Broncos projected to finish above .500 for first time since 2016
Nov 10, 2021, 8:01 PM
It’s been nearly five years since the Denver Broncos last finished a season above .500, but if the prognosticators are correct, that streak could come to an end.
At the midway point of the NFL season, both ESPN and NFL.com took a crack at projecting how Denver will finish, with both coming in at, or slightly above, .500.
NFL Network Analytics Expert Cynthia Frelund calculated the Broncos, who currently sit at 5-4 after an upset of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, will finish the year with 8.4 wins.
“If Denver is going to separate from the logjam of potential playoff teams in the AFC, the defense will need to stay tough, even without Von Miller, who was traded away before the deadline,” Frelund wrote, adding that Denver hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown in their past two games and ranks in the top 10 in both pass and run defense.
ESPN Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold predicts that Denver will finish with a 9-8 record, adding the caveat that consistency will play a role in whether the team will finish at, below or above that mark.
“They can finish better if they find the level of maturity and attention to detail they showed in Dallas, or they can finish far worse if they show the across-the-board stumbles they did in the Oct. 17 loss to the Raiders,” Legwold said.
Looking ahead, Denver has a chance at a clean sweep of the NFC East as they host the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) ahead of their Week 11 bye.
However after the bye, the Broncos match up against only one more team currently with a losing record — the Detroit Lions (0-8) in Week 14. Denver’s first win over a winning team came last weekend in Dallas.
The rest of Denver’s schedule includes a home tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) and an onslaught of AFC West matchups — home and away against the Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) and a road trip to Las Vegas to take on the 5-3 Raiders the day after Christmas.
