The Denver Broncos look to end six straight years of losing seasons in 2023, and the team is very much equipped to win double-digit games this year. The changes with the team have been obvious and substantive. Sean Payton brings a Hall of Fame resume to Broncos Country. Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey add much-needed reinforcements along the offensive line.
Vance Joseph, now in his second tenure in Denver, now brings four more years of coaching experience to the mix. The Broncos also feature studs on both sides of the ball like Russell Wilson, Javonte Williams, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Justin Simmons, Patrick Surtain II, and other solid players like Josey Jewell, Frank Clark, Randy Gregory, Zach Allen, and DJ Jones. The 2023 Denver Broncos don't really have a glaring weakness on their roster.
The direction of the team is trending up, and there is reason to believe this team can win double-digit games this year and make the postseason. Let's highlight 10 reasons why the Denver Broncos can win 10 games in the 2023 NFL season.
10 reasons why the Denver Broncos win 10 games in the 2023 NFL season
1. The Broncos have a very good head coach
The first reason is pretty simple. Sean Payton is a very good NFL head coach. He's won over 60% of regular season games and he has a winning record as a head coach in the postseason. In fact, his regular-season winning percentage of .631 translates to 10.72 wins per 17-game season. So, Payton is theoretically winning 11 games per year in a 17-game season.
There's reason to believe he can do that with the Denver Broncos in 2013. He's won at least 11 games a whopping eight times during his head coaching career, which is absolutely insane, and Payton has enacted immediate turnarounds as head coach, which brings me to the second reason why the Broncos win 10 games in 2023.
2. Sean Payton won 10 games in his first year as an NFL head coach
The 2005 New Orleans Saints went 3-13 in the regular season. The 2006 New Orleans Saints, which was Sean Payton's first year, went 10-6 in the regular season. He has evidence of being a coach who can get immediate results, and I don't see how the Denver Broncos would be any different. Sure, there are so many variables that are different from 2006 than 2023, but man, what else would you need to see from Payton if you are even a little bit skeptical of him?
Payton's no-nonsense attitude is going to have an immediate impact on this team, which has cycled through a few failed head coaches since Gary Kubiak stepped down after the 2016 NFL season. Sean Payton is the right man for this job and team.
3. The Denver Broncos' offensive line looks solid
Sure, on paper is much different than on-field performance, but I cannot help but to be encouraged by the offensive line. I do think the unit as a whole has gradually improved this offense, and that should tell us that OL coach and former Payton draft pick, Zach Strief, knows what he's doing. From left to right, you could at least argue that the Broncos have four solid offensive linemen, which is honestly a bit rare in today's NFL.
Fourth-year center Lloyd Cushenberry is a bit of a wild card at this point. He's had three bad years to begin his NFL career, but perhaps playing alongside two stud guards in Ben Powers and Quinn Meiners helps boost his performance. Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow were pretty putrid during their time in Denver, so I guess Cushenberry should not be fully responsible for his bad play.
And if Cushenberry turns into an average center in 2023, the Denver Broncos' OL will be among the best in the NFL. Winning at the line of scrimmage is a must for teams.
4. The Denver Broncos have enough playmakers on offense
Well, you can never really have too many playmakers on any side of the ball, but the Broncos have enough on offense to be a playoff team. A wide receiver room featuring Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Marvin Mims Jr. can certainly be lethal. All three players feature slightly different skill sets and complement each other nicely.
The tight end room could be bursting with potential with second-year pro Greg Dulcich and fourth-year pro Adam Trautman. The RB stable of Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine figures to be a nice one-two punch that can ideally wear down opposing defenses. Perine is not the best RB, but he can catch passes, pass protect, and is a very tough runner.
Javonte Williams has a similar skillset but is simply a better player than Perine. Overall, I think Denver's playmakers on offense are plenty good enough to help the team inch toward a playoff spot in 2023.
5. The Denver Broncos have a shutdown cornerback in Patrick Surtain II
in today's NFL, it's an objective fact that teams need to be strong in the secondary if they want to win. Plain and simple. Teams don't make it far into the playoffs, or make the playoffs at all, without being talented in the defensive backfield. The NFL is a pass-first league, so teams need to counter that in some way.
