Denver Broncos 2020 schedule predictions: Picking every game

Weeks 13-17

Despite myriad upgrades on the offensive side of the football, it is still going to be a struggle for a quarterback in his first full season as a starter to match blows with the Super Bowl MVP. When you couple that fact with an improved, in-sync Chiefs defense returning nearly all of its Super Bowl starters, you have a recipe for a blowout. Consistency and low turnover pays off.

The Carolina Panthers are building a football team with a tremendous amount of talent. But, they’re going to take some time to gel, and rookie NFL head coach Matt Rhule is going to take some time to adjust to life in the NFL. The Broncos take advantage of their inexperience and lack of continuity, and put up enough points to get the job done.

The better team doesn’t always win in the NFL, and this game is a prime example of that. The Bills were a playoff team in 2019 and by all exterior examinations, should be better in 2020. But, if the offense never gets going its hard to win in the NFL. In this one, the Broncos stifle the young Josh Allen, and the running game keeps Denver afloat.

The Chargers, like the Broncos, come in with an unproven quarterback, a strong defense and hopes that their running game can pay off in a big way. In this one, the difference is that the Los Angeles secondary is better than the Denver secondary, and as a result, Justin Herbert is able to get the ball downfield a bit more, opening up the running game for Austin Ekeler.

This feels like the sort of matchup where the home team will regularly be victorious. Both teams have mediocre quarterbacks, both teams feature tons of speed at offensive skill positions, and both teams feature talent on defense. Ultimately, when Denver wins it will be because the pass rush takes advantage of inferior offensive lines, which is what happens here.