We finally have the Denver Broncos 2019 regular season schedule and can begin tallying up the wins and losses. The schedule itself has some tough stretches, but overall it looks fairly manageable. It helps that the winnable games are mostly at home this year as opposed to those winnable games being mostly on the road in 2018.
Here is how I got the Denver Broncos to a 10-win season in 2019. That should be enough to get them into the playoff mix in most years.
Week 1: Broncos @ Raiders (MNF)
WIN. 1-0. Starting off strong is the key for the Broncos this year. The Raiders made a lot of moves to get better, but so did Denver. They need to go into Oakland and make a statement right out of the gates.
Week 2: Bears @ Broncos
WIN. 2-0. Vic Fangio isn’t going to lose to his old team. That just isn’t going to happen. Plus, I feel like the Bears are likely to regress a bit from their outstanding 2018 season.
Week 3: Broncos @ Packers
LOSS. 2-1. It’s September in Green Bay, which means Aaron Rodgers is still likely 100% healthy and as deadly as ever as a quarterback. This early setback is minor and the team can quickly move beyond it.
Week 4: Jaguars @ Broncos
WIN. 3-1. Nick Foles is September Nick Foles. The Broncos defense makes him wish he was wherever Blake Bortles is now residing. Denver gets their winning ways back on track.
Week 5: Broncos @ Chargers
LOSS. 3-2. Despite an home team presence in whatever rec center the Chargers are playing in this year, the Broncos come up short against a tough AFC West opponents.
Week 6: Titans @ Broncos
WIN. 4-2. Staying above .500 is vital in the AFC, so a win over the Titans would go a long way to help keep the Broncos ship steadily marching towards playoff contention. It helps that the Titans suck.
Week 7: Chiefs @ Broncos (TNF)
WIN. 5-2. In the most important game of the year, the Broncos prevail. Instead of a Case Keenum whiffing to a wide open Demaryius Thomas for the win, Joe Flacco drops it into the bucket for Emmanuel Sanders to right the wrong that happened the year prior. This is a statement win. If the Broncos don’t win this game, I’m not sure they’ll have the team confidence to fight through to the end. It could be the difference between 10-6/11-5 and 7-9/8-8. Go get that monkey off your back!
Week 8: Broncos @ Colts
LOSS. 5-3. After a hugely emotional win (or loss for that matter), the Broncos head into Indianapolis for a classic let down game. It’s okay, though, as they are in good position at 5-3.
Week 9: Browns @ Broncos
WIN. 6-3. Don’t buy the hype. The Browns are much improved, but the predictions of Super Bowl glory are a bit ridiculous. Baker Mayfield is in his sophomore season and will likely have his ups and downs as a young quarterback in the NFL. Week 9 will be one of the down weeks.
Week 10: BYE
I think I like a Week 10 bye week. It’s a pretty good spot for some rest.
Week 11: Broncos @ Vikings
LOSS. 6-4. Coming out of the bye, the Broncos will have their toughest stretch all season long. Four of their next five games are on the road, with all starting at 11:00 AM MT. That doesn’t bode well for the Broncos, but if they can win two of these games they will be in position to make something happen.
Week 12: Broncos @ Bills
WIN. 7-4. Josh Allen does Josh Allen things through the air and is bottled up on the ground. Road wins are never easy, especially this late in the season.
Week 13: Chargers @ Broncos
WIN. 8-4. Revenge on Philip Rivers and the Chargers. The win helps the Broncos get some breathing room with four games to go. Two of those games are against strong AFC contenders on the road. Beating the Chargers at home is absolutely vital.
Week 14: Broncos @ Texans
LOSS. 8-5. No revenge for last season here. The Texans have talent all over the field and should be in playoff form this late in the season. If they are, then they should be able to handle the upstart Broncos.
Week 15: Broncos @ Chiefs
LOSS. 8-6. It’s Arrowhead Stadium in December. I don’t care who the quarterback is, the Broncos almost never win in Arrowhead in December going back 50 years. Mark it down.
Week 16: Lions @ Broncos
WIN. 9-6. I would expect the Lions to be in full implosion mode at this point in the season and on the verge of another head coach firing. If that’s the case, there is no way the Broncos lose this game with the playoffs in sight.
Week 17: Raiders @ Broncos
WIN. 10-6. Reports begin to surface immediately after the game that Mike Mayock is falling on a sword. It would appear to be sword held by Jon Gruden after another 4-12 season for the $100 million head coach.
What is your game-by-game win prediction for the Broncos in 2019?