The Denver Broncos are 5-5 coming out of the bye week and will take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12 action. We make our bold predictions.
The Denver Broncos are coming off of a bye week in Week 11 and a loss before that, but the recent contracts given out to wide receivers Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton have very good vibes surrounding the team right now.
Heading into Week 12, it’s crucial that the Denver Broncos figure out how to play consistent football offensively because they still control their own destiny when it comes to the AFC West. With five divisional games remaining of the seven left on the schedule, starting this week against the Chargers, the Broncos still have more than just a shot.
What can we expect in this week’s home game against Justin Herbert and company? After a bad loss at home to the Eagles in Week 10, it’s time to get back on the saddle.
Big day for Sutton, Patrick leads Denver Broncos Week 12 predictions vs. Chargers
1. Courtland Sutton & Tim Patrick each go for TDs
After signing multi-year deals in a matter of days between each other, the Denver Broncos’ now big-money duo of Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick will each score a touchdown against the Chargers.
Los Angeles could be without stud rookie Asante Samuel Jr. in this game, and the Denver Broncos have to be thinking about emphasizing these two “core” players going forward.
Sutton, in particular, has seen a hilariously low number of targets in recent weeks.
The Broncos need to force-feed these two, if nothing else.
In four career games against the Chargers, Sutton has averaged nearly 23 yards per reception with three touchdowns.
Tim Patrick has yet to score on them. Let’s see that change this week.
Bold prediction #2: Denver Broncos go 100 percent in red zone offensively
Whether it’s through the air or on the ground, I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Broncos bat 1.000 in the red zone this week.
Considering how bad they have been in this area of the field, that might be the boldest prediction of the season.
Denver’s red zone woes are well-documented at this point, but it is painful to see the numbers.
They are the fourth-worst team in the NFL at converting in the red zone with a 50 percent touchdown rate.
Last year’s offense, which includes a game with Kendall Hinton at quarterback, was over 53 percent in that same statistical category.
Against the Chargers, I think the Broncos get something cooking in the red zone, whether they are targeting Sutton and Patrick, Jerry Jeudy, or their tight ends for once.
More on that in a bit…
Bold prediction #3: The defense gets a touchdown
Now we’re getting crazy.
The Broncos going 100 percent in the red zone and getting a defensive touchdown?
They are kind of due in both categories, to be honest.
The Broncos have zero defensive touchdowns this year, and they had zero defensive touchdowns last year.
As a matter of fact, the Denver Broncos have not scored a defensive touchdown since the 2019 season.
We were certainly spoiled during that Super Bowl 50 year and the era of the No Fly Zone…
There are no shortage of playmakers on Denver’s defense who could make this one happen. Justin Herbert has eight interceptions in 10 games this season and as good as he’s been, he has a gunslinger mentality at times and will throw the ball into dangerous spots.
I think we’ll see the Denver Broncos’ defense take advantage of a throw this week and take it to the house, or maybe Herbert will lose the ball on a strip-sack, and someone for the Broncos will scoop it and score.
Bold prediction #4: Denver Broncos sack Justin Herbert 5 times
The Denver Broncos’ sack-per-game average is down slightly from a season ago, but they have obviously not had Bradley Chubb for most of the season and Von Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams ahead of the deadline.
Even without those two guys, the Broncos have been able to find fairly consistent sack production from a variety of players.
Rookie Jonathon Cooper has obviously been stellar in recent weeks and with the possibility of Bradley Chubb playing against the Chargers, could we see a sack party in Denver this weekend?
It wouldn’t be all that shocking, but Justin Herbert has been sacked just 18 times this season.
The Broncos will need to be creative in getting pressure, continuing to send linebackers, corners, and safeties on blitzes to mix things up, but that is to be expected.
Even as well as Chargers rookie Rashawn Slater has played this season, I think the Denver Broncos are able to get a lot of pressure on Justin Herbert and sack him five times, two above their season weekly average.
Bold prediction #5: The tight ends finally get some more red zone targets
Is that a lunar eclipse?
Is that Haley’s Comet?
Is that Bigfoot?
You might be more likely to see one of those things than red zone targets for the Denver Broncos’ tight ends this year, who both excel in this area tremendously.
The Denver Broncos‘ red zone offense, as previously mentioned, is about as bad as you will find in the NFL.
It’s almost as though if the Broncos can’t score on a shot play from more than 20 yards out, you can pretty much count on a trip inside the 20 resulting in three points…or worse.
Part of the reason for the Denver Broncos’ red zone woes? Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam have a combined five targets inside the 10-yard line this season. Five.
That’s ridiculous, even considering the fact that Okwuegbunam missed time due to injury.
Among those five targets, these two have four receptions and three touchdowns combined.
That kind of efficiency should come as no surprise, but it’s not a coincidence that the Denver Broncos have stunk so bad in the red zone this season and they’re not getting Fant or Okwuegbunam an appropriate amount of work inside the 10.
Denver Broncos wish list and goals after the bye week
The Denver Broncos are coming out of the bye week with a 5-5 record and a shot at making the playoffs still. What do we need to see from this team?
It’s sad that in Week 12 of the NFL season, it’s bold to predict an increase in red zone targets for two of the team’s top red zone weapons.