After the Denver Broncos won their first home game of the year against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, they sit at 2-5. The oddsmakers have set the Bronco’s regular season record over/ under at five and a half. With 10 games remaining, the Bronco’s hardest opponents are ahead of them. Can the Broncos pull out some games and beat the odds?
With a terrible start and a very poorly managed team, there is no game you can be sure the Broncos will win. But there are few games where Denver’s opponents struggle as hard, if not harder. These games are must-wins if the Broncos hope to win more than five games this year.
New England Patriots (2–5)
The first and most important opponent is the Patriots. Through seven games, Mac Jones and his offense have been anything but stellar. As a starting quarterback, Jones threw just seven touchdowns and as many interceptions. His less-than-impressive play resulted in Jones being benched several times during the season.
Coach Bill Belichick seems to have lost his charm so far this season, starting with the worst record he’s ever had as a head coach. His offense is 8th in yards per game and his defense is 9th. The team wins with 76 points. When the Broncos meet them on Christmas Eve, Belichick will have to find a way to improve a team that can’t score or prevent opponents from scoring.
This game is a must win for the Broncos. Taking advantage of a team struggling to win should be the easy part of making it six wins. If they can’t do that, they’ll likely be stuck at two wins for the rest of the year. Minnesota Vikings (3-4)
The Minnesota Vikings are a team that fights to win. Every game they played was won or lost by seven points or less. Whether it’s offense, defense, or even coaching, some part of the team always fails when it matters most.
The Vikings did not have easy opponents at the beginning of the year. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) and the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1). The Vikings also lost against the struggling Las Angeles Chargers (2-4) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3). At the beginning of the season, the Vikings were predicted to upset such teams, but injuries and poor play allowed such bad teams to beat them. On Monday, they impressively beat the San Francisco 49ers (5:2), who were considered candidates for the Super Bowl. But their other two wins came against the Chicago Bears (2-5) and the Carolina Panthers (0-6). These teams battle in every way, but the Vikings outplayed their opponents and tied both games.
When the two-minute warning is taken in the 4th quarter of week 11, the Broncos have to take advantage of a team that can’t make the clutch plays in the biggest moments.
The Las Vegas Raiders (3-4)
When the Broncos head to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders in week 18 their season will, more than likely, be over. But that doesn’t mean that the Broncos will fold and allow their Division rival to walk all over them. Las Vegas has struggled under Josh McDaniels this season. McDaniels’ offense has been less than impressive, despite having star wideout Davante Adams. The Raiders have scored more than 20 points just once this season and haven’t beaten a team over .500.
In the first meeting, the Raiders beat the Broncos 17:16. In a game where penalty yards were outnumbered by rushing yards, the Raiders took advantage of a missed field goal, an extra point and a Broncos offense that stalled on downs in the first half. From then on, the Raiders went downhill offensively. After the Bruins shut him out 31-12 last weekend, Josh McDaniels job is in jeopardy and Davante Adams is showing he wants out.
If the Raiders continue to struggle with Jimmy Garoppolo, the Broncos can easily run up the score. They’ll have to beat their rival and stop the seven-game losing streak if they want more than five wins this season. This should be one of their easier opponents, so if they can’t win in Vegas, they probably can’t win anywhere.
If they beat the three teams above, the Bronco’s record will be at five wins, needing one more. The rest of the opponents they face aren’t easy, so they’ll need a bit of luck to secure the sixth win. The Chiefs, Lions and Bills are almost certain losses that the Broncos would need a miracle to overcome. These teams are better on offense and defense than the Broncos. If the Broncos manage to beat any of these teams, they could have a shot at the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Broncos are not a playoff team, so they will have to find victory elsewhere.
The three teams that the Broncos can beat are the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers and Cleveland Browns. All three teams have struggled this season. The Texans have young quarterback CJ Stroud, who has led them to three wins with just one interception. The Browns have the best defense in the league, forcing turnovers and destroying quarterbacks. The Chargers have an explosive offense that can put up points
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