The Denver Broncos will play eight games before their bye week in the 2023 season. Let's predict their record before their week break. I think, overall, Denver got a nice deal with their 2023 schedule. They've got a bye week in the middle of the season, no international games, and I don't believe the schedule is that difficult by any means.
The big question is whether or not they can take advantage of this and if their offense can finally awaken after years of sleeping. Denver plays eight games before their bye week in 2022. What will their record be when they reach their bye?
Predicting the Denver Broncos' record before the bye week in 2023
Weeks 1-4: Raiders, Commanders, Dolphins, Bears
The Denver Broncos open up the season with two home games against the Raiders and Commanders. They then have two straight away games versus the Dolphins and the Bears.
Denver usually plays very well during their week one home opener games, and I think they are significantly better than the Las Vegas Raiders. They have advantages at coaching, defense, and quarterback, which is enough for the win.
They have a similar advantage against the Commanders, who I believe to be poorly coached and who lack a clear quarterback. The Commanders lost to the Broncos back in the 2021 season, and 2023 should be no different.
Their week three game versus the Dolphins scares me a bit, and I think Denver drops this game. Miami has a ton of firepower on offense and their defense added Jalen Ramsey and Vic Fangio in the offseason.
However, their week four opponent appears to be an ascending team, but a team that may need a year before they hit their stride. I like Denver taking down the Chicago Bears, who still have questions at quarterback, and their defense was atrocious in 2022.
Record in weeks 1-4: 3-1
Predicting the Denver Broncos' record before the bye week in 2023
Weeks 5-8: Jets, Chiefs, Packers, Chiefs
This is probably the toughest stretch of the season for the Denver Broncos. Fortunately, their game against the New York Jets is at home, and I think that game is going to be a coin flip. New York probably wins as they field a slightly better defense and their offensive weapons outnumber Denver's.
I'm going to be bold here and say that Denver wins their home game against the Kansas City Chiefs this coming season. To be fair to Denver, they played the Chiefs close in both games in 2022 while being coached by Nathaniel Hackett and his clown show.
It's not unreasonable to suggest that Denver can squeak by in one of those contests, and I don't have much to say about their matchup against the Packers. Green Bay won just eight games in 2022 with Aaron Rodgers, and I don't think they got better in any aspect. Their defense underperforms and there is a lot of unknowns with Jordan Love.
Record in weeks 5-8: 2-2
Record through weeks 1-8: 5-3
A 5-3 record for the Denver Broncos at their bye week would be a great spot for them to be in. They'd still likely be in a position to compete for the AFC West title and would surely be in a safe spot for a potential Wild Card berth. What do you think?