Predicting Broncos record before the trade deadline in the 2024 season
Week 6 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Hosting the Los Angeles Chargers could give the Denver Broncos a great shot at getting their record back to .500 entering their final few games before the trade deadline. The Broncos have had no issues beating the LA Chargers for some time now, and I am not sure a new head coach is going to change that. Justin Herbert visits the Broncos and is going to endure a brutal game by the team's defense.
I do believe the Chargers will be better in 2024 than they have been in previous years, but the roster in LA is currently not great at all, so this is definitely a "build for the future" team. They won't be a huge threat in 2024, so Denver should escape with a victory here.
Prediction: Broncos win 20-17 (3-3)
Week 7 @ New Orleans Saints
A hugely important game for Sean Payton; he coached the New Orleans Saints from 2006-2021, winning over 100 regular season games and capturing a Super Bowl in 2009. Payton took the 2022 NFL Season off from coaching, and I remember some speculating that he got out of New Orleans before their financial situation got too tough to handle.
The Saints are in the lowest of low positions when it comes to their long-term cap space, and with them not projected to be good in the 2024 NFL Season, it may be wise for them to trade some players before the deadline. The Broncos should be in this mix surely, as Sean Payton had a hand in bringing many current Saints players to the team.
This is a primetime game and one that the Denver Broncos should win. They're the better team, period.
Prediction: Broncos win 23-22 (4-3)
Week 8 vs. Carolina Panthers
Now over .500, the Denver Broncos have a chance to end their first half of the 2024 NFL Season on a high note. With the trade deadine in just two weeks, the Broncos host the lowly Carolina Panthers. The Panthers won just two games in the 2023 NFL Season and now have a new head coach and general manager in town.
Carolina does have former Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in the same role, so their defense is going to be fierce, but a shaky year-two QB in Bryce Young playing behind an uncertain offensive line is going to be the deciding factor here.
The Denver Broncos should truly have no problem winning this game and getting their record to two games over .500.
Prediction: Broncos win 28-17 (5-3)
Week 9 @ Baltimore Ravens
Their last big test before the trade deadline sees the team traveling to Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, and it's no mystery that the Ravens are a better team than the Broncos at this point. I'd give Denver the head coaching advantage here, but that's about it.
Baltimore made it to the AFC Championship Game last year, but in the 2024 offseason, they did lose their stud defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. They also lost elite inside linebacker Patrick Queen and two starters along the offensive line in John Simpson and Morgan Moses.
On paper, the Ravens are not as talented heading into 2024 as they were in 2023, and I am not sure their defense will be nearly as good. This could be a surprise upset for Denver, but let's not get greedy here. The Ravens should defend their home turf and send the Broncos into the trade deadline with a still respectbale 5-4 reo