We are in the home stretch. This will be the last weekend without football until February.
We have taken in all of the preseason games. We have completed our fantasy football drafts and as we prepare for Labor Day and for some, a well-deserved day off from the workplace, we now are completely focused on the 2021 NFL season.
In the case of the Denver Broncos, we know that Teddy Bridgewater will be the starting quarterback. We know that the team appears to have a great defense and some exciting rookies along with the returning Von Miller and Courtland Sutton.
This team stands a chance to be pretty good and some feel it is a darkhorse in the crowded AFC. Will this finally be the year the Broncos end their playoff drought? Will this be the year they end their long losing streak against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Following the release of the 2021 schedule, we made some predictions for each game. Now that some big decisions have been made and we have seen the team on the field, let’s take a look at how we see the team stacking up against the competition now.
Week 1 at New York Giants
It’s always tough to know what to expect in a Week 1 game, especially when the opponent is from the other conference. This game has some historical meaning as well as 20 years ago, on September 10, 2001, the teams opened the season against one another on Monday Night Football.
The following day, the country experienced one of the biggest national tragedies in history.
Going into this game, the Broncos definitely seem like the better team. The Giants have struggled mightily in recent years and two of their top offensive weapons, Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram, will be questionable for the matchup.
It is a road game and the Broncos have not won a season opener on the road since 2009 when they stole a game from the Cincinnati Bengals in an utterly insane fashion (video).
This game likely won’t come down to that sort of scenario. There will probably be some bumps in the road as the Broncos’ offense tries to get going and the Giants will play tough at home, especially if they are at full strength, but the Broncos should be able to grind out a win.
Broncos 17, Giants 13
Record: 1-0
Week 2 at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have the No.1 overall pick in the draft in Trevor Lawrence, but if you watched them this preseason, they are a total mess and will be picking high again in the draft next year.
It’s going to take some time for Uurban Meyer’s philosophy to be completely accepted with this team and in Week 2, Lawrence won’t even have his feet completely wet yet. The Broncos’ defense should feast in this one and the offense should not even have to score too much to get the job done.
Broncos 20, Jaguars 10
Record: 2-0
Week 3 vs. New York Jets
The Broncos get their home opener against another team that they should beat.
The Jets do have a possible franchise savior in Zach Wilson but much like Lawrence, his third game into his rookie season he will likely still be experiencing some growing pains.
This is another game where the Broncos’ defense should have enough to completely overwhelm the opposition and the offense will have to do just enough to get the victory. But with it being the first game in front of the home crowd, the Broncos will play inspired football in this one and put up a great game.
Could the Broncos actually start 3-0? Yes, and with this kind of schedule, they should.
Broncos 26, Jets 14
Record: 3-0
Week 4 vs. Baltimore Ravens
This is going to be one of those games where many Broncos fans will pick Denver to win, particularly now that the Ravens don’t have J.K. Dobbins, who will miss the entire season.
It will be a defensive struggle and it is a game that the Broncos certainly could win, but it will be a game that slips away late because the Ravens will get some great, clutch play from Lamar Jackson. However, it will be a game that the team can learn a lot from.
Ravens 23, Broncos 21
Record: 3-1
Week 5 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Following a tough, close loss to the Ravens, a trip to Pittsburgh would be one of the last things an NFL team would want to do. But these are not the Steelers of the past, even if Ben Roethlisberger is still there.
The Broncos actually have a .500 record in Pittsburgh all-time but have lost in their last two trips there, including a game last season in which Drew Lock left with injury.
The Steelers don’t have as much talent as they have had in year’s past, but this will not be an easy win to get. Roethlisberger has new help in the form of Najee Harris and a young wide receiving corps and the defense is still talent as well, led by T.J. Watt.
This will be the game where the Broncos start to turn heads around the league after picking up a tough win on the road, thanks to some clutch play from Teddy Bridgewater in the end.
Brandon McManus kicks a game-winning field goal as time expires.
Broncos 27, Steelers 24
Record: 4-1
Week 6 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The Broncos’ first divisional game doesn’t come until Week 6 and it will be against the hated Raiders, who swept them last year.
The Raiders are in a win-now situation if Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock are going to be kept around beyond this season, but their first five games are not a cake walk. This is the kind of game they will need to win, inside the division.
Lately, the Raiders have played the Broncos tough but Denver will remember the two games against them last year and knowing that this will be the first game inside the division, it will be a slugfest from start to finish.
In the end, the Broncos do just enough at home to get the victory.
