Thursday, September 8, 2016

My 2016 Broncos prediction

As is my tradition in this blog I am posting my prediction of the Broncos season before the first game.

Sep. 8      Panthers      Carolina Panthers  WIN 1-0
A tough opening matchup, and a difficult Carolina defense for Trevor Siemian to play against in his first NFL start.  Still I always say ‘never bet against the Broncos at home”.  I think the Denver defense gives the Broncos the turnover edge and the Broncos win in a close game.

Sep. 18      Colts      Indianapolis Colts WIN 2-0
See Sept 8th.  Tough opponent but don’t bet against the Broncos at home.  The Colts have offensive line problems, too, which will allow the Denver defense to neutralize Andrew Luck.
Sep. 25      Bengals      at Cincinnati Bengals LOSS 2-1
The Bengals get revenge for the late season overtime loss in Denver last season, where they almost beat the Broncos with their backup quarterback.  Andy Dalton and the Bengals win it this time.
Oct. 2      Buccaneers      at Tampa Bay Buccaneers WIN 3-1
A possible trap game against the improving Bucs but the Broncos D takes advantage of a young Jameis Winston to win.
Oct. 9      Falcons      Atlanta Falcons WIN 4-1
easy home win
Oct. 13      Chargers      at San Diego Chargers WIN 5-1
the broncos have had good success in San Diego in recent years
Oct. 24      Texans      Houston Texans WIN 6-1
Brock’s return to Denver is not a happy one for him
Oct. 30      Chargers      San Diego Chargers WIN 7-1
Chargers play the Broncos tough in Denver but the Broncos come out with a win
Nov. 6      Raiders      at Oakland Raiders LOSS 7-2
The improving Raiders repeat their late season 2015 victory against the Broncos
Nov. 13      Saints      at New Orleans Saints LOSS 7-3
Drew Brees has a big day as the Broncos lose in the Dome         
Nov. 27      Chiefs      Kansas City Chiefs LOSS 7-4
The Broncos first home loss vs a team that blew them out at Mile High last year
Dec. 4      Jaguars      at Jacksonville Jaguars LOSS 7-5
The late season decline continues against the improved Jaguars
Dec. 11      Titans      at Tennessee Titans WIN 8-5
The Broncos end their losing streak with a late season resurgence vs the Titans.
Dec. 18      Patriots      New England Patriots WIN 9-5
Tom Brady never seems to play that well in games in Denver.  If this one were in New England it would be a different story.
Dec.25      Chiefs      at Kansas City Chiefs LOSS 9-6
The Chiefs complete a sweep of the defending champs.
Jan. 1      Raiders      Oakland Raiders WIN 10-6
The Broncos close out the regular season with a win and clinch a wild card berth

I pick Kansas City to win the division.  The Chiefs finished the regular season strong last year and have most of their team coming back intact, while the Broncos have had major changes.
The Broncos lose in the wildcard round.  2016 will be a decent transition season, making the playoffs is a plus, and look for better results in 2017.