The first game of the 2018 Denver Broncos season is almost here. While it isn’t the first taste of NFL football (which was bad...anyone else catch that snooze-fest of a game last night with 7,321 flags and two teams with QB play to rival the worst the Broncos had to offer last year?), it is for most of us the taste we care about most.

There’s so much excitement going into the first week of the NFL season. Why? Because we don’t really know what our team is going to be. Preseason isn’t really a solid indicator of how teams are going to turn out. If it were, we would have won the AFC West last season (4-0 in preseason as I recall it).

Questions abound

We all talk a great game as fans, but the bottom line is the team has to go on the field and show the NFL who they are. Has the QB really been improved? Do we have a legit RB? Will the offense try to throw past the sticks on 3rd and long for a change? Will the cornerback group be okay without Aqib Talib? Can the front seven really stop the run and get after the QB (outside of Von Miller...I think we’re all pretty sure he’s kinda good).

If you don’t have at least 5 serious questions like those above going into the first game of the season, I’m not sure I can relate as a fan (no offense, I just have TONS of questions and feel like most of the Broncos fans I talk to do too). I think that is part of the excitement of being a NFL football fan. Every week is an opportunity for the team to answer questions. Each week the story has a chance to change which creates interesting story lines and forges the pages of each season’s story.

The problem is if you are like me and you keep all the questions at the forefront, it makes getting serious answers more difficult to discern. So we need to focus a bit.

My No Bull Questions for week 1:

Is Case Keenum a real step forward for our offense?

This has to be the #1 question for every Bronco fan and many non-Bronco fans. The team signed him as an answer. Was last year an outlier, or is this guy for real? If he has success, the fans of this team are going to quickly fall in love with the guy because of our team being bereft of anything that looks like a legitimate NFL QB over the past two seasons.

Is Bradley Roby able to hold it down on the outside?

Everyone here at milehighreport.com knows I’m one of the biggest skeptics of Bradley Roby. Fans in general like to think all of our guys are awesome especially if they are buried a bit on the depth chart and flash every once in awhile. I just haven’t seen his play in the same light as everyone else. He’s had some supremely sublime moments and really great play. But sprinkled in has been a lot of misreads, getting burned, and playing too soft at times in coverage. He isn’t Talib and sadly, that’s the standard I’m trying not to hold him to. I don’t need him to be the best CB in the league (cause we all know that’s CHJ now, right?), I just need him to be reliable on the taller WRs we face and play consistently.

Does Bill Musgrave have a rabbit in his hat?

Let me start by saying that I’m very encouraged by what we’ve seen in the preseason. The offense uses motion, multiple formations, and has run blocked VERY well. But it is now go time. Musgrave has been around the league a long time and has had one very impressive year to his resume (Oakland a few years back if you are wondering...I don’t particularly find a lot of credit for a coach when they have Adrian Peterson in his prime). Musgrave has a lot to prove and needs to call a great game against a team that plays some of the most sound defensive football in the NFL (I may not like their team or their coach, but credit where it is due).

Can our ILBs play at a higher level than last year?

Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis weren’t great last season. They’ve looked good against the run in the preseason, but still average in pass coverage from what I’ve seen.

Can Marshall do more than talk a good game at this point? Since he signed his big contract, his play has taken a step back and this team needs him to get back on the horse full speed.

With Todd Davis, I have full faith in his effort. He plays hard and is a monster against the run. The big thing for him is to be a solid player dropping into zone coverage (because he should just never be in man from what I’ve seen of his game).

These two starters are a big key for the defense working and they are either going to be the strength or weakness of the front seven this season.

Your turn

Okay Broncos Country. How about you? What are you going to be looking for in this game specifically? Hit us up in the comments and share your points of view on the team, this game, and the Seahawks.