The Denver Broncos have won four straight games, improving to 5-5 on the season, and with seven games remaining, they've got a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. The Broncos haven't made the playoffs since 2015 when they ended up winning Super Bowl 50, but with the hiring of head coach Sean Payton, the expectation was that the team would turn things around rather quickly.
It didn't exactly happen "quickly" as the Broncos unfortunately started the season 1-5, but they have come around as of late and are playing much, much better football as a team. So the question now becomes, can they sustain it? Can the Broncos keep forcing turnovers? Can they keep coming up clutch offensively? Can they be even better overall as a team?
With seven games remaining, six against AFC opponents, and a 2-4 record right now vs. the AFC, they are going to have no choice but to be better overall as a team. Let's take a look at each of the remaining seven games this season and make score predictions for each.
Denver Broncos schedule: Picks, predictions for all remaining games
Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns
If the Denver Broncos are going to make a serious bid at the playoffs this season, then this game is going to be of critical importance. The Cleveland Browns boast one of the best defenses in the entire NFL, and they have a 7-3 record despite having three different starting quarterbacks this season, no Nick Chubb for most of the year, and injuries on the offensive line.
Kevin Stefanski has done an underrated job with his team, and it's a good thing the Browns are traveling to Denver where the Broncos have their distinct home-field advantage back. When the crowd is into it at Mile High, it's hard for teams to come in there and get wins.
Perhaps the biggest advantage for Denver in this game is the fact that Cleveland is starting rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. DTR got a win against the Steelers and their defense this past week, but it was a hard-fought, low-scoring game with not much offense on either side. I think the Broncos are far better than the Steelers offensively, and that's saying something.
This is a game the Broncos absolutely have to have because the Browns are one of the teams occupying a Wild Card spot at the moment. Getting this head-to-head win will be huge. I think the Broncos can get the job done here.
Prediction: Broncos win 20-16
Week 13: @ Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have been one of the NFL's best stories in the 2023 season. Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud has been phenomenal, and many people believe that he belongs in the NFL MVP conversation.
And you can't really argue much with that. Stroud has been that good and the Texans are 6-4 right now.
But once again, this is a game the Denver Broncos should absolutely win. I think you obviously don't want to get into a shootout situation with this Houston Texans team, but Denver's defense is playing so well right now against the pass that it's hard to imagine Stroud just carving them up. We've seen the Broncos make mortals out of Patrick Mahomes (x2), Josh Allen, and even the Passtronaut (Joshua Dobbs).
If you want to make the playoffs, you've got to win big games against AFC opponents late in the season and while this game may have been penciled in as a win or toss-up before the season, it looks a lot tougher now with the way the Texans have played.
But at the end of the day, this is a team with a rookie quarterback and the Broncos have been putting heat on quarterbacks lately. We saw them rack up 10 QB hits against Joshua Dobbs and the Vikings. If they can pressure CJ Stroud and continue to play defense the way we've seen altely, there's no reason why they can't go on the road and win this game.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-19
Week 14: @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers enter Week 12 of the 2023 season in last place in the AFC West. Brandon Staley is getting really testy these days. The Chargers simply don't have the leadership in place right now to be taken seriously as a contender and I think things will get worse before they get better.
Recent years have shown us that the Broncos play the Chargers exceptionally well, no matter who the head coach has been. I don't know if we're going to see anything different in either of these matchups, although Justin Herbert is the best quarterback remaining on the Broncos' schedule at this point.
Offensively, the Chargers can put up a lot of points, and they have most of the year. They have the 8th-best scoring offense in the league and one of the best overall passing attacks. Unfortunately for them, they have been bad defensively vs. the pass, and are giving up almost 24 points per game. The Chargers also have one of the worst home-field advantages in the entire league.
It's lofty to expect the Broncos' winning streak to extend to seven games, but I think they can go to Los Angeles and get it done. At some point, though, you might need to prove you can put up points in bunches to beat teams like this. The Broncos might not be able to win with five field goals every week, as good as we've seen the red zone defense and as tight as they have played some good offenses lately.
I think the Broncos get to 8-5 after this game against the Chargers.
Prediction: Broncos win 31-24
Week 15: @ Detroit Lions
There are few teams in the NFL right now playing as well as the Detroit Lions. Dan Campbell has to be a front-runner for NFL coach of the year with the way his team has played on both sides of the ball, and they really set the tone to start this season with a win on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Lions have not really slowed down since that game against the Chiefs, and are an impressive 8-2 through their first 10 games. Every team is going to hit bumps in the road along the way, and I don't think the Lions are going to win out by any means, but when you look at this game on paper and with the way Detroit has played, this is a game that will severely test the Broncos.
