The Denver Broncos have long been the team to beat in the AFC West dating back to the 2011-12 season. During that stretch, they won the division five straight seasons and went to a pair of Super Bowls winning one. That wasn’t the case in last year’s rebuild with Peyton Manning retiring from the game leaving the club scrambling at the quarterback position. Even with one of the more dominating defenses in the game, Denver watched on as Kansas City and Oakland each went to the playoffs. They still went on to win nine games and have an 8.5 season win total to conquer this upcoming season.
Denver Broncos Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
Broncos Over 8.5 Wins +132
Broncos Under 8.5 Wins -161
2017 Broncos Offense Preview
Northwestern product Trevor Siemian was named the starting quarterback heading into the third week of the preseason. This will mark the second straight year that Siemian will have been handed the controls of the Broncos offense. Denver went 8-6 in games he started a year ago. He threw for 3,401 yards and an 18:10 TD/INT ratio. If he can drastically improve upon his 59.5 completion percentage, both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders should thrive.
It will be up to him to improve upon a Denver offense that ranked No. 27 in total offense and No. 21 in scoring offense. Running the ball proved to be a major issue with the offense averaging less than 93 yards per game, and if that continues to be the case moving forward, Denver’s top of the line defense will suffer due to overuse. The hope is that C.J Anderson finally gets it now in his fifth season in the league. If not, an unknown commodity like rookie De’Angelo Henderson could steal his gig.
2017 Broncos Defense Preview
D-Line stud Derek Wolfe will get some help upfront with the signing of veteran nose tackle Domata Peko from the Cincinnati Bengals. His infusion along the front wall will likely see the defense dramatically improve upon the 130.3 yards per game it conceded on the ground last season. If not, Denver’s back seven will once again have to step up and do its best to conceal the unit’s Achilles Heel.
The trio of Von Miller, Shane Ray and Brandon Marshall is far and away one of the best linebacking trios in the game. Miller has shown a knack for single handedly taking over games. That’s allowed for Ray to shine as his teammate deals with double teams. Throw in arguably the best cornerback duo in the game comprised of Aqib Talib and Brandon Harris, and Denver’s defense looks to be even tougher to contend with.
2017 Denver Broncos Schedule Analysis
Denver gets a manageable schedule to kick off the season with four games set to go on the road and four to come at home. Four of their first five will come in the comfort of Sports Authority Field, but only two of those games come against teams that had a losing record last season. Three straight games on the road to close the first half of the schedule out will be daunting.
The second half of the schedule finds Vance Joseph’s squad taking on six teams that made the playoffs last year, and only two that didn’t. On top of all that, only two of their final six games will be played in front of the hometown faithful. Back-to-back road games at Indianapolis and Washington will be crucial before the team returns home for what could have the AFC West title on the line in a Week 17 tilt with the Chiefs.
The Final Verdict
The Broncos have shown for years that they’re the cream of the AFC West crop. I’ll give them a mulligan for last season with the offense adapting to life without Peyton Manning. All the pertinent pieces are back in place for this squad to once again make some major noise in 2017-18. The defense is going to show up every passing week, but it will be up to the offense, mainly Trevor Siemian, to allow for the offense to take the next step. Should someone rise up in the ground game and the O-Line greatly reduce the 40 QB sacks it allowed last season, Denver will have an excellent opportunity to at the very least win 10 games.
NFL Odds: Denver Broncos Over 8.5 Wins +132
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