The Denver Broncos have not made it to the postseason since winning Super Bowl 50. This franchise has struggled to find a franchise quarterback since Peyton Manning called it a career after the Super Bowl victory, and that ongoing search has led to Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, and Case Keenum coming and going. Denver will roll the dice with Joe Flacco this season, and the Broncos will have Drew Lock waiting in the wings for the future.
2019 NFL Season Win Totals
Denver Broncos
Over 7 Wins -108
Under 7 Wins -112
The general consensus is that the Broncos are the third-worst team in the division. Denver has finished in the bottom half of the AFC West for the last three seasons, and that seems likely once more with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers looking like two of the best teams in the AFC.
Denver Broncos 2019 Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent |
| 1 | September 9, 2019 | @ Oakland Raiders |
| 2 | September 15, 2019 | Chicago Bears |
| 3 | September 22, 2019 | @ Green Bay Packers |
| 4 | September 29, 2019 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 5 | October 6, 2019 | @ Los Angeles Chargers |
| 6 | October 13, 2019 | Tennessee Titans |
| 7 | October 17, 2019 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 8 | October 27, 2019 | @ Indianapolis Colts |
| 9 | November 3, 2019 | Cleveland Browns |
| 10 | BYE | |
| 11 | November 17, 2019 | @ Minnesota Vikings |
| 12 | November 24, 2019 | @ Buffalo Bills |
| 13 | December 1, 2019 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 14 | December 8, 2019 | @ Houston Texans |
| 15 | December 15, 2019 | @ Kansas City Chiefs |
| 16 | December 22, 2019 | Detroit Lions |
| 17 | December 29, 2019 | Oakland Raiders |
Facing teams from the NFC North and AFC South will be tricky for the Broncos. There are no terrible teams in either division, so there will be no easy victories.
If Denver is to make it back to the postseason, the Broncos must be better than .500 before their bye week. They will play four of their first five games after the bye on the road, and three of those four teams finished with a winning record in 2018.
Denver Broncos 2019 NFL Draft Picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 20 | Noah Fant | TE | Iowa |
| 2 | 41 | Dalton Risner | T | Kansas State |
| 2 | 42 | Drew Lock | QB | Missouri |
| 3 | 71 | Dre’mont Jones | DT | Ohio State |
| 5 | 156 | Justin Hollins | LB | Oregon |
| 6 | 187 | Juwann Winfree | WR | Colorado |
The Broncos know that a good tight end is the quarterback’s best friend, and they used their first pick to get the second-best tight end from Iowa (and second-best tight end in the NFL Draft). Noah Fant should see plenty of balls thrown his way since Flacco loves throwing to tight ends.
Denver made the decision to shore up the offensive line with the selection of Dalton Risner out of Kansas State, but the big move people will be talking about in the future is the selection of Drew Lock. Lock was seen as a first round prospect, but he ended up falling into the second round. If he develops into the franchise quarterback the Broncos have been desperate to land, John Elway will finally be able to focus on other positions.
Denver Broncos 2019 Prediction
Flacco helped take the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl earlier this decade, but his career there ended in a thud. He has never made a Pro Bowl, and he has been pretty marginal for the last four seasons. Denver is hoping that a change of scenery will help lift Flacco once more, but the prospects of that seem unlikely.
To be fair, the Broncos have given him more help than the Ravens did these last few seasons. Emmanuel Sanders is a solid option, and Courtland Sutton showed big play potential as a rookie. The offensive line is pretty decent too, and the run game is very underrated. Phillip Lindsay averaged 5.4 yards per carry last season, and Royce Freeman is a solid secondary option.
Von Miller is the star of this team. He has been the best player on the roster for each of the last four seasons, and he has helped make this defense a top five unit in five of the past seven seasons. The seven-time Pro Bowler doesn’t stuff the stat sheet, but he has averaged more than one tackle for loss per game since entering the league.
If Bradley Chubb can make the leap in his second season, this defense could be elite once more. Chubb and Miller could wreak havoc on opposite sides of offensive lines and continually blow up plays before they get the chance to get going.
The secondary should be very good as well. While the safeties are a bit of a wash, the top two cornerbacks are both quality players. Chris Harris has been one of the league’s top corners for most of this decade, and Kareem Jackson was a big signing in free agency. It should be very difficult to throw on this team.
I like the under with the Broncos. I’m not a believer in Flacco, and this schedule is going to be too difficult for Denver to win more than seven games. The defense will be one of the best 10 or 12 units in the NFL, but the offense won’t score enough points for the Broncos to win many games.
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