Ceiling and floor predictions for the Denver Broncos in the 2024 NFL Season

Don't look now, but the 2024 NFL Season is less than two months away, so let's predict the ceiling and the floor for the Denver Broncos. Depending on who you ask, the Broncos may win three or nine games in the 2024 NFL Season. What we saw from the team in 2023 was a lot to be encouraged about.

The 1-5 start was brutal, but them finishing 7-4 and playing like a winning football team for over 60% of the season was just outstanding to watch. Many can argue that the team did get better during the 2024 NFL Offseason, and no move was bigger than replacing Russell Wilson with Bo Nix.

But just how good, or bad, can the Broncos be in 2024? That's what we'll try to predict. Before that, though, let's look at their schedule for the upcoming season.

Week 1 (9/8): @ Seattle Seahawks (2:05 PM MT
Week 2 (9/15): vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2:25 PM MT)
Week 3 (9/22): @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11 AM MT)
Week 4 (9/29): @ New York Jets (11 AM MT)
Week 5 (10/6): vs. Las Vegas Raiders (2:05 PM MT)
Week 6 (10/13): vs. Los Angeles Chargers (2:05 PM MT)
Week 7 (10/17): @ New Orleans Saints (TNF, 6:15 PM MT)
Week 8 (10/27): vs. Carolina Panthers (2:25 PM MT)
Week 9 (11/3): @ Baltimore Ravens (11 AM MT)
Week 10 (11/10): @ Kansas City Chiefs (11 AM MT)
Week 11 (11/17): vs. Atlanta Falcons (2:05 PM MT)
Week 12 (11/24): @ Las Vegas Raiders (2:05 PM MT)
Week 13 (12/2): vs. Cleveland Browns (MNF, 6:20 PM MT)
Week 14 (12/8): BYE
Week 15 (12/15): vs. Indianapolis Colts (2:25 PM MT)
Week 16 (12/22): @ Los Angeles Chargers (2:05 PM MT)
Week 17 (12/28 or 12/29): @ Cincinnati Bengals (TBD)
Week 18 (1/4 or 1/5): vs. Kansas City Chiefs (TBD)

Ceiling and floor predictions for the Denver Broncos in the 2024 NFL Season
Ceiling: 10-7, Wild Card berth

The Denver Broncos ceiling, to me, is a near-identical season that the 2023 Houston Texans had. All last offseason, most across the NFL landscape had the Texans ranked extremely low on various power rankings, as they did not seem to be thought of that highly with a rookie coach and a rookie quarterback.

Well, the Broncos are in a similar boat, as they have not been highly thought of with a rookie QB in Bo Nix, and I have also seen Denver ranked nearly dead last in roster rankings as well. However, the Broncos have the formula to be a frisky, breakout team in 2024, as they showed signs of that in 2023.

Their five-game winning streak was no fluke, and they did get better on paper at several positions. Bo Nix being an upgrade at QB is the key factor here, but if he is, the Broncos are in business. Folks, it is perfectly OK if you are optimistic about the 2024 Denver Broncos. I am.

Floor: 4-13, top-three pick in 2025 NFL Draft

The worst-case scenario I can see is that the team is just a mess in 2024, and a huge step backwards cuts their win total in half from 2023. We'd likely see rookie QB Bo Nix show virtually no signs of being a franchise QB, and perhaps it'd get so bad that Nix gets benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham or even Zach Wilson.

The defense might not start historically bad, but it also may not be nearly as improved as some think it can be. This would be an all-around disastrous scenario, and questions about Sean Payton leading this team would certainly pop up. However, even with how bad this floor could be, even the worst teams find a way to win a few games here and there.

The team might be too well-coached to lose this many games, but we're talking about the absolute worst-case scenario. I'd even throw in that the team probably deals with a ton of injuries as well.