Broncos 28, Raiders 25
Record: 5-1
Week 7 at Cleveland Browns
This is going to be one of those games that is going to be difficult to get a a victory in. It’s the dreaded road trip on a short week for Thursday Night Football. The Browns play a home game the previous Sunday so there will be no travel for them.
On top of that, the Browns figure to be one of the better teams in the AFC. This is a game Denver loses.
Browns 21, Broncos 16
Record: 5-2
Week 8 vs. Washington Football Team
A matchup against an NFC team on Halloween greets the Broncos 10 days after their trip to Cleveland. The good thing about the short week there will be that the team gets to return home and have over a week to rest up and prepare.
Washington made the playoffs last year and they have what many feel is one of the best defenses in the league along with a quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick who can distribute the football. Still, the fact that the Broncos have that extra rest and they have home-field advantage in this one should provide the difference.
Broncos 20, WFT 17
Record: 6-2
Week 9 at Dallas Cowboys
For those who don’t remember, the last time the Broncos went to AT&T Stadium, it was one of the most entertaining games the league has seen over the course of the last decade, a 51-48 shootout won by Denver.
This game won’t be as high scoring, but if the Cowboys can keep Dak Prescott healthy, I think they could win the NFC East going away. They have the Broncos at home in this one and they’ll squeak out a late win.
Cowboys 24, Broncos 20
Record: 6-3
Week 10 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
There is not much to say here. I think the Eagles are one of the worst teams in the league. They have a rookie coach, a first-year starter at quarterback and holes all over the offense.
Aside from the Week 2 game against Jacksonville, this is probably the easiest game on the schedule.
Broncos 27, Eagles 13
Record: 7-3
Week 11: Bye Week
Week 12 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are a trendy pick to be much more competitive this season and for good reason. Justin Herbert is one of the best young quarterbacks the league has to offer and there is a wealth of talent around him.
The key here is going to be that the bye week comes at a great time. The Broncos are at home for this entire period and the Chargers will be coming off playing a game on Sunday Night Football, making their week just a tad bit shorter.
The Broncos will get this one but the Chargers will be looking for revenge.
Broncos 27, Chargers 20
Record: 8-3
Week 13 at Kansas City Chiefs
It’s Kansas City. It’s Arrowhead Stadium. It’s Patrick Mahomes and it’s an early start on the road. What else? Oh, the Chiefs are also coming off their bye week.
Sorry guys, but Denver gets handled in this one.
Chiefs 30, Broncos 16
Record: 8-4
Week 14 vs. Detroit Lions
If you’re licking your wounds after yet another loss to the Chiefs, who better than to get right against than the Lions? Yes, the Lions are going to be bad… again.
This is another one of those games where the Broncos, so long as they don’t play down to their opposition, will show the league that they are a team on its way.
Broncos 28, Lions 12
Record: 9-4
Week 15 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
As you can see, the Broncos get a very favorable schedule this year as after the Lions, they get the forever-bad Bengals. Now, the Bengals have some good young pieces on Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, but as is the case in places like Jacksonville and New York, it’s going to take some time to develop it.
The Broncos get to double-digit wins on the season with an easy win here.
Broncos 24, Bengals 10
Record: 10-4
Week 16 at Las Vegas Raiders
The day after Christmas, Broncos fans will get an extra gift with their favorite rivalry.
The Raiders will be home after back-to-back road games and the Broncos will be on the road after back-to-back home games. This one will be tightly contested, but the Raiders are going to need the win more as Gruden will be deep into trying to save his job and he’ll look to pull out all the stops.
The teams have played in two 1-point games over the course of the last two seasons, so let’s make it three.
Raiders 24, Broncos 23
Record: 10-5
Week 17 at Los Angeles Chargers
Remember when I said the Chargers would be back for revenge? This is it.
After gaining plenty of offensive momentum by playing the Houston Texans the week before, the Chargers return to L.A. and get the job done. This game will be critical for playoff positioning as well, and if you look at the Chargers’ schedule, they could very easily have double-digit wins by this point as well.
Doing a quick game-by-game look at the Chargers, I have them at 10-5 at this point in the season as well. They go to 11-5 here.
Chargers 27, Broncos 19
Week 18 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
This is it! This is the day the Broncos finally end the losing streak against Kansas City, which, with these predictions included, would be at 12 straight games.
Now, this might have something to do with the Chiefs resting Mahomes and the rest of their starters as they have the AFC West division all wrapped up.
Still, the Broncos end the season on a high note, getting that monkey off their backs and finishing with 11 regular-season wins, the most they have had since 2015.
Broncos 27, Chiefs 14
Record: 11-6