It wasn’t long ago that the Broncos looked like a dumpster fire.

Denver opened the season 0-3, including an embarrassing 70-20 loss to the Dolphins in Week 3.

They eked out a three-point win against the lowly Chicago Bears in Week 4 followed by two straight losses to drop to 1-5 during the opening weeks of the Sean Payton era in Denver.

It’s been a wild, successful ride since then.

Out of nowhere, the Broncos have won five straight games, including victories over the Chiefs, Bills and Browns since their dreadful start.

Denver is now 6-5, just outside of the playoff picture and in second place in the AFC West heading into Week 13, putting Payton right in the mix for some end-of-season hardware.

Amid the hot streak, Payton is currently +1600 at BetMGM Sportsbook to win the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award, which is the seventh-best odds on the board.

It’s been an incredible rise for Payton, who was all but out of competition for the award less than two months ago.

The former New Orleans Saints head coach had odds as high as +22500 to win COY after Week 6, which was among the worst in the NFL, according to Sports Betting Dime. Just a week ago, Payton was +5000 to win it.

It’ll take a strong finish — and probably some help from other coaches in the mix — for Payton to win his second COY award.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who has led Detroit to an 8-3 start, is a heavy favorite (+175) to win the honors.

DeMeco Ryans, the Texans’ head coach, is not far behind Campbell at +400, after guiding Houston to a surprising 6-5 record heading into Week 13.