The Denver Broncos are just five days away from the regular season and now that the team is down to their 53-man roster it is easy to see why they are considered contenders for the Vince Lombardi Trophy this season.
The talent they have is immense but the road will not be easy. The first four opponents will not be the toughest but they will play their first two games in just five days. After that they will have to deal with two up-and-coming NFC North teams to finish off the first quarter of the season. Here’s a prediction of how the Broncos will handle their first four opponents who combined for a 37-27 record in 2014.
Week 1: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are coming off of a 10-6 2014 season, a wild card playoff berth and a 1-3 2015 preseason. The biggest change to the Ravens is the wide receiver core. They still have Steve Smith Sr., who had over 1,000 yards receiving on 87 receptions in 2014, but lost mainstays, Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones. The defense also lost All-Pro Haloti Ngata and now Bronco, Darian Stewart.
What the Ravens do have is all five returning starters on the offensive line and possibly the most formidable line backing group in the NFL. C.J. Moseley, Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil will be a nightmare for any of the Broncos’ lineman but especially for rookie left tackle Ty Sambrailo.
The Broncos defense looked incredibly impressive in the preseason and should be able to limit what the Ravens can do on offense. The Broncos only allowed an average of 79.8 rushing yards per game last season (2nd in the league) and will try to continue that trend in week one of 2015. The Ravens will attempt to get Justin Forsett going behind their line, but if the Broncos can stop them early it could make it a long day for Joe Flacco and his mostly inexperienced wide receivers.
Offensively, the Broncos will have to hope Gary Kubiak’s balanced attack and play-action passing game can keep the Ravens extremely athletic defense on edge. If they cannot fool the Ravens defense this game could turn into a defensive slugfest. Baltimore was just two slots back of the Broncos in 2014, allowing only 88.2 rushing yards per game.
The Broncos hold a clear advantage in pure talent and will be playing at home for the season opener. If the pass rushers can create a turnover and the Broncos offense gets a big play or two, it could be enough for a hard-fought win.
Prediction: DEN 23, BAL 16
Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs
The Broncos will be stuck in a tough situation just two weeks into the season. After hosting the Ravens on September 13, they will have to travel to Arrowhead Stadium and play on Thursday night. It is a tough task, especially when you are playing a familiar divisional rival. Last season the Broncos beat the Chiefs in week two (24-17) and week 13 (29-16). The Chiefs had a 9-7 record and barely missed a wild card playoff berth. In Andy Reid’s third year with the team, they have gone undefeated in the preseason and will be an even tougher match up this season.
The defense will be dealing with a relatively inexperienced Chiefs offensive line. They did grab veteran starting left guard Ben Grubbs from New Orleans but have a rookie right guard and new left tackle to take advantage of. Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware should be able to disrupt Alex Smith from the edges but Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan will be tested when trying to cover Jamaal Charles. It will also be interesting to see if the Chiefs can utilize Jeremy Maclin, who came over from the Philadelphia Eagles via free agency, after the Chiefs went a full season without a wide receiver touchdown.
The Broncos offense will be tested for the second straight week by an impressive line backing core. The Chiefs’ 3-4 defense has Eric Berry and Derrick Johnson back in addition to the new $101 million man, Justin Houston to contend with. He recorded the highest rating on Pro Football Focus (PFF) for 3-4 outside linebackers (51.1) on his way to 23 sacks (half of the team total). The Chiefs defense allowed an average of 203.2 passing yards per game, good for second in the NFL in 2014. However, they will have a rookie cornerback, Marcus Peters on the right side starting the season. Emmanuel Sanders will surely try to welcome him to the NFL with some nifty moves and complex routes.
The Broncos will still be working out kinks on offense and the hostile environment, coupled with short rest could be too much to overcome. For the second straight week it may turn into a defensive battle. The Chiefs will look to steal their first AFC West win in a big second week match up.
Prediction: DEN 16, KC 20
Week 3: Detroit Lions
The Broncos will have ten days off following their game with the Chiefs before they face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The Lions are coming off of an 11-5 season that ended in a 20-24 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on January 4. They have bounced back with a productive offseason and a 3-1 preseason record.
Offensively, the Lions look similar to last year. They lost Reggie Bush but added University of Nebraska standout running back, Ameer Abdullah in the draft. He has looked impressive in the preseason and joins Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate as another weapon for Matthew Stafford. Their offense will press the Broncos’ secondary but with Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby and Chris Harris Jr. it will be tough to consistently find an open man. The Lions’ offensive line will return four starters and add former Bronco, Manny Ramirez, at left guard. They are experienced and young but will have a tough time being able to run the ball against the Broncos front.
The Broncos will have to pick their poison when it comes to the Lions defense. They boast the top run defense from 2014, just ahead of the Broncos. They lost Ndamukong Suh but Ezekial Ansah will return as the Lions biggest star on the defensive line that also brought in Haloti Ngata. According to PFF, Ansah was ranked the fifth best 4-3 defensive end last season. They also have a great secondary. Glover Quin, Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay all played in over 1,000 snaps last season and Quin graded out as the third-best safety in the NFL via PFF. Keeping the Lions off-balance will be crucial and has been the key for the Broncos all offseason.
The Broncos will have to battle with a hungry Lions team, desperately trying to finally make the jump to a true contender. The Broncos offense will finally click in week three and the extra days off should give them plenty of time to game plan.
Prediction: DEN 27, DET 17
Week 4: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings will come to Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 4 for the Broncos fourth game and second at home. The Vikings finished 2014 at 7-9, going 6-6 behind their rookie quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater. They will be looking to press the rest of the NFC North for a playoff berth after an impressive 4-1 preseason.
The Broncos will be facing an offense that has possibly the best all-around running back to enter the NFL in decades. Adrian Peterson missed the 2014 season due to a league suspension stemming from a child abuse case. He will be running behind an experienced offensive line on the left and a rookie right tackle and inexperienced right guard. The Broncos must stop Peterson and force Bridgewater to throw toward their talented cornerbacks. The Vikings added Mike Wallace in the offseason to their receiving core that has last year’s rookie sensation Cordarrelle Patterson. Marshall will have to have a big game in the middle of the defense in order for the Broncos to come out with a victory.
On offense the Broncos will be facing a Vikings team that will be returning 10 starters. Up front the Vikings have Shariff Floyd at defensive tackle and Everson Griffen at end. Both players were in the top ten along the defensive line in the NFL via PFF. Despite that fact, in 2014 the Vikings ranked 25th in the NFL, allowing 121.4 rushing yards per game. The Broncos will want to utilize C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman in order to wear down the defense and more importantly, keep the ball out of Peterson’s hands. Additionally, the Broncos can take advantage of the Vikings’ one addition to their starting defense. Terence Newman, a 12-year veteran cornerback and two-time Pro Bowler is listed as their starting left cornerback. He will not be able to keep up with Sanders or Demaryius Thomas on the outside.
The Broncos will return home and will simply have too many offensive weapons for the Vikings defense to handle, while the pass rush will rattle Bridgewater. The Broncos will bring a truly balanced team in week four.
Prediction: DEN 31, MINN 16
The Broncos will come out of the first quarter of the season no worse than 3-1. They will have some early struggles on offense, as the preseason indicated but the defense will keep them in games. The pass rush in particular will create interception opportunities for the secondary and hopefully their run defense will continue as it did in 2014. The second quarter of the season will start off easier with games against the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns before the big tests of the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts arrive.
Email Sam at sam@milehighsports.com and follow him on Twitter @SamCowhick.
