In Week 2, the Denver Broncos (0-1) will host the Chicago Bears (0-1) as both teams look to get their first win of the season. The good news, for us Broncos fans, is that only one of these teams lost a divisional game at home so far this season.
In the Something Something Broncos podcast above, Jess, Laurie, and I dug into the last game and especially this upcoming game. Denver has a chance here, don’t let that game last week fool you into thinking its the same old Broncos.
Game Preview
The Broncos will be overmatched on one side of the ball against the Bears as it will be strength (Bears front-seven) versus weakness (Garett Bolles) in this game. When asked about how the offense will handle this situation, Offensive Coordinator Rich Scangarello focused on the need to limit turnovers and mistakes that lead to third and long, because this Bears defense is definitely nasty.
“The problem with the Bears, which makes them one of the anomalies in the history of the league in my opinion and it’s why last year they were the best defense in the league by a mile, they have All-Pro game changers in every level of their defense,” Scangarello said this week. “They have at safety and they have it at corner. Roquan Smith might be as good as any inside linebacker in this league. He’s got incredible instincts and speed. He’s talented and he’s gifted. You have two dynamic interior players and you have arguably the best defensive players in the league at the edge pass rushing the passer. So, there is a reason why they are what they are. They are a huge challenge, but we are up for it and can’t wait for it. We’ve got to take care of the football and we’ve got to stay out of third-and-long. We’ve got to be able to eke out some runs, be creative with some things and help the tackles when you need to—that’s always part of it—and go out and get after them.”
Frankly, I don’t think they will find much success. The key will be to get the premium points in touchdowns over field goals when the opportunities do arise. If the Broncos defense can do its job against Mitch Trubisky, then the Broncos should be able to keep this game close enough to potential come out with a win here.
We’ll just have to wait and see... Here is how to watch.
TV Schedule
When: Sunday, September 15, 2019 at 2:25 p.m. Mile High time
Where: Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado
Channel: FOX
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Mark Schlereth (analyst), and Jennifer Hale (sideline).
Local Radio: KOA - 850 AM | 94.1 FM & The Fox - 103.5 FM | Spanish Radio KNVR 1150 AM | National Radio - Sports USA
If you see BLUE in your area, you will get the #Broncos #Bears game this weekend. #CHIvsDEN https://t.co/4xO3ZJKbuW
— Tim Lynch (@TimLynch1978) September 12, 2019
Online Streaming
FuboTV (Available if being televised in your area)
NFL Game Pass (After the game)
Denver Broncos injury report
Player | Pos. | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Pos. | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
Bryce Callahan | CB | Foot | DNP | LIMITED | LIMITED | QUESTIONABLE |
Ja’Wuan James | T | Knee | DNP | DNP | DNP | OUT |
Andy Janovich | FB | Pectoral | DNP | DNP | DNP | OUT |
Joseph Jones | ILB | Triceps | DNP | DNP | DNP | OUT |
Todd Davis | ILB | Calf | LIMITED | LIMITED | LIMITED | QUESTIONABLE |
Ron Leary | G | Quadricep | LIMITED | LIMITED | LIMITED |
Chicago Bears injury report
Player | Pos. | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Pos. | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Game Status |
Trey Burton | TE | Groin | LIMITED | LIMITED | LIMITED | QUESTIONABLE |
Eddie Goldman | NT | Oblique | LIMITED | DNP | LIMITED | QUESTIONABLE |
Rashaad Coward | OL | Elbow | FULL | FULL | FULL | |
Nick Kwiatkoski | LB | Knee | NOT LISTED | NOT LISTED | LIMITED | QUESTIONABLE |
Bilal Nichols | DL | Knee | NOT LISTED | NOT LISTED | LIMITED | QUESTIONABLE |
Odds
The Broncos opened slight underdogs, but the line grew heavily in the Bears favor after Week 1. It topped out at 3 points in favor of the road team, but has since slide back the other way and is sitting at a 2 point advantage for Chicago at the time of this writing. For a team coming off a home opener where they scored three total points, I’d be wary of banking on their defense carrying the day on the road in a hostile environment.
Matchup History
This will be the 16th match all-time between the Broncos and Bears, with the first game a 6-3 Denver win way back in 1971. In reviewing the rivalry, the Broncos own an 8-7 all-time mark against Chicago. However, when looking over the scores, the Broncos tend to win most of the low scoring affairs and the Bears win the high scoring affairs. This doesn’t have much bearing on the game this week, but it was an oddity that I felt like mentioning.
The average score when the Broncos beat the Bears has been 17-13, while the average score when the Bears beat the Broncos has been 28-16. So I guess it’ll either be a close win for Denver or a blowout loss.
Hot Reads
MHR Radio
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Adam and Ian discussed the fallout from the ugly Week 1 loss on the road for the Broncos and where they go from there against a tough Chicago Bears defense.
Luke Patterson entered his second episode dealing with a tough road defeat and whether or not the Broncos can provide an emotional win for Pat Bowlen on Sunday against the Bears.
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Broncos 2019 regular season schedule
Wk | Date | Opponent | Time (MT) | TV | Score | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wk | Date | Opponent | Time (MT) | TV | Score | Record |
1 | Sep 9 | at Raiders (MNF) | 8:20 PM | ESPN | 24-16 L | 0-1 |
2 | Sep 15 | vs Bears | 2:25 PM | FOX | 16-14 L | 0-2 |
3 | Sep 22 | at Packers | 11:00 AM | FOX | 27-16 L | 0-3 |
4 | Sep 29 | vs Jaguars | 2:25 PM | CBS | 26-24 L | 0-4 |
5 | Oct. 6 | at Chargers | 2:05 PM | CBS | 20-13 W | 1-4 |
6 | Oct 13 | vs Titans | 2:25 PM | CBS | 16-0 W | 2-4 |
7 | Oct 17 | vs Chiefs (TNF) | 6:20 PM | NFLN | 30-6 L | 2-5 |
8 | Oct 27 | at Colts | 11:00 AM | CBS | 15-13 L | 2-6 |
9 | Nov 3 | vs Browns | 2:25 PM | CBS | 24-19 W | 3-6 |
10 | Nov 10 | BYE | ||||
11 | Nov 17 | at Vikings | 11:00 AM | CBS | 27-23 L | 3-7 |
12 | Nov 24 | at Bills | 11:00 AM | CBS | 20-3 L | 3-8 |
13 | Dec 1 | vs Chargers | 2:25 PM | CBS | 23-20 W | 4-8 |
14 | Dec 8 | at Texans | 11:00 AM | CBS | 38-24 W | 5-8 |
15 | Dec 15 | at Chiefs | 11:00 AM | CBS | 23-3 L | 5-9 |
16 | Dec 22 | vs Lions | 2:05 PM | CBS | 27-17 W | 6-9 |
17 | Dec 29 | vs Raiders | 2:25 PM | CBS | 16-15 W | 7-9 |