Broncos Pick 'Em: Sitting at 2-2, what's your updated record prediction for Denver?

Four games into the Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson era, the Broncos sit at .500.

Outside of the Raiders game, the defense has looked dominant, while the offense has struggled to find a rhythm to put points on the board.

On Sunday, Denver suffered a major blow by losing Javonte Williams for the rest of the season and Randy Gregory for at least the next four games. With all of that being said, what will Denver’s record be at the end of the season?

The DNVR Broncos Crew discusses.

All odds below are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

What will be the Broncos’ final record?

Zac: 9-8 — Our expectations for this team were too high out of the gate. I originally had Denver at 11-6, easily grabbing a playoff spot.

But for that to happen, the Broncos had to be 3-1 in their first four games. With that, they’re already a game behind my original prediction. And Denver’s schedule is only going to get significantly more challenging as the season goes on, making it tougher to make up a game down the stretch. Losing Williams will cost the Broncos at least another game.

On top of that, Denver’s offense has still yet to top 23 points. By the end of the season, I expect Wilson to be rolling, but it appears it will take longer than expected for that to happen.

The Broncos can still make a push for the playoffs, but the first four weeks don’t indicate that’s a lock.

RK: 10-7 — This is such a hard time to answer this question because I still feel as though we need more information before we truly know who these Broncos are.

That said, I am dropping my win total for two reasons:

1. Injuries. The Broncos have already sustained massive hits to the roster with the biggest being Javonte Williams and Tim Patrick, but the injuries to Randy Gregory, Justin Simmons and Quinn Meinerz as well as the continued mystery of Billy Turner combine to weaken the roster significantly. Unfortunately, football teams don’t get healthier during the season.
2. Losing habits. The biggest miscalculation I had in my original projection for the team was not factoring in the time it will take for this team to learn how to be a winner. Six years of losing has permeated the locker room and simply inserting Russell Wilson was not enough to reverse that immediately. The Broncos still have some bad habits to break when it comes to finding ways to lose and while Russ is making a difference, it will still take time.

There is a chance that this team clicks at any moment and starts playing much better football, but as of right now I think we’ll see a lot of these nail-biters with Russ eventually pulling out more than he loses. Broncos get a Wild Card at 10-7.

Hank: 9-8 — I came into the season expecting a 10-7 record but I’m ready to give a win back.

The Broncos have been disappointed so far this season. The hitches in the offense don’t seem to be going away. The penalties aren’t coming at a hilarious rate anymore but they’re setting the offense back repeatedly. Those penalties, combined with poor offensive line play, are what doomed the Broncos in the third quarter against the Raiders.

And now Javonte Williams is gone.

Defensively, there’s plenty of reason to be excited but replicating last year’s production, when the Broncos finished eight in yards allowed and third in points allowed, will be a battle. 

If the defense hasn’t improved and the offense hasn’t improved, why would the Broncos be a better team?

I still believe the best is yet to come but it won’t come soon enough to win double-digit games.

Picks Picks Picks

Russell Wilson passing yards over/under 230.5

Zac: Under.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under.

Matt Ryan passing yards over/under 232.5

Zac: Under.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under

Russell Wilson passing touchdowns over/under 1.5 (+115)

Zac: Under.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under.

Russell Wilson completions over/under 19.5

Zac: Over.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under.

Melvin Gordon rushing yards over/under 51.5

Zac: Over.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under.

Courtland Sutton receiving yards over/under 63.5

Zac: Over.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under.

Jerry Jeudy receiving yards over/under 50.5

Zac: Over.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under.

Michael Pittman Jr. receiving yards over/under 65.5

Zac: Under.

RK: Under.

Hank: Under.

Broncos total points over/under 23.5

Zac: Under.

RK: Over.

Hank: Under.

Broncos-Colts over/under points 43

Zac: Under. Slightly.

RK: Under.

Hank: Under.

Colts @ Broncos (-3.5)

Zac: Broncos.

RK: Broncos.

Hank: Broncos.

Chargers (-3) @ Browns

Zac: Chargers.

RK: Browns.

Hank: Chargers.

Raiders @ Chiefs (-7)

Zac: Chiefs.

RK: Chiefs.

Hank: Raiders.

Leaderboard

Last week

Zac: 7-9

RK: 5-11

Hank: 5-11

Overall

Zac: 24-27

RK: 22-29

Hank: 15-36