The Denver Broncos are going to enter an extremely crucial year in the 2024 NFL Season. Let's predict each of their games. Can the Broncos finish with a winning record for the first time since 2016? Can they make the playoffs for the first time since 2015? Man, there are so many questions that this team is going to answer when the 2024 NFL Season begins.
The hype with the Broncos is now around Bo Nix, the polished rookie QB that Denver took with the 12th overall pick. If Nix ends up being the long-term answer for the Broncos, things are looking up. If not, the Broncos have set themselves even farther back.
Let's try to unpack their entire season and predict each game.
Game-by-game predictions for Denver Broncos in the 2024 NFL Season
Week 1 @ Seattle Seahawks
For the one millionth time, the Denver Broncos open up a season with the Seattle Seahawks, which is interesting. Fortunately, Denver may be able to get the better of Seattle, who is now with a first-year head coach in Mike Macdonald, and also have a middling QB in Geno Smith. In what may be an evaluation year for the Seahawks, Denver could squeak out of here with a close win.
Denver is ahead of Seattle in that the Broncos are better in the trenches and also have a rookie QB. I would expect Seattle to look at a rookie QB in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Prediction: Broncos win 21-17
Record: 1-0
Week 2 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
I so badly want the Denver Broncos to absolutely embarrass the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams would already have quite a bit to play for. Do I need to explain why? If nothing else, the Steelers have managed to not finish with a losing record in Mike Tomlin's tenure as their head coach. They went 10-7 last year. Could they squeak out a win? Maybe.
Prediction: Steelers win 20-17
Record: 1-1
Week 3 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 9-8 in 2023 and won the NFC South. They also won in the Wild Card Round, so this team did make a deep run. However, they lost their offensive coordinator, Dave Canales, to the Carolina Panthers, so a regression on offense could be likely. They also weren't exactly prolific on that side of the ball.
In a game of two pretty even teams, let's give the nod to the Denver Broncos because of their coaching advantage.
Prediction: Broncos win 17-13
Record: 2-1
Week 4 @ New York Jets
In what could be a very brutal game for the Denver Broncos, this could be the first huge test of Bo Nix's career, as the New York Jets have a top-five defense, and this game is in their house. Nathaniel Hackett is still on the Jets coaching staff, so you have to assume the motivation is still there for the Jets to take it to the Denver Broncos.
The biggest unknown with this team is Aaron Rodgers and their offensive line, but I do believe that side of the ball will end up being fine.
Prediction: Jets win 27-17
Record: 2-2
Week 5 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Returning home to face the Las Vegas Raiders, the Denver Broncos should hopefully use this week as a get-right game, but you never know. The Broncos have lost a whopping eight games in a row to the lowly Raiders, who are currently led by Antonio Pierce at the head coach spot and Gardner Minshew at the QB1 spot.
It's one of the worst HC/QB duos in the NFL, but somehow, the Broncos will find a way to lose this game, as they have done in the past.
Prediction: Raiders win 20-17
Record: 2-3
Week 6 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The Denver Broncos have had no issues beating the Los Angeles Chargers during this stretch of losing and stink. Well, for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh-Chargers era, his team travels to Denver to face the Broncos. I am not sure how good the Chargers will be, but heck, the Broncos can win this thing.
They did sweep them last year, and the Chargers offseason has been a bit iffy outside of hiring Harbaugh. Their roster is still weak and lacks adequate depth.
Prediction: Broncos win 21-17
Record: 3-3
Week 7 @ New Orleans Saints
Perhaps the showdown of the year, Sean Payton returns to New Orleans for the first time and gets to play his old team, the franchise he brought a Super Bowl championship to. The New Orleans Saints aren't much of a threat, but they do have a stout defense. Dennis Allen, their head coach, has proven to be a bad one, so there should be a coaching advantage present for the Denver Broncos.
Prediction: Broncos win 17-13
Record: 4-3
Week 8 vs. Carolina Panthers
The Denver Broncos then host the Carolina Panthers, who were the absolute worst team in football in 2023. They did clean house considerably, but their 2023 year was effectively a waste, so they're again in year one of their rebuild around QB Bryce Young.
Something tells me Denver can easily be upset here, but I just don't see it. Ejiro Evero is still the team's defensive coordinator, so the Broncos offense will have their hands full with his unit. But I'm going to be optimistic and give this W do Denver.
Prediction: Denver wins 20-13
Record: 5-3
Week 9 @ Baltimore Ravens
The Denver Broncos do enter a tough stretch of games here. Traveling to Baltimore to face the Ravens is going to be a near-impossible task. Lamar Jackson is coming off yet another MVP award, and the Ravens have one of the best defenses in the NFL, even without former DC, Mike Macdonald.
