Broncos Roundtable: Do you want to change your record prediction for the season?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It had been two decades since the Broncos started 0-2. That changed on Sunday after the Broncos fell to the Bears on a heartbreaking last-second field goal.

Traditionally, the Broncos start hot, even the past two years when they’ve ended each season with a losing record.

So, after an uncharacteristically slow start, are the Broncos poised for doom or will they bounceback?

The BSN Broncos Crew breaks it down.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO AT LEFT TACKLE?

Ryan

Give Bolles one more week before making changes — At a certain point, this becomes a locker room issue.

There are times when a coach knows the No. 1 quarterback gives the team the best chance to win, but has to make a change to show the team that they are not okay with the status quo.

If Bolles has another week of negating big plays for the offense, the coaching staff needs to show the team that they are at least trying other options. If that means rotating in Jake Rodgers to at least give him a chance to show he’s a gamer, fine. If that means signing a veteran on the street like Ryan Schraeder and throwing him in there, fine.

The one thing I wouldn’t do is anything that moves Risner around. Don’t mess with one player’s development in reponse to another player’s lack of development.

Whatever it is, you can’t sit back and allow this to happen if things don’t improve.

Zac

Sit tight — It’s not the answer anyone wants to hear, but the truth is, there is no other answer for now. But, in a couple of weeks, that could all change.

Once Ja’Wuan James returns from a sprained knee—which is sidelining him for at least a couple of weeks—if Garett Bolles is still struggling, then it’ll be time to bench Bolles. But not with James. Instead, flip Elijah Wilkinson—who had a solid first game at right tackle against the Bears—from right tackle to the left side to replace the former first-round pick.

The only change that could be made until James is healthy is benching Bolles for a series or two for Jake Rodgers if Bolles has another game as he did on Sunday. But Rodgers—who has been cut 13 times—is not the long-term answer.

If the Broncos keep losing and maintain a losing record, absolutely do not under any circumstances trade a first-round pick—which is trending to be a good one!—for Trent Williams.

Mase

Stand pat, but be prepared to relieve Bolles — Unless the trade price of Trent Williams drops to that of a third-round selection, the Broncos have no business trading for him — and with Washington holding firm on its stance, it’s a moot point at the moment, anyway.

Even without James, the Broncos need to have a contingency plan if Bolles can’t escape the vicious cycle of penalties. Since Jake Rodgers doesn’t appear to be a viable option, they must be prepared to kick Dalton Risner to a tackle spot and insert Austin Schlottman at left guard if Bolles struggles.

At the bare minimum, the Broncos must sit Bolles for a possession to try and settle him down if he commits an early penalty.

LAST CHANCE: DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR RECORD PREDICTION?

Ryan

I should, but… — A win in Green Bay could really turn this ship around. Get that one and you have a chance to come back to Denver and reset the whole season against the Jaguars.

While things look bleak right now, this season it’s still in its proverbial formative years, a big win in Wisconsin would go a long way in terms of getting the team to buy in to the mission.

Because of that possibility, I’m not ready to pull the plug on my prediction quite yet.

There’s an old addage that says, “Hope is not a plan,” but that’s all I’ve got at this point.

Zac

Please and thank you — My pre-season prediction for the Broncos was 8-8. Denver was only a shanked last-minute field goal away from my prediction looking darn good.

But there’s been way too many concerns with this team for me to still believe they will finish with an average record.

In the first three quarters of the first two games, the Broncos have a total of nine points. Nine. That’s an average of 1.5 points per quarter. That’s a pace of six points per game. That’s bad.

The two times the Broncos have scored a touchdown in their first two games came when the opposing defenses were playing more bend, not break.

Oh, by the way, the defense is only the fourth team in the past 50 years to have zero sacks and zero turnovers through their first two games.

So, as it sits now, I’ll project the Broncos to finish 5-11. Again.

Mase

Not yet — Yes, we’ve talked about doomsday scenarios in the podcast this week, but a win at Lambeau Field would change everything for these Broncos. In some respects, a win here would offset the two losses the Broncos absorbed.

Yes, I get that the calculus of that assertion is skewed, but to beat the Packers on the road would give the Broncos a boulder of accomplishment that they could lean on in future weeks.

Times are tough against the Chargers in L.A. or the Vikings in Minneapolis? Hey, no worries; we beat the Packers at Lambeau, That will be the sentiment if the Broncos pull off the upset. A win here could be worth another unexpected win or two down the road.

RESULT VS. PACKERS (-7.5)

Ryan

Broncos 24, Packers 21 — Lost in the dark grey cloud over the Broncos this week is the fact that, despite having Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ offense has really struggled to this point.

This game is a matchup of two teams with struggling offenses and strong defenses.

Green Bay has tried to buoy the offensive struggles by bringing back some of the concepts that Mike McCarthy ran during his long stint there, but Denver should be more than prepared for that considering the fact that Fangio has prepared for that offense eight times in the last four years.

Denver’s offense finally breaks through in the red zone and the defense finally forces a turnover or two, making the difference in the game.

Zac

Packers 27, Broncos 17 — Take Aaron Rodgers, Lambeau Field, the second-best defense in the league and an undefeated Packers team, mix them togehter in a blender and what do you get? Trouble for any opposing team. Especially one that’s 0-2.

Not only has Rodgers has thrown two interceptions dating back to the start of the 2018 season, he’s 65-17-1 at home in his career. Oh, he has a 107.8 passer rating in Green Bay, too.

It also doesn’t hurt that Green Bay’s defense has only given up a total of 19 points through their first two games.

Since the schedule was released, this game always looked tough. Now, with the Packers on fire and Denver struggling, it looks as daunting as ever.

Mase

Packers 27, Broncos 17 — Boring, huh? Zac and I have the same score. That said, the margin is closer than the 31-3 projection I had for this game when the schedule was released in April. Denver will move the ball at times against Green Bay’s improved defense, but if Rodgers takes what the Broncos’ D gives him, he’ll dink and dunk Denver to death.