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2020 Denver Broncos Predictions and Season Win Total Picks

by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2020

Denver Broncos Quarterback Drew Lock

Not yet.

Despite the consistent incompetence and general cluelessness of general manager John Elway, the Broncos may have finally turned the corner and found their way back to the path toward competitiveness. Denver has increased its win total each of the last two seasons, and they now have one of the most exciting young cores in the league.

But they are not there yet.

Head coach Vic Fangio was rock solid in his first season at the helm, coaxing seven wins out of an undermanned group that finished No. 28 in total offense, passing and scoring. He is still learning about being a head coach. But the Broncos showed discipline and hunger last season and should be able to build on that.

Drew Lock took control of the offense late in the season and injected a lot of life into the Broncos attack. Lock showed a big arm and plenty of moxie while guiding Denver to a 4-1 mark down the stretch. That solidified Lock’s position as Future of the Franchise, and Denver spent the offseason adding pieces to supplement his growth.

Courtland Sutton had a breakout season and is on the verge of becoming a Pro Bowler. He will be Lock’s No. 1 target despite the addition of rookie receivers Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. Phil Lindsey produced his second straight 1,000 rushing season, and Denver added Melvin Gordon into the mix this offseason. Entering his sixth season, Gordon is the grey beard of an offense that will feature as many as 15 guys on the depth chart with two or fewer full seasons of experience.

Denver brought in Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator. I am not a fan of Shurmur’s work – at all. In 11 years as a head coach or offensive coordinator, only two of his teams have finished in the Top 10 in total offense. It will be interesting to see how Lock takes to Shurmur’s played-out version of the West Coast offense.

Defensively, Fangio’s group finished 12th in yards allowed and 10th in scoring defense. Unlike Shurmur, Fangio has a proven track record, and eight of his 20 defenses have finished in the Top 10. A bounce back season from Bradley Chubb and the addition of Jurrell Casey should help shore up the stop unit, which will better in Year 2 of Fangio’s 3-4 system.

Between 1972-2016, the Broncos never had back-to-back losing seasons. They’ve now had three in a row. They aren’t thought of in this way, but Denver is actually one of the best and most successful franchises in the NFL. Or at least they were before Elway’s tenure. This team generally doesn’t stay down very long. 

The biggest problem for the Broncos is that the AFC West is one of the best divisions in football. There are no easy wins to be had there. Denver crosses over against a stacked NFC South but does get to beat up on the weak sister AFC East. Swing games against Tennessee and at Pittsburgh might tell the tale of whether or not Denver can get back to .500.

I don’t like betting against such a successful franchise. Denver has the look of a team that is a year away from being a real factor in the West. I do like the Chargers and Raiders a bit more, so I feel like I should cautiously side against the Broncos. But this is going to be a dangerous team to bet against, and they will be back in contention sooner rather than later.

I wouldn’t touch this win total. But gun to my head I suppose I’ll take the Denver Broncos ‘Over’ 7.5 wins.

Robert Ferringo has been the top football handicapper in the country the past 10 years, earning nearly $40,000 in total football profit (average profit: +$3,800). He has also posted 8 of 10 winning seasons (including four straight winning years) and produced an amazing 53 of 82 winning football months over the past 13 years. Robert has hit at nearly 60 percent winners over his last 1,000 totals picks and has posted 12 of 14 winning Super Bowls. Robert is looking for a fifth straight winning football year and wants more profit this fall. SIGN UP HERE TODAY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 3-FOR-1 FOOTBALL SPECIALS!

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