Denver Broncos record prediction: Picks for every game in 2020

Final Record: 9-7

After going 7-9 last season and finishing the year by winning four of their final five games, the Broncos make some strides in 2020. Tremendous offseason additions make the Broncos look like a top-ten football team on paper, but Denver faces a tough schedule. The AFC West is the best division in its conference, and Denver also faces the rejuvenated NFC South.

Vic Fangio’s team has its eyes set on the playoffs. To guarantee a playoff spot, the Broncos likely need ten wins. However, there’s still a good chance Denver makes the playoffs with nine wins. The NFL approved expanding the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams this offseason. That means seven teams from each conference make the postseason, not six.

Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers would’ve qualified for the seventh seed with an 8-8 record. On the NFC side, the Los Angeles Rams finished with a 9-7 record and would’ve qualified for their conference’s seventh seed. So, there’s still a good chance Denver makes the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

Honestly, I could see the Broncos finishing 2020 with anywhere between seven and eleven wins. On paper, this is a great team. However, many of the team’s key pieces are either extremely young (Noah Fant, Jerry Jeudy, Drew Lock, etc.) or potentially approaching the end of their primes. That last part especially applies to Denver’s defenders like A.J. Bouye, Jurrell Casey, and Von Miller.

Regardless of how the season plays out, Denver’s success hinges on Lock becoming a reliable starter. This isn’t the Denver defense that carried Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler to a Super Bowl. If the Broncos want a successful 2020 season, they must perform on both sides of the ball without slipping up because of inexperience or old age.