Broncos Country, we’re less than a day away from Denver Broncos preseason football as they taken on the Chicago Bears! We have a historically good defense and an entire phalanx of question marks on offense. We have a first time head coach in Vance Joseph, lots of continuity among the defensive coaches, and one of the most stacked offensive coaching staffs in the league. Whatever happens, it’s sure to be interesting!
Welcome to Running Wild, a “bold predictions”-style weekly series I’ll be running through the preseason, the regular season, and hopefully continuing into the postseason. Each week I’ll do my best to point out some important matchups on the field, and then take a stab at predicting some of the more lopsided or unexpected results.
Feel free to contribute you own takes in the comments. Tomorrow night we’ll see who’s right and who’s running a little too wild.
Most Important Matchups
Matchup One: Broncos run defense vs Bears rushing offense
Quarterbacks are a big topic in Broncos Country right now. And the offensive line is, inevitably, a major area of focus. But the one thing I want to see from the Broncos’ first team before anything else in this game is run defense. The Chicago Bears have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, and their young running back Jordan Howard might be among the best in the league. The first quarter or two should be a worthy test of the Broncos’ revamped interior defensive line. With any luck, the additions of Domata Peko and Zach Kerr and the growth of Adam Gotsis will solidify the team’s primary defensive weakness from 2016.
Matchup Two: Broncos quarterbacks vs Bears secondary
One thing we’ve consistently heard from both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch during training camp is that it’s hard to play against the No Fly Zone every day, and you can hardly blame them. The best secondary in the NFL, with the advantage of having weeks of practice against these QBs, receivers, and routes, is a daunting opponent. The Bears’ secondary, on the other hand, is probably in the bottom quarter of the league. Both Broncos QBs should light this Bears defense up. But will they?
Wild Predictions
- Tyrique Jarrett has an impressive showing with the 2nd & 3rd teams, and the undrafted free agent earns himself a roster spot.
- DeMarcus Walker notches two sacks in his first preseason action... playing as an outside linebacker.
- The Broncos’ secondary makes three or more interceptions, but they’re all made by Lorenzo Doss, Brendan Langley, or Dymonte Thomas.
- The Broncos’ offensive line balls out. CJ Anderson, Stevan Ridley, and De’Angelo Henderson rack up 140+ combined rushing yards.
- Jeff Heuerman gains the most receiving yards on the day, with 75+.
- And for the QBs... for them I’ll be bold by making no prediction at all. (Cop out or deliberately denying expectations? You decide!) In all seriousness, I want to see them both in action this year before I try and predict them. So I’ll leave that to you guys in the comments. Will one separate himself? Will both run wild? Or will both fail?
Poll
Which prediction is most likely to come true?
This poll is closed
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10%
Tyrique Jarrett turns out to be a boss.
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18%
DeMarcus Walker turns heads at OLB.
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13%
The Baby No Fly Zone shuts down O’Hare.
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40%
The offensive line shows its first sign of life in years.
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3%
Jeff Heuerman has a breakout performance.
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12%
Dude, you’re nuts.