Countless times leading up to the Denver Broncos‘ season, Sean Payton preached how important a fast start would be for this team. The team’s 0-2 start is certainly not ideal to Payton’s plan for the year.
Will Bo Nix and Payton’s offense get things turned around quickly? Will the Broncos’ defense continue to play at a high level throughout the entire season?
After watching the first two games of the season, how will the 2024 Broncos fare in their final 15 games of the season?
Here are the updated record predictions for the Broncos after their 0-2 start.
All odds below are courtesy of bet365.
What will the Broncos’ record be in 2024?
Zac: 5-12 — The sky is falling for the Broncos. But it will stop, to some extent, during the season as long as Bo Nix adjusts to the NFL.
Yes, Nix’s first two games have certainly not been pretty. But neither have Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels. Unfortunately, the NFL is hard and the adjustment period for rookie quarterbacks is very difficult, as Sean Payton is learning on the fly.
But once Nix gets adjusted to the speed of the game, we’ll see the quarterback the Broncos hoped to get when they used the No. 12 pick in the NFL Draft on him.
The growing pains might not go away any time soon though.
Denver’s next five-game stretch is shaping up to be more difficult than it initially appeared. Outside of the New York Jets in Week 5, all of the other four teams—the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers and the New Orleans Saints—look significantly better than the public expected them to be.
But, as always, Denver will win a game or two they aren’t supposed to win—like beating the Chiefs last year—to finish the season 5-12. It won’t be a pretty season, but it will be far from a winless one too.
Henry: 6-11 — I’m not ready to throw in the towel quite yet.
The first month of the NFL is essentially the new preseason. Players are shaking off the rust. Coaches are figuring out what works for the new versions of their teams. Opponents have no idea what to prepare for. Throw a rookie quarterback into that mix, and you have to expect chaos.
Just when you think you know something in the NFL, the league throws you a curveball.
I don’t expect the Broncos to become worldbeaters. We haven’t seen enough flashes to say they’re going to be special in any regard.
I do expect to see growth, though. Nix is (hopefully) playing the worst ball of his career. The run game has nowhere to go but up. Maybe the defense will regress, but even a moderate regression could easily be outweighed by a functional offense.
Picks Picks Picks
Bo Nix passing yards over/under 181.5
Zac: Over
Hank: Over
Bo Nix passing touchdown over/under 0.5
Zac: Over
Hank: Under
Bo Nix interceptions over/under 0.5
Zac: Over
Hank: Over
Baker Mayfield passing yards over/under 245.5
Zac: Under
Hank: Over
Baker Mayfield passing touchdown over/under 1.5
Zac: Under
Hank: Over
Courtland Sutton receiving yards over/under 38.5
Zac: Over
Hank: Over
Mike Evans receiving yards over/under 64.5
Zac: Under
Hank: Over
Chris Godwin receiving yards over/under 64.5
Zac: Over
Hank: Over
Javonte Williams rushing yards over/under 46.5
Zac: Under
Hank: Under
Rachaad White rushing yards over/under 50.5
Zac: Over
Hank: Under
Broncos-Buccaneers total points over/under 41
Zac: Under
Hank: Under
Broncos @ Buccaneers (-6.5)
Zac: Buccs
Hank: Broncos
Chargers @ Steelers (-2)
Zac: Chargers
Hank: Steelers
Panthers @ Raiders (-5.5)
Zac: Raiders
Hank: Panthers
Chiefs (-4.5) @ Falcons
Zac: Chiefs
Hank: Falcons
Leaderboard
Last Week
Hank: 6-3
Zac: 3-6
Overall
Hank: 11-12-1
Zac: 8-15-1