The Broncos will be playing their third straight road game. If they are able to win a bunch of hard-fought games leading up to this, you're almost due for a letdown at some point, right?
I could see Detroit taking care of business here even if the Broncos are able to keep it close. Don't get me wrong, I think the Broncos are capable of winning any of their remaining games with the way we've seen them play over the last month, especially if the offense can get it going. With that being said, to assume the Broncos will win every one of their remaining 11 games including the four-game winning streak they're currently on would be way over the top.
This is a game they could afford to lose because it's against an NFC opponent, and I think a loss to Detroit could also just refocus this team for the stretch run.
Prediction: Lions win 24-20
Week 16: vs. New England Patriots
Merry Christmas to Denver Broncos fans, who will be gifted with a home game against the reeling New England Patriots on December 24.
This game is currently slated for Sunday Night Football, but don't be surprised if, at some point in the next handful of weeks, it gets booted from that slot for another game. The Broncos and the Patriots might not be the most compelling game of Week 16, and that's okay.
The Broncos getting flexed out of SNF in this particular case would thrill my heart, but I'm old and don't enjoy staying up for the late games these days.
Especially on Christmas Eve, I mean come on. What a gift it would be for this game to be played earlier in the afternoon.
The New England Patriots are, objectively, a disaster this season. Of the remaining games on the Denver Broncos' 2023 schedule, this is one I might be the most confident in the Broncos winning. You don't have to look too much at the numbers or anything like that, although obviously there are matchups within the matchup. I think the Broncos' secondary and pass rush will feast on this Patriots offense.
The only way in which the Broncos lose this game is if they're turning the ball over three or more times.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-13
Week 17: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The Denver Broncos close out their season with two games against divisional opponents, starting with a home game here against the Los Angeles Chargers. I think the difficulty level of this game is obviously going to depend on the state of both the Chargers and the Broncos. In this scenario, we've got the Broncos riding high at 9-6 and the Chargers -- based on an earlier prediction -- would have at least seven losses.
Let's say the Chargers are 8-7 and the Broncos are 9-6, I think this game would have the potential to get flexed into a Sunday Night Football slot. If the Chargers are 6-9 or worse, I think there is a chance that Brandon Staley could be fired in-season. What would that mean for the Chargers in this particular matchup?
Well, it could mean they get a little late-season momentum push as many teams do when a coach is fired.
If things are status quo for the Chargers, then I think this is a game that could ultimately make or break Staley's future with the team as well.
There are so many different avenues this one could go down. With that being said, I called it before the season that I felt like the Broncos could go 4-2 or better in the division, and in order for that prediction to come true, they've got to win this game.
Prediction: Broncos win 26-23
Week 18: @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Denver Broncos started off their 2023 season with a loss at home against the Raiders, and I think they're going to end their season with a win on the road against the Raiders. The Broncos haven't beaten the Raiders in a long time. The last time they beat the Raiders was a 16-15 final score back in the 2019 season.
It's crazy how long it's been since the Broncos notched a win against the Raiders, and a bit ridiculous as well.
Outside of the game against the New England Patriots, though, I think this is the game I am most confident in the Broncos winning over the course of the remainder of the season. The Raiders have an interim head coach right now in Antonio Pierce, and while the team is thriving somewhat in the honeymoon period, I think they'll cool off as the rest of the season plays out.
They also have a rookie fourth-round pick starting at QB in Aidan O'Connell. With all due respect to O'Connell and the way he's played dating back to even the preseason, I think this is a situation the Broncos can absolutely take advantage of.
Prediction: Broncos win 21-15
Ultimately, this would mean the Broncos finishing with a record of 11-6. To think this team that started 1-5 could find a way to finish the year with just one loss in its last 11 games is crazy, but I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility given these matchups. Many Broncos fans are waiting for the clock to strike midnight, for the magic to run out, or for the carriage to turn back into a pumpkin.
But what if instead of that happening, the offense hits a stride? What if the Broncos keep forcing turnovers and start turning those turnovers into six points instead of three? Again, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility. I think 10-7 or even 11-6 is attainable for this team given the way they have played over the last month.