Right now, the Denver Broncos are projected to face Jared Goff, Bailey Zappe, Easton Stick, and Aidan O'Connell at QB with their four remaining games in the 2023 NFL season. The Denver Broncos are 1-1 on their three-game road trip thus far and have one more away game to go before returning home for two games.
They end the season playing the Las Vegas Raiders, but regardless of where the Broncos are playing these games, as of now, they are projected to face Jared Goff, Bailey Zappe, Easton Stick, and Aidan O'Connell to end the season. When the season began, this stretch initially looked like Goff, Mac Jones, Justin Herbert, and Jimmy Garoppolo.
So, this stretch would have been a bit harder than it is now. Right now, the Patriots, Chargers, and Raiders all have backup QBs in. Mac Jones was starting the season for the Patriots and has been benched numerous times. Justin Herbert broke a finger on his throwing hand in Week 14 versus the Broncos, and the Raiders benched Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie Aidan O'Connell.
Right now, it's not crazy to think that the Broncos can go 4-0 to end the season, or 3-1 at worst, right? Let's dive into just how poor this stretch of QBs are that the Denver Broncos will face this year.
Looking deeper...
Using the projected four QBs the Broncos have left to face in 2023, their combined statistics are as follows for this year:
509/791, 5,532 yards, 28 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 86.1 passer rating
So, yeah, this is what the Denver Broncos are set to face. Obviously, these numbers will look different one, two or three weeks from now, but at this moment, at the conclusion of Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season, the Denver Broncos' remaining QB opponents are averaging some pretty iffy numbers.
And it makes sense. Jared Goff is the best of the bunch, and he's having a good-not-great season. Bailey Zappe, Easton Stick, and Aidan O'Connell are all low-end backup QBs who did not begin the year in the starting lineup. Right now, the Denver Broncos have a chance to extend their winning ways. They have four extremely winnable games in front of them, and they should truly finish with no less than 10 wins.
It's not clear right now whether or not 10 wins would get them in the playoffs, but getting to 11 is likely a guaranteed spot. The team has two home games and two away games left, and their 1-1 start to the three-game road trip has them in a solid spot right now. The defense has been playing out of their minds, and they have a chance to continue it against some poor QB play in the coming weeks.