Well, fortunately, the Denver Broncos have the best CB in football in Patrick Surtain II and the best safety in football in Justin Simmons, who tied for the league lead in interceptions last season even though he played in just 12 games. Denver has had a talented secondary for years, and 2023 should be no different.
6. The Denver Broncos have a well-timed bye week
I think one underrated aspect of the Denver Broncos' schedule in 2023 is their bye week, which comes in week nine after the team plays their first eight games. So, the team does not have a bye week very early in the season nor do they have it very late in the season. I think it's great that it's right in the middle, and it also coincides right at the time of the NFL trade deadline.
So, if the Broncos are, let's say, 5-3 at the bye week, they may be motivated to add a player or two at the deadline. Fortunately, they're on their bye week at this time, so those potential new additions will have that bye week to get acclimated on their new team. I think this is a sneaky-good benefit of the Denver Broncos' schedule in 2023.
7. QB Russell Wilson could still have something left in the tank
In fact, if you ask Sean Payton, he'd tell you the same thing. He's been very complimentary of Russell Wilson this offseason, even going as far as saying to Peter King that he'll be closer to his 2021 numbers than his 2022 numbers. Payton has also talked about how Wilson's movement skills are encouraging, along with Payton not noticing any physical difference between the 2020-2021 Wilson and the current Wilson.
All of this coming from Sean Payton could be just confidence boosters for the veteran QB, but I think Payton is being very genuine and is surely excited to see what Russell Wilson can do on the field. The offense is going to look a lot like what it did when Wilson was a Seattle Seahawk. A strong run game and play-action is what Wilson was playing in the first 10 years of his career.
The Denver Broncos ran play-action at one of the lowest rates in the NFL last year, and we'll see that number change drastically in 2023.
8. Recent evidence to indicate Broncos can breakout in 2023
The 2022 New York Giants and 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars were the two breakout teams of last year. Both franchises were much like the Broncos-- the bottom-feeders of the league starving for winning football. Well, both clubs won nine games in 2022 and each won a playoff game. It's not like the 2023 Denver Broncos winning 10 games would be some sort of major shock.
Teams in the NFL have gone from pathetically bad to pretty darn good in just one year, and it happened literally last year. I am struggling to find a legitimate reason why the Denver Broncos cannot do the same thing in 2023 that the Giants and Jags did in 2022. Tell me why they can't.
9. The Denver Broncos schedule has more beneficial aspects to it
I've touched on the fact that the Denver Broncos have a bye week in the middle of the season, which I personally believe is the best time to have the break. There are a few more aspects of the schedule that I think are nice.
Another benefit is that Denver has nine home games this year. Obviously, with a 17-game season, not all 32 teams will get nine home games. I assume that would alternate each year. But for this year at least, Denver plays at Mile High nine times, which is lovely. The fans should be ready to rock 'n roll.
One thing that I have just picked up on this schedule is that Denver has just two non-Sunday games, and from weeks 11-18, they play on Sunday each week. I find that to be a nice benefit, as their game schedule isn't all over the place. Some more contending teams might have a plethora of prime-time slots, which aren't always great to have.
We always see the same few teams play on Thanksgiving, for the most part, and Denver doesn't seem to have some sort of weirdly scheduled game in 2023, which I find to be a benefit. They also do not play an international game. They did last year against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Some may disagree with this last point, but I also think Denver does not have a super tough schedule or a super tough stretch of games at any point in the season. In fact, depending on where you look, the Denver Broncos have the easiest schedule in the AFC West, which will most definitely come in handy.
I think the Broncos got a solid deal with their schedule in 2023.
10. The Denver Broncos have the necessary infrastructure in place to be successful
When you consider the totality of the Denver Broncos organization, from the ownership, front office, coaching, and roster, the Broncos are in a better place than many, many teams. To me, this franchise is well-equipped to be a winning team in 2023 and beyond. I trust the new "Walmart" ownership group to continually provide the necessary resources to foster a successful team.
I trust that George Paton and Sean Payton can continue to work well together, and even if Paton finds himself no longer the GM, I trust that Sean Payton will surround himself with the right people to make the tough roster decisions. I also trust that the Broncos will trot out a competitive roster each and every week. To me, the team does have a good enough roster to make the postseason in 2023 and win 10 games.
I think from top to bottom, the Broncos are in a very good spot. That will go a long way in any season.