Denver Broncos get huge break for their Week 11 matchup after bye week

In Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a major injury, which will end his season. This is a huge break for the Denver Broncos. Cousins is one of my favorite football players and I hate to see him go down, but if we're being honest, him not playing when the Broncos and Vikings meet in Week 11 is a huge break for Denver.

After their Week 8 thumping versus the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos head into the bye week at 3-5. They've won two in a row, three of five, and are now just one game out of the win column of a Wild Card berth. The team certainly still has some questions and some tough games coming after the break, but 3-5 feels a lot better than 2-6.

Well, to make matters a little bit better, their Week 11 matchup versus the surging Vikings, who have now won three in a row, looks to have gotten a bit easier. Kirk Cousins, someone the Broncos tried to sign in 2018, will miss the rest of the season after a ruptured Achilles injury he suffered against the Green Bay Packers.

Cousins was off to a torrid start in 2023, throwing for 18 touchdowns against five interceptions for a 103.8 passer rating. He was on pace to have an extremely prolific season, and this injury not only keeps him out for the year, but perhaps ends his career in Minnesota. Cousins seemed to get a lot of positive attention during the Netflix series Quarterback, as that series basically offered a window into his life.

The Vikings now might be in a situation where they look to add a QB at the deadline, but obviously, they aren't going to find someone as productive as Cousins. They might be looking more toward someone in the tier of Colt McCoy and Jacoby Brissett. The Broncos' defense has played extremely well over the past month, allowing just four touchdowns on defense over the last four games, including holding the defending Super Bowl champions out of the end zone in Week 8.

There's good reason to believe that the Broncos can tee off against the Vikings current QB2, Jaren Hall. And to be honest, if this team can somehow squeeze out a win versus the Buffalo Bills in Week 10 after the bye, this team could very easily get to 5-5 and get themselves back in the mix for a potential playoff spot.

Are the Denver Broncos going to make us believe?