Here is my best and most realistic prediction for the wins and losses from the Denver Broncos 2024 regular season schedule.
The Denver Broncos will face a rather brutal gauntlet of games in 2024. Their regular season schedule features three stretches of games that figure to be as difficult as they could be and their Bye Week is so late in the season that fatigue could become a factor for them as well.
That said, I remember analyzing the schedule in May of 2023 and felt like they would run through the first month of the season before hitting a brutal stretch of games in the middle part of their schedule. What actually happened was they fell flat on their faces in that first month before ripping off six wins in seven games during what I had thought of as the toughest part of their schedule. In short, anything can and will happen when these games are actually played.
Therefore, I’m going with my May prediction this year with a proper offseason optimism. This is what 2024 could look like if things go Denver’s way and Bo Nix has himself a rookie of the year type season.
Here are my game-by-game predictions for the Broncos’ 2024 season:
Week 1: Broncos at Seahawks
You can’t have an optimistic prediction without starting off the season with a win. This one is going to be tough as it’ll be Bo Nix’s first game in the NFL and in a very hostile environment. Looking over at how Seattle Seahawks feel about this game and the overconfidence is palpable. Hopefully the Seahawks players feel the same on game day and they get shocked by an upstart Broncos squad.
Record: 1-0
Week 2: Steelers at Broncos
There is no way Russell Wilson returning to Denver results in a revenge tour for him. In year’s past, Denver has lost every meaningful game that could be seen as a potential for revenge. That ends in 2024. Sean Payton and Bo Nix meld into an efficient offensive powerhouse to keep whatever miracles Wilson has left in that 35 year old arm for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Record: 2-0
Week 3: Broncos at Buccaneers
In that “you can win them all” reality, the first road game that I think Denver will struggle with is on the road in Florida against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They never play well in that state and it is always worse when its earlier in the season due to the heat and humidity. Even so, a 2-1 start is an outstanding way to begin the season with a rookie quarterback.
Record: 2-1
Week 4: Broncos at Jets
The Aaron Rodgers experiment in New York hasn’t gone well so far and I kind of expect it to continue to go badly for them. Although, they did hire a not offensive coordinator that will be above offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and will call plays, but they decided to keep Hackett as their offensive coordinator who will then answer to this not offensive coordinator. Sounds like things are going well on fronts for the New York Jets.
Record: 3-1
Week 5: Raiders at Broncos
Denver has not beaten the Las Vegas Raiders since 2019. That eight-game losing streak is the longest losing streak they have in the AFC West since ending the Kansas City Chiefs run last season. That leads me to believe this streak will end too and they really shouldn’t have lost to the Raiders in Week 1 last year. That game still irks me to think about it.
Record: 4-1
Week 6: Chargers at Broncos
John Harbaugh is going to make the Los Angeles Chargers a better football team. They also seem to be a better road team than home team, so this is a game that could sneak up on the Broncos. Denver also has a three-game win streak against the Chargers, with their last defeat a 19-16 overtime loss back in October 2022. That streak also ends here.
Record: 4-2
Week 7: Broncos at Saints (TNF)
Sean Payton coming home to New Orleans to get dunked on by the team he coached for 16 seasons? Yeah, not happening. In fact, maybe Denver lost to the Chargers the previous week because Payton had his eyes and focus on beating the New Orleans Saints on a short week. Somehow, Denver is right there fighting for first place in the AFC West after seven weeks.
Record: 5-2
Week 8: Panthers at Broncos
In what should be the easiest game on the Broncos schedule, the lowly Carolina Panthers will be flying out west to take another ‘L’. Their new owner will likely be on his third head coach of the season after this one. GG, go next!
Record: 6-2
Week 9: Broncos at Ravens
Flying high with a 6-2 record and a first place tie with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos finally find out what its like to play a real playoff contender. The Baltimore Ravens steamroll Denver and Bo Nix has his worst game as a pro. Hope in Broncos Country wanes a bit after this ugly game.
Record: 6-3
Week 10: Broncos at Chiefs
Coming off such a deflating loss, the Broncos then have to hit the road to Arrowhead to take another ‘L’ to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. And just like that they are two games back and some wonder if the wheels in Denver are finally coming off after such a promising start to the season.
Record: 6-4
Week 11: Falcons at Broncos
If people were questioning if the wheels were coming off, they all but threw in the towel after a tough home loss to Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. While the game came down to the final seconds, the three-game losing streak will put everyone on edge as it looks like yet another season is about to slip away from the Broncos.
Record: 6-5
Week 12: Broncos at Raiders
What better way to right the ship than to sweep the lowly Raiders. No team has lost more games over the last 20 years than they have, so why would people think this year would be any different? The Broncos taking care of business in the AFC West is a vital first step to returning to playoff contention.
Record: 7-5
Week 13: Browns at Broncos (MNF)
Whatever witchcraft the Cleveland Browns used last season to make a playoff run with Joe Flacco at quarterback has run out of stock. They end up not a very good football team under DeShaun Watson and the Broncos are a surprisingly good football team playing at home on Monday Night Football. Let’s give this one to the home team.
Record: 8-5
Week 14: BYE
The only way a Week 14 Bye works out well is if a team is in this exact situation where they are fighting for a playoff spot with a tough four-game stretch ahead of them. In this scenario, it plays out perfectly for the Broncos as they make that final playoff push to end a nearly decade-long playoff drought.
Week 15: Colts at Broncos
I think the wild card teams next year will include the Indianapolis Colts, so this game will be crucial for the Broncos. They’ll be at home and coming off a Bye Week. This is a must-win game and the Payton/Nix union continues to pay dividends in Year 1.
Record: 9-5
Week 16: Broncos at Chargers
While the Chargers took one from Denver in their own house, the Broncos would return the favor in front of a mostly orange and blue crowd in Los Angeles. The win was crucial as it got them to the double-digit win total for the first time since the Peyton Manning era and secured a playoff spot with two weeks to go.
Record: 10-5
Week 17: Broncos at Bengals
Joe Burrow in the cold December wind of Cincinnati is going to be a tough out for Denver. I think the Cincinnati Bengals win handily here and while Denver didn’t necessarily need the win, it does help secure most of the remaining seeding in the AFC outside of the wild card teams.
Record: 10-6
Week 18: Chiefs at Broncos
With the Chiefs having secured homefield advantage the week prior, they had little to play for and the Broncos still needed a win to improve their wild card standing. That allows them to push through to finish with a 4-2 record in the AFC West and their first playoff berth since the 2015 season. What a ride it has been!
Record: 11-6
If I could have selected a schedule better designed to screw over a team, I don’t think I could have beaten what the NFL has done to the Denver Broncos in 2024. The early road gauntlet, the late bye, midseason AFC contender slaughter, then ending with the Chiefs… whew. I’ve been covering the Broncos a long time and this schedule is absolutely as brutal as it gets.
Even so, the schedule only looks brutal on paper. If the Broncos do what they need to do at home and within the division, then there is always a path to double-digit wins and a turnaround on par with what the 2023 Houston Texans did. Why go into these pointless prediction efforts in May without positivity? I choose optimism.
Your turn! How many wins do you see? Vote in this poll if you haven’t already.