By: Adamo Marinelli
May 9th, 2020
The Denver Broncos improved their team - especially their offense, which is built around QB Drew Lock - drastically over the course of free agency and the draft.
The Broncos have the 12th toughest schedule in the NFL with a win percentage of 0.512%. They face every AFC playoff team from last year, except for the Texans and Ravens. They face the Chiefs twice, the Saints, Buccaneers, Bills, Steelers, and Titans among others, all of which are tough games against great opponents.
The Broncos have been rebuilding ever since they won Super Bowl 50 and have been improving each year. They went 5-11 in 2017, 6-10 in 2018, and 7-9 in 2019, which meant they finished 4th, 3rd, and 2nd in their division respectively, behind the red-hot Chiefs.
Broncos fans have been hoping for a return to the playoffs every year since Manning retired and every year something went wrong. This season, however, Broncos fans do have a reason to be optimistic. Not only did they finish last season strong with a 4-1 record under Drew Lock but have then improved their offense, even more, to keep up with the Chiefs. Their defense is still stout.
I believe the Broncos have a floor of 8-8 and a ceiling of 12-4. I believe, however, they will finish the season 11-5, which is good enough for a wild card spot behind Kansas City.
Week 1 vs Titans: The Titans were a very good team last season under Ryan Tannehill and after sneaking into the playoffs, made it all the way to the AFC championship game against the Chiefs. They are a force to be reckoned with and Derrick Henry can run fierce on anyone. I believe the Broncos will lose a close game at home. 0-1.
Week 2 @ Steelers: This is a tough game. At this point, I am unsure if Ben Roethlisberger will be starting at QB or if it will be Mason Rudolph. Rudolph was mediocre at best last season and Big Ben will have not played in more than a calendar year due to an injury. I picture a struggling Steelers’ offense and a defense that can’t contain all of Denver’s weapons. 1-1.
Week 3 vs Bucs: The Broncos playing against Brady and Gronk again. At home. Oh, the memories. This one is tough. The Broncos have a history of playing well against Brady and Gronk at home, but the Buccaneers have one of the best offenses in the league and if it can start to click early, I do believe the Bucs will win a close one on the road. 1-2.
Week 4 @ Jets: The Jets have improved over the course of the draft selecting tackle Mekhi Becton to help protect Darnold and drafted Denzel Mims to replace Robby Anderson. However, there are still too many questions surrounding the Jets’ defense, and the Broncos now have a plethora of offensive weapons to use. Jamal Adams can’t do it all. 2-2.
Week 5 @ Patriots: With Brady, Gronk, and several other offensive and defensive weapons gone, Bill Belichick and the Patriots will turn to Jarrett Stidham to lead the offense. Belichick is a mastermind, but Stidham is very inexperienced, only attempting four passes in his career. The Broncos’ have a skilled class of pass rushers and will make him feel uncomfortable. 3-2.
Week 6 vs Dolphins: The Dolphins’ tanking worked for them last season. They landed Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins had an excellent draft and improved their team on both sides of the ball with their many picks. However, it will take some time for the Dolphins to develop chemistry as a whole. I believe the Broncos can get a home win over the improving Dolphins. 4-2.
Week 7 vs Chiefs: This is the game I am most looking forward to. The Broncos have lost 9 consecutive games to the Chiefs. Some have been outright blowouts, some have been super close games that Denver could have won. I do believe that with their new offense, Denver will keep up with Mahomes’ high production and squeak out a win on the last drive. 5-2.
Week 8 - Bye: The Broncos have a winning record going into their bye for the first time since they were 7-3 in 2016.
Week 9 @ Falcons: The Falcons are another tough team to pin-point. They have a talented QB in Matt Ryan who is among the top 10 passing yard leaders in NFL history. They have Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, two stud wide receivers, and added Todd Gurley, who can produce despite his injuries. I do believe the Falcons will win this game, but Denver will upset them in comeback fashion. 6-2.
Week 10 @ Raiders: Playing the Raiders is always a great time. Even though they are in a new stadium, their fans are still so loyal, making them a tough team to play. I do believe, however, that the Raiders are only a threat in the run game with Josh Jacobs. If the Broncos can stop him, which they’ve done before, they can win, even in a hostile environment. 7-2.
Week 11 vs Chargers: The Chargers also transformed their roster this offseason. They got rid of Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon and they have two mediocre QBs at the helm: Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert, who has never played an NFL game and will likely back up Taylor. Their defense is still great with guys like Joey Bosa and their secondary added some talent in Chris Harris Jr., but I believe the Broncos can get it done against the Chargers. 8-2.
Week 12 vs Saints: This is arguably one of the best offenses in the league right now, along with Kansas City, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and San Fransisco. Drew Brees leads the NFL in passing yards, Michael Thomas broke records for yards and receptions last year and their run game is excellent too. The Broncos improved their defense, but not enough to stop Brees. 8-3.
Week 13 @ Chiefs: In no reality, do I see the Broncos sweeping the Chiefs. They did so in 2012, 2013 and 2014 before splitting the series in 2015. That was with Peyton Manning and the best offense and defense in the league. Today, the Chiefs are brilliant on offense with Mahomes, Hill, Kelce, Watkins, and they added another running back to aid their run game. The Chiefs are even improving on defense as we saw last playoffs. The Chiefs get it done at home. 8-4.
Week 14 @ Panthers: This is a completely different Panthers team than the one the Broncos beat in Super Bowl 50. They have a new starting QB in Teddy Bridgewater, who excelled with the Saints in Brees’ absence in 2019. Their defense looks different without Luke Kuechly, who retired after the 2019 season. Until something major happens, the team relies too heavily on CMC. He is talented, but teams know if you stop CMC, you win the game. Denver can. 9-4.
Week 15 vs Bills: With the Patriots’ decline, the Bills are the new favorites to win the AFC East. They are a talented young team, on both sides of the ball, that is only going to improve after a disappointing wild card loss last season. Josh Allen can run and pass the football and the Broncos still struggle a bit with dual-threat QBs as seen with Mahomes. Bills win. 9-5.
Week 16 @ Chargers: At this point in the season, I predict the Chargers will be out of playoff contention and will be starting their young guys like Justin Herbert just to get a feel for the NFL. The Broncos tough defense should prove to be a challenge against the rookie QB and their offense should continue to find ways to produce. The Broncos will sweep the Chargers again. 10-5.
Week 17 vs Raiders: The Raiders will be fighting to try to lock up the final AFC wild-card spot in their last game of the season. In 2019, the Broncos beat the Raiders to eliminate them from playoff contention. This year, I believe in an attempt to lock up the 5th or 6th seed - and possibly to have the slightest chance at the division, which is unlikely - the Broncos beat the Raiders to finish the division with a 5-1 record and finish the season with an 11-5 record.
I believe the Broncos finish the season at 11-5, clinching their first playoff berth since winning Super Bowl 50. However, this season depends on how good Drew Lock does; as weapons on offense don’t help if quarterback play is not great. But Drew Lock looked good in the 5 games he played in 2019 and should be good in 2020.
The Broncos could reach their ceiling of 12-4 if they beat the Titans or the Bucs, which is possible. But they could easily fall to their floor of 8-8 if they lose to the Falcons, the Chiefs twice, or if they lose to Vegas, which is also possible. Anything can happen on any given Sunday.
Only time will tell how the Broncos and their new and improved roster do next season.
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