The Denver Broncos are 1-2 but should be 3-0 or at least 2-1. They let two very winnable games slip away the past two weeks and lost on two last-second field goals. Both of these losses were heartbreaking, frustrating, and frankly pissed me off. Neither the Colts nor the Chargers beat the Broncos; the Broncos shot themselves in the foot multiple times and lost the game.<\/p>\n
With that said, the Broncos had back-to-back tough road games against good teams. The Colts are playing good football right now, and Daniel Jones appears to have found a home in Indianapolis. The Chargers have one of the best defenses in the NFL and potentially the MVP frontrunner in Justin Herbert, but despite all that, both teams needed a last-second field goal and some Broncos errors to beat them. While 1-2 sucks, the Broncos have proven they can be a much better team than their record shows.<\/p>\n
Due to all this, the sky isn\u2019t falling, the Broncos are still very much in the AFC playoff picture, and they have a very favorable schedule coming up.<\/p>\n
If you take a look at the Broncos\u2019 upcoming schedule, it is very favorable. On paper, they should be able to win most, if not all, of these games and move on from their disappointing start to the season.<\/p>\n
Week 4: vs. Bengals on MNF<\/p>\n
The Bengals are without Joe Burrow and were absolutely destroyed by the Vikings last week. The Broncos should dominate this game and move back to .500 on the year. If they struggle in this game, it will be a major red flag.<\/p>\n
This is the toughest game on their stretch and will be a road game against the reigning Super Bowl Champions. I think the Broncos will play them tough and can win this game, but for now, I\u2019ll mark it a loss. 2-3.<\/p>\n
This game is a wildcard due to the London aspect of it, but again, the Broncos should be able to win this game. They\u2019re a more talented team, and their defense should be able to dominate. If they take care of business, they will once again move to .500 with a 3-3 record.<\/p>\n
I would be surprised if Russell Wilson is still starting at this point, so the Broncos will likely be facing rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. They have a good front seven, but overall, the Broncos are the better team and should come away with the win here. 4-3.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys have not played good football this year and are a bit of a mess due to the Parsons trade, injuries, and just typical Dallas Cowboys drama. This is a home game for the Broncos and a game they should win. 5-3.<\/p>\n
Right now, the Houston Texans are 0-3 and one of the more disappointing teams in the AFC thus far. They have a very talented defense, but the offense and the team as a whole have not played well. This will be a tough game for the Broncos, but if the Texans\u2019 struggles continue, they should come away with a win; but it really could go either way. 6-3<\/p>\n
The Raiders have talented playmakers in Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, but overall, they are not a good football team. This is a home game for the Broncos, and they should easily handle their AFC West rivals. 7-3<\/p>\n
So, when looking at the schedule, the Broncos should be anywhere between 6-4 and 8-2 before their pivotal matchup vs. the Chiefs before the bye week. This is a stretch of football where they need to take care of business.<\/p>\n
Another thing that benefits the Broncos is the AFC landscape in general. The Chiefs and Ravens are 1-2, the Texans are 0-3, while teams like the Jaguars, Steelers, and even the Bengals are 2-1. The Broncos are far from out of it, other contending teams are off to slow starts, and I believe the teams ahead of the Broncos right now will begin to fall back to earth as we progress through the season.<\/p>\n
On top of all that, Sean Payton teams all historically get off to slow starts, it seems. Have your \u201cget right\u201d game vs. the Burrow-less Bengals, get back to .500, and take advantage of the favorable schedule moving forward. We have seen Payton\u2019s teams go on a run this time of the year in the past, and I believe we will see them do that again this season.<\/p>\n
I understand things are frustrating right now, but remember, this team should be 3-0. They\u2019re a good team that is making too many mistakes right now, and despite these mistakes, they nearly beat two of the better teams in the AFC on the road. They should turn things around, and I believe they will.<\/p>\n
It is not time to hit the panic button just yet, Broncos Country.<\/p>\n