The Denver Broncos might be set to to make a sneaky run to the postseason this year. They'll have an offense led by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater that should be around league average.

From watching Teddy lead the Vikings way back when, this is the type of team he can do well with. An offense that just needs to do the bare minimum and let the defense do the rest is perfect for Bridgewater. That strategy presents some obvious risks because the team needs the defense to be absolutely elite. You know what you're getting from a Teddy Bridgewater led offense and that's why he's not the X factor for this team. The defense has to be elite so the leader of the defense has to be elite as well.

Here is the Broncos X factor for the 2021 NFL season.

Broncos X Factor: Von Miller

Miller is certainly not the player he once was now being 32-years old, but he can still be an elite anchor for this Broncos defense. The pass rush is probably the biggest question mark on what should be an elite defense. The secondary is going to be among the best with Bryce Callahan, Kyle Fuller, and the recent first round pick Patrick Surtain II so there shouldn't be many issues there. Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson will be the starting safeties which no team would complain about.

The pass rush is set to be the biggest question on the defense for a couple reasons. First, this defense doesn't really have any other big questions. We know what to expect for the most part. Second, both Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are returning from injuries. Miller missed the entirety of the 2020 season and Chubb has been absent from recent practices and is questionable for Week 1. That duo is going to be huge for this Broncos defense and could ultimately be the deciding factor in whether or not the team makes the playoffs.

Bradley Chubb is still only 25 and Von Miller is 32. Both have dealt with injuries and underperformance recently so they'll have to step up for 2021. In situations like these it's up to the veteran leader to show he has what it takes to lead the younger player.

Miller had double digit sacks in every season from 2014-2018 before regression down to 8.0 in 2019. He didn't play in 2020 which is setting him up for a bounce back for the ages on defense.

This is a Broncos team that can be very good. Perhaps good enough to sneak into a wild card spot despite being in a division with the Kansas City Chiefs. The same Chiefs that have won 11 straight games versus the Broncos since 2015. In order for the Broncos to take that next step their best players and veteran leaders need to show they can still be elite and that all starts with Von Miller.

Obviously guys like Chubb, Callahan, and Simmons can be leaders but in the end, a team set up like this needs everyone playing to their highest capabilities. Can Von Miller rise up and return to the formidable pass rusher we saw a few years ago? The Broncos are going to need him to be.