The Denver Broncos are 7-5 as they prepare for Week 13’s showdown against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. Broncos Country sent in their mailbag questions for Week 13 of the season.
Denver Broncos Mailbag: Week 12
If you want to send in your Broncos mailbag questions, be sure to do so every Monday via email: cody@milehighsports.com or on social media @CodyRoarkNFL.
With a highly unlikely scenario of a rookie quarterback leading the way, are these Broncos really for real? How many games of the last five must the Broncos win in order to make the playoffs? – Ed Helinski on Twitter.
Thanks for your question, Ed. I think it’s safe to say that the 2024 Denver Broncos have more than exceeded the expectations of a lot of folks, not only from a win standpoint but also from how Bo Nix has looked. The Broncos are good, but I think they’re still a bit off from being in the guaranteed column. However, they are trending toward that conversation, in my opinion.
The fact that they’re competing the way that they are on offense and defense while dealing with the dead cap ramifications of Russell Wilson’s release is promising. Contract extensions for Jonathon Cooper, Patrick Surtain II, and Quinn Meinerz also give them more financial flexibility in the offseason, and they have their draft capital. They’re in a great position to do some damage here.
To answer the second part of your question, the five remaining games for Denver are big because they are all AFC games. Right now, Denver has a 3-4 AFC conference record, and a win on Monday night will move them to 4-4 in that category. On top of that, the Broncos have to hope the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Cincinnati Bengals drop at least one game in the next two weeks to help gain more cushion. The Dolphins play the Packers this week in Green Bay, the Colts play the New England Patriots, and the Bengals play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Three wins would put them in the playoffs, I firmly believe, which would get them to 10 total.
With the way special teams played on Sunday vs. the Raiders, is there a reason to be concerned? – newtype_jk47 on Twitter.
I don’t think there’s too much reason to be concerned. Certainly, they didn’t play to the standard they’ve set throughout the season. I honestly believe it was more of a one-off type of performance. Ben Kotwica and Chris Banjo have done a great job with the STs unit all season long and they’ll work to get things corrected.
Do you think Bo Nix has a top-five current QB ceiling? – Rick Brunetti on Twitter.
I think Nix has all of the tools to become one. He’s done a terrific job of protecting the football and not putting the ball in harm’s way, which is one of the tools necessary to be in that category. We’re all quickly seeing him gain more confidence in his arm and within the pocket, and if the Broncos’ offense can find a way to consistently establish the run, he can reach that type of ceiling, I believe, and certainly what Payton believes.
Did Sunday’s play calling seem a lot different than with Atlanta? Seemed like more deep shots. And who could finally become that deep threat? – Greg Hunt on Twitter.
I think every game has a different vibe to it from a playcalling standpoint. So much of it depends on the opponent you’re calling the plays against and the personnel they have. The Raiders defense sent a lot of Cover 0 blitz looks at Nix and the offense, which garnered more deep shot looks because you don’t necessarily have safeties to worry about, and you put it in the hands of one-on-one matchups.
I think the deep threat on this team is still a work in progress. Ultimately, I believe that it will be Troy Franklin and Josh Reynolds, while players like Devaughn Vele and Courtland Sutton attack the short, intermediate, and semi-shot looks. Marvin Mims will always be a potential deep ball threat, but with him being utilized more like a special weapon, those looks may not come as often from a receiver standpoint for him specifically.
The Denver Broncos will be on the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare for the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. Be sure to tune in next week for your chance to have your mailbag question answered.