Predicting the Denver Broncos next four games after solid 2-2 start

Week 8 vs. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have gone from being one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2024 to a team that could play spoiler. They benched second-year QB Bryce Young after just two games, and for good reason. Young has been dreadful during his time in the NFL, and being that the new regime in Carolina did not draft Young, that tenure may be over.

Well, the Panthers' backup QB Andy Dalton has thrown for 539 yards and five touchdowns through two starts. He's got a 101.4 passer rating, and Carolina is 1-1 with Dalton under center. This isn't some throw-away team now, as Dalton is still proving to be capable even at 36 years old.

I assume that unless something major happens, Andy Dalton will remain the Panthers' starter in Week 8. There are some familiar faces here; the Panthers' defensive coordinator is Ejiro Evero, who was the DC in Denver in 2022, and their starting inside linebacker is Josey Jewell, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos.

While I am not super low on the Panthers and think they can hang around in this game, they don't have many viable play-makers on offense and actually have a pretty awful defense. This could perhaps be the game that Bo Nix truly breaks out in the NFL and has his own version of what rookie QB Drew Lock did to the Houston Texans back in 2019.

Denver is one of the more well-coached teams in the NFL and that was proven in Week 4. The Broncos made fewer mistakes than the New York Jets and ended up doing just enough to win. Teams that are poorly coached don't win those games.

Sean Payton certainly sees just how much the Denver Broncos' schedule eases up over the next month and I guarantee you he is going to have this team ready to roll.

Prediction: Broncos win 27-19