The Broncos are probably going to lose this game.
Prediction: Ravens win 31-20
Record: 5-4
Week 10 @ Kansas City Chiefs
The last time the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead was 2015. So yeah, it's been brutal. This might already be penciled in as a loss for the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and are playing this game in their house.
Prediction: Chiefs win 30-18
Record: 5-5
Week 11 vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Denver Broncos being 5-5 through 10 games in the 2024 NFL Season would be a good thing. They firmly be in the early stages of the AFC playoff race, so a strong finish across the last seven games could squeak them into the postseason. The Atlanta Falcons appear much improved after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency.
They also replaced former head coach Arthur Smith with Raheem Morris. With already having enough talent on defense, the Falcons are a better team at the moment, so Denver losing their third game in a row would not surprise me here.
Prediction: Falcons win 24-20
Record: 5-6
Week 12 @ Las Vegas Raiders
Just two more games before the bye week, the Denver Broncos travel to play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12. After losing to them at home earlier in the season, can Denver come with a better gameplan? At some point, this losing streak has to end, and the 2024 Raiders might be one of the weaker Raiders teams in quite some time. The Denver Broncos can win a close game and finally end their losing streak versus LV.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-20
Record: 6-6
Week 13 vs. Cleveland Browns
The Denver Broncos beat the snot out of the Cleveland Browns when the two teams met in 2023. However, the Browns were without Deshaun Watson, who might be de-washed up. If so, the Browns won't be nearly as good as some think. Jameis Winston is slated to be their backup QB, and it would not surprise me to see Winston starting for them this late in the season.
Can the Denver Broncos win their second-straight game against the Browns? If last year was any indication, they surely can.
Prediction: Broncos win 27-17
Record: 7-6
Week 14 - BYE
The late bye week is brutal, as the Denver Broncos will have to play their first 13 games without a break. If they can enjoy the same injury luck in 2024 as they did in 2023, the late bye week might not be a huge deal, but man, it's hard to see how late it is for Denver in 2024.
The Broncos sit at 7-6 with a crucial four games left in the 2024 NFL Season. They were at this exact point in 2023 at 7-6, but did end up losing three of the final four. At minimum, Denver needs to split the last four games and finish 9-8 with any sliver of hope to make the postseason.
Prediction; The Denver Broncos WIN the bye week!
Week 15 vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Denver Broncos have two games at home and two games away after their bye week, so it's an even split, which is nice, considering the AFC plays eight home games this year. Anyway, the Indianapolis Colts could be a dangerous team in 2024 if second-year QB Anthony Richardson pans out. He missed a majority of the season, and the Colts still managed nine wins with Gardner Minshew taking most of the snaps.
In Week 15, we'll have a great idea as to who the Colts are. I'd expect them to be a dangerous team, but you just never know. This one feels like a coin flip.
Prediction: Colts win 24-21
Record: 7-7
Week 16 @ Los Angeles Chargers
Now traveling to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16, the Denver Broncos need to win two of their last three games to give themselves a chance at the postseason. Considering that Jim Harbaugh is the best head coach they've had in sometime, I do think this team will know how to defend their home turf and win some games.
The roster is not nearly good enough for the postseason, but I do believe LA can win this game and bump the Broncos to 7-8.
Prediction: Chargers win 27-20
Record: 7-8
Week 17 @ Cincinnati Bengals
Can the Denver Broncos steal one of their final two games? Well, losing two in a row has just about ended the Broncos season, but they can at least play spoiler. The Cincinnati Bengals may be playing for playoff seeding at this point, but their own season depends on the health of Joe Burrow. Considering the Denver Broncos did beat some teams they probably shouldn't have in 2023, I think that can carry over into 2024.
Prediction: Broncos win 26-21
Record: 8-8
Week 18 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
To end the 2024 NFL Season, the Denver Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Chiefs have already clinched a seed in the AFC playoffs, you have to figure that they'd rest some starters here. If that is the case, the Broncos would have a great shot at winning this game, and it could be a huge one for their future, as getting to 9-8 would give them their first winning record since 2016.
The Denver Broncos will win this game, but it'll only be if Patrick Mahomes is not playing.
Prediction: Denver wins 21-20
Record: 9-8
Let's be honest; we would all take a winning record from the Denver Broncos in 2024, even if it's without a playoff berth. After years of losing, finishing 9-8 with a rookie quarterback would give this team something substantive to build on for 2025 and beyond. This would be a huge success for the franchise.