Denver Broncos: USA Today predicts big turnaround season
The Denver Broncos have made some big changes on their roster this offseason and USA Today is predicting a fairly big turnaround…
We have now entered NFL Training Camp season, which means predictions are going to start popping up all over the place. While many seem to be higher on the Denver Broncos this year than in 2016 or 2017, predictions are expected to be relatively modest.
With that being said, USA Today recently put out an article predicting every team’s record in the NFL in which the Denver Broncos finished a very respectable 9-7, representing a major turnaround in 2018.
The Broncos were obviously 5-11 last year and lost eight straight games in the heart of the season. It was an embarrassment to the organization but even winning nine games would be below the standard this team has set.
This particular prediction piece has the Broncos missing out on the playoffs with nine wins, which would be a pretty tough pill to swallow. Typically, nine wins are good enough for at least a sixth seed.
This prediction piece has three teams from the AFC South making the playoffs, including their projected top seed, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Despite being so high on the Jaguars, USA Today says the Los Angeles Chargers — the fourth seed in this piece — will end up upsetting the second-seeded New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game (on the road, obviously) and representing the AFC in Super Bowl LIII.
Thankfully, they also predict the Chargers will lose the Super Bowl to the Falcons.
Some other interesting notes from this piece include the Philadelphia Eagles being just the fourth seed in the NFC, and the Oakland Raiders finishing last place in the AFC West in Jon Gruden’s return to coaching.
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If the Broncos finish second place in the AFC West with a 9-7 record and another missed playoff chance, how will that sit with those in charge?
It’s hard to imagine what this scenario would cause to unfold in the postseason, but it might depend on which coaches become available next offseason. If someone is available that entices John Elway, he could easily use missing the playoffs as a reason to move on from Vance Joseph, even though this record would indicate marked improvement by the team as a whole.