” Their defense, in particular, has benefited from the experienced hand of Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator. Joseph was hired for the role last year, but this isn’t his first stint with the Broncos. And oddly, it’s kind of a demotion, given he was the head coach for them in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. They fired him then for his failures coaching the team (5-11 and 6-10 across the two seasons) but right now, he’s probably the best thing about the coaching unit. His blitz-heavy scheme has made the defense great at deadlocking opponent advances, they just don’t give ground.

But the Broncos aren’t the only ones happy to let things rest as they are as the trade deadline of November 5 approaches. They are joined by the Las Vegas Raiders, the Buffalo Bills, and the New Orleans Saints. You can see where the Bills are coming from, they sit pretty and secure at the top of the AFC East. At 6-2 coming into Week 9, they’ve got all their ducks in a row. The Raiders, after the Davante Adams debacle, are understandably stingy for future transfers. But the Saints’ being settled at 2-6 does seem odd when they’ve clearly not got a winning combination. Perhaps they’ve forsaken their campaign this season. One thing’s for sure, though: the Broncos are still in it with a fighting chance.

Do Payton’s Broncos still stand a fighting chance?

What you’ve got to remember about the Denver Broncos is that they have the misfortune of being in the AFC West. Yep, they’ve got the mighty Chiefs to contend with if they want to make it to the playoffs. 5-3 would look pretty good in any other division, and they have managed to claw their way to second place in the division. But that unassailable 7 game-winning streak is not going to be easy to surmount. Add to that the general distaste fans have for Sean Payton, and you’ll understand the fanbase isn’t optimistic. All that despite their winning record.

They’ll just have to hope they can do well enough to qualify even if they don’t top the division. That means they’ve got to score every win they can, and they’re working on it. They’re on a 2 game win streak, but it came against relatively weaker sides, the Saints and the Panthers. What’s coming next is far more of a challenge, for the next three games at least. They will be facing the Ravens, then the Chiefs, then the Falcons, with no breathing room.

Any one of those games would be a challenge, imagine their morale by the third one. Good performances against them, though, would significantly bolster their campaign. Let’s see if they can pull themselves together and weather the storm.