What a Broncos loss to Commanders in Week 2 will mean

The Denver Broncos got off to a rough start in 2023, losing a game against the Las Vegas Raiders that they couldn't really afford to lose. They have now lost seven straight against the silver and black and that Raiders team is probably a five or six-win team this year.

Now, they face a Washington Commanders team that is on about the same talent level as the Raiders. The Broncos were, once again, gifted a winnable start to their schedule and they have already put themselves behind the proverbial 8-ball.

So what if they lose to the Commanders as well? Although Broncos Country is one of the most passionate, devout fanbases in the league, but I'm here to tell you, if the Broncos lose this game, get ready for things to go really bad.

If you thought the loss in Week 1 was bad, the sky will actually be falling if the Broncos drop this game.

Look at the schedule

The schedule does not set up favorably for this team. Though we can remain optimistic about it, you can also make the argument that the two easiest games the Broncos have this season are last week and this week, with the exception of maybe the road trip to Houston in Week 13.

The Broncos still face the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs twice, the Chargers twice and the Buffalo Bills, as well as many other tough games. Even with a win over the Commanders, the Broncos still face an uphill climb. An 0-2 start makes it extremely difficult.

Teams to start 0-2 don't make the playoffs

If the Broncos start 0-2, I will say it right now, they won't make the playoffs this year. Why? Because of this statistic, which shows that since 1990, only 11.5 percent of teams that start 0-2 have made the playoffs.

That's not coincidental. It's because it's quite difficult to come back and qualify for the postseason after such a start. Would you really believe that after losing to the Raiders and Commanders, this Broncos team turns it around and does that?

Not at all likely.

So, what does this all lead to if this happens?

Jarrett Stidham starts games for the Broncos this season, regardless of Russell Wilson's health

If the Broncos fall too far down in the standings and they get off to a start that they just are not going to recover from, Sean Payton is absolutely going to bench Russell Wilson and see what he has in Jarrett Stidham.

If the Broncos don't qualify for the postseason this year, and the information above would state that they won't, Wilson is not going to be the team's quarterback next season in all likelihood. So Payton, who will still be the head coach, is going to want to start his contingency plan early.

So, we can point to the fact that there will still be 15 more games after this one, but this Broncos team is not going to rebound from an 0-2 start based on what we have seen. A "must-win game" in Week 2 seems a bit drastic, but this game is absolutely that.

Denver must win this game.