In Week 8, the Denver Broncos earned a win versus the Kansas City Chiefs, and it was the type of win that could be the catalyst for a major turnaround after the team's bye week. The Broncos are still 3-5, yes, but coming off of two straight wins and beating the Chiefs has this team feeling pretty good about themselves.
Conversely, the Las Vegas Raiders have lost two in a row and are 3-5. It's a much different feeling and momentum is real in the NFL. The Broncos may also not do much at the trade deadline, instead holding firm and trying to make something out of this season, which has new life. The Broncos' bye week comes in Week 9, so it's right in the middle of the season.
Denver plays nine games after their break, including four at home and five on the road. They do appear to have some very winnable games left as well. Right now, there is reason to believe that this team could get something going. Let's make three bold predictions for the rest of the Broncos' 2023 season.
3 bold predictions for rest of Denver Broncos 2023 season
1. Broncos WIN the rest of their home games
Depending on if Deshaun Watson plays for the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, Denver could have a not-so-tough home schedule remaining. They face off against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, Browns in Week 12, New England Patriots in Week 16, and Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17. Given that all teams are currently pretty average or below average in their current states, I'd feel pretty comfortable picking the Broncos in each game if current trends hold.
Giving the Broncos at least four more wins puts them at seven on the season without considering their five away games after the bye.
2. Defense continues to play well, propels into a top-12 unit
The Denver Broncos' defense, over the last four games, has allowed just four touchdowns and has held opponents to 19 points per game. They've forced turnovers at a higher rate and held Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to just 28 points in two games. The unit is objectively playing better, and a lot of credit goes to Vance Joseph, who many wanted to be fired during the first month.
And honestly, I was one of those people. The pass rush has gotten better and the secondary seems to have settled in as well. The inside linebackers in Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton have been playing pretty sound football all season, and that hasn't changed over the last month.
Well, I don't think this will be a blip on the radar; I think this unit will continue to play well the rest of the way and eventually end up as a top-12 unit in point allowed. At the end of the day, a defense can allow as many passing and rushing yards as possible, but if they keep their opponents out of the endzone, that's really all that matters.
I think Denver continues to keep opponents out of the endzone with regularity and returns to how they were for a large part of the 2022 season when Ejiro Evero was the DC. The Broncos' D continuing to play well gives this team a genuine shot to make the postseason.
3. The Denver Broncos... MAKE the playoffs
Sue me, I don't care. I'm choosing to believe in the Denver Broncos. I think their win in Week 8 was more than just an off day for the Chiefs. I'm choosing to believe that the Denver Broncos have finally figured themselves out, and now they have their bye week in Week 9 to get healthy and button some things up.
The second half of their schedule doesn't seem too bad, either. Their hardest game is probably their Week 10 game at Buffalo. However, we've seen the Bills be a super inconsistent team in recent years. They nearly lost to the New York Giants at home and got embarrassed by the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots.
The Bills travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals in Week 9. That could drop Buffalo to 5-4 if they lose, as the Bengals are surging. I personally would rather the Broncos face the Bills after they win, as Buffalo tends to beat up their following opponent after a loss. They have won each game following a loss this year and proceeded to go on a seven-game winning streak after suffering back-to-back losses in 2022.
Anyway, another tough matchup could be traveling to Detroit to face the Lions in Week 15. However, at that point, Detroit could even have the NFC North wrapped up, so perhaps they aren't playing for a lot. You really never know. Games against the Kirk Cousins-less Vikings and two games against the Chargers should not be seen as overly hard.
I am choosing to believe in this team. I think they can do it.