5-11, 4th AFC West
The Broncos have the 5th-toughest schedule this year in terms of opponents’ expected win totals, and it shows in this slate. It will be nice to start off the season with two of three games at home, sandwiched by an early matchup against the Steelers whose QB, Ben Roethlisberger, could still be finding his groove after a year off from football. Weeks 3 and 4 won’t be too kind with a welcome back for Tom Brady to Denver followed by a short week road game on Thursday night in New York. Despite the tough schedule, there are some clear wins here - a Week 8 bye is a solid range, and Denver will welcome arguably their two toughest opponents (the Bucs and Saints) to their house. A Week 13 Sunday Night Football matchup in Kansas City is the toughest test of the season as the Broncos look to end their 9-game losing streak to their division rival, the Super Bowl champions. Road games in Atlanta and Carolina should offer friendly confines for the Denver passing game to prove itself against mediocre defenses late in the season. If Drew Lock can develop the way I expect him to with the additional talent around him, the Broncos should be good enough to approach 9 or 10 wins with this schedule. That should put them in line to earn a Wild Card berth and their first playoff appearance since winning Super Bowl 50.