My 2018 Denver Broncos Predictions

My annual Bronco predictions for 2018 will look at grouping of games and my predicted record in those games:

Sep. 9 Seattle Seahawks 
 Sep. 16 Oakland Raiders 
 Sep. 23 at Baltimore Ravens 
 Oct. 1 Kansas City Chiefs 
 Oct. 7 at New York Jets

 3 wins, 2 losses 

The schedule works in the Broncos favor with a relatively easy start to the season. The Broncos are always tough to beat at home so starting with two very winnable games at Mile High helps. If the Broncos aren't 2-0 on Sept 17th it could be a sign of trouble ahead. That Seattle game isn't a gimme, Seattle coach Pete Carroll soundly outcoached John Fox in Super Bowl 48 and is one of the better coaches in the NFL, but the 2018 Seattle team is not the same as those Seahawk SB Champs. They still have Russell Wilson at qb though. Oakland will be last in the division, I predict, so that should be a win. How good will the Broncos be as a road team? The Baltimore and Jets games are winnable. KC I think takes a step back with the talented but inexperienced Mahomes at quarterback. I'll say 3 wins 2 losses with 4 wins 1 loss as a very good possibility. If the Broncos can go 4-1 it could setup a playoff run rather than what I predict below. 

Oct. 14 LA Rams 2:05 pm 
Oct. 18 at Arizona Cardinals 
Oct. 28 at KC Chiefs 
Nov 4 Houston 

 2 wins 2 losses 

 Now the schedule gets tougher. The Rams are Peter King's pick to get to the Super Bowl from the NFC and I think that's a good guess. KC is always a tough road game. At Arizona should be a win, and I say the Broncos beat Houston though the Texans will be a tough matchup if qb Deshaun Watson and jj watt are healthy.

Nov. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers
Dec. 2 at Cincinnati Bengals 
Dec. 9 at San Francisco 49er 
Dec. 15 Cleveland Browns 

2 wins 2 losses. 

3 tough games followed by what should be a gimme against the Browns. I say the Broncos surprise to win one of the first 3.

Dec. 24 at Oakland Raiders 
Dec. 30 Los Angeles Chargers

1 win 1 loss 

As mentioned, Oakland will be terrible so that's a win. The Chargers game can go either way. If the Chargers have the division clinched by now a Broncos win is a definite possibility. But I think the Chargers will still be playing for something this final week and will win. So that's 8 wins 8 losses overall. Better than last year but falling just a game or two short of making the playoffs. I wouldn't characterize an 8-8 record as a successful season. Making the playoffs, even as a wildcard, would be. There's a possibility of a 10-6 record if the team can go 4-1 in their first 5 games, and 2-0 in the last two is in play if the Broncos are in contention for a playoff spot.

Other thoughts:

Case Keenum - I like the Broncos new starting quarterback. But Keenum has to show the accuracy in passing that he didn't display in preseason games where he was frequently off target. Keenum was one of the most accurate passers in the NFL last year, and he looked sharp in training camp, so I expect he'll settle down.

Offensive line - Keenum and the Broncos won't do anything unless the offensive line improves from last season. Preseason results are encouraging here, with right tackle Jared Veldheer a good addition.

Bradley Chubb - Most everyone was happy with the Broncos selection of Bradley Chubb in the first round (including me). Chubb did not wow anyone in the preseason but I think eventually his talent will come through. It might be a rough start, though, against a veteran Seattle team who could take advantage of the rookie's inexperience.

Should the Broncos have taken a qb in the 2018 draft? Much as the draft reviews on Chubb were good, this may have been the year where the Broncos should have taken advantage of their early draft position to get a quarterback. The team only had to move up two spots to take 21 year old Sam Darnold, who is already going to start for the Jets and who Tony Romo called the next great NFL quarterback. Josh Rosen was available to the broncos at pick 5 and he's shown promise in the preseason.

Departure of Talib - I think the Broncos will miss him, and the "no fly zone" secondary won't be as good. Hopefully a better offense will make up for that.

Courtland Sutton - he looks to be the next great Broncos wide receiver based on his performance in camp. He looks better to me than Demaryius Thomas did as a rookie, and Thomas turned out to be one of the best Bronco wide receivers ever.

I'll be there on Sunday for what will be my 50th year owning Bronco season tickets. Go Broncos!