Bucs-Cowboys TNF Season Opener Pick

 TAMPA BAY (-7) over Dallas

2021 NFL Predictions

 AFC East

1) Buffalo Bills (11-6)

2) New England Patriots (10-7)*Wild Card

3) Miami Dolphins (7-10)

4) New York Jets (5-12)

AFC North

1) Cleveland Browns (11-6)

2) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) *Wild Card

3) Baltimore Ravens (8-9)

4) Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)

AFC South

1) Tennessee Titans (11-6)

2) Indianapolis Colts (8-9)

3) Jacksonville Jaguars (7-10)

4) Houston Texans (2-15)

AFC West

1) Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)

2) Los Angeles Chargers (10-7) *Wild Card

3) Las Vegas Raiders (8-9) 

4) Denver Broncos (7-10)

NFC East

1) Dallas Cowboys (12-5)

2) New York Giants (10-7)*Wild Card

3) Washington Football Team (5-12)

4) Philadelphia Eagles (4-13)

NFC North

1) Green Bay Packers (11-6)

2) Chicago Bears (9-8)

3) Minnesota Vikings (9-8)

4) Detroit Lions (3-14)

NFC South

1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4)

2) Atlanta Falcons (9-8) 

3) Carolina Panthers (9-8)

4) New Orleans Saints (5-12) 

NFC West

1) Los Angeles Rams (12-5)

2) Seattle Seahawks (11-6)*Wild Card

3) San Francisco 49ers (10-7)*Wild Card

4) Arizona Cardinals (5-12)

2021 Playoff Predictions

AFC

1) Kansas City (14-3)

2) Cleveland (11-6)

3)Tennessee (11-6)

4) Buffalo (11-6)

5) Pittsburgh (10-7)

6) New England (10-7)

7) LA Chargers (10-7)

Wild Card Weekend

2) Cleveland over 7) LA Chargers

3) Tennessee over 6) New England

5) Pittsburgh over 4) Buffalo

Divisional Round

1) Kansas City over 5) Pittburgh

2) Cleveland over 3) Tennessee

AFC Championship

1) Kansas City over 2) Cleveland

NFC Playoff Predictions

1) Tampa Bay (13-4)

2) LA Rams (12-5)

3) Dallas (12-5)

4) Green Bay (11-6)

5) Seatle (11-6)

6) San Francisco (10-7)

7) NY Giants (10-7)

Wild Card Weekend

2) LA Rams over 7) NY Giants

6) San Francisco over 3) Dallas

4) Green Bay over 5) Seattle

Divisional Round

1) Tampa Bay over 6) San Francisco

2) LA Rams over 4) Green Bay

NFC Championship 

2) LA Rams over 1) Tampa Bay

Super Bowl 

Kansas City over LA Rams

2021 Denver Broncos 53 Man Roster

 Here is the 2021 Denver Broncos 53 man roster........

QBs: Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock

RBs: Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams, Royce Freeman, and Mike Boone

WRs: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler, Tim Patrick, Diontae Spencer

TEs: Andrew Beck, Noah Fant, Alber Okweugbunam, Eric Saubert

OL: Garrett Bolles, Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry, Graham Glasgow, Bobby Massie, Calvin Anderson, Quinn Meinerz, Netane Muti

DL: Shelby Harris, Dre'Mont Jones, Mike Purcell, McTelvin Agim, DeShawn Williams, and Jonathan Harris

Edge: Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Malik Reed, Jonathan Cooper, Andrew Mintze

CBs: Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan, Patrick Surtain, Michael Ojemudia, Kary Vincent

S: Kareem Jackson, Justin Simmons, Caden Sterns, P.J. Locke, Jamar Johnson

K: Brandon McManus

P: Sam Martin

LS: Jacob Bobenmoyer

Broncos Finish Preseason 3-0, Name Teddy Bridgewater Starting QB

The Broncos finished the preseason 3-0 and now turn their attention to the regular season opener on September 12th at the Giants in MetLife Stadium. The biggest decision the Broncos made in the preseason was naming Teddy Bridgewater the starting QB over Drew Lock. It was a tight competition in camp, and Lock certainly played well, but Vic Fangio and his coaching staff decided to go with Bridgewater to give them that veteran presence and stability. Make no mistake, Fangio is under pressure to win this season. After going 12-20 his first two years, and with new GM George Paton in the front office, Fangio knows if this season falls apart, he is most likely gone. He went with the safe pick in Teddy, and a guy who is a middle of the road option at QB instead of rolling it back and taking a chance on Lock. I wanted Lock to win the job, and I think he should have been named the starter, but I get why Fangio went with Teddy. I do think that Teddy is a better option at QB then when we started Joe Flacco, Case Keenum, and Trevor Siemian, but we still don't have that franchise guy that we were looking for-and hoping that Lock would be. You never know how the season will turn out, and there is a good chance that Lock will end up playing at some point for the Broncos this year due to the fact that most teams deal with some type of injury with their starter during a typical season. Maybe Lock will take advantage of that opportunity. Until then, I will support Teddy as the starter. If he plays well, the Broncos will play well, and they will be winning games-which is what we desperately want based on the last four seasons. 

Broncos 2021 Training Camp Primer

Training camp is back and the Broncos are at Dove Valley again as they begin practicing and camp for the 2021 NFL season. The Broncos have some high hopes as they begin training camp. It is year 3 of the Vic Fangio era, and they are hopeful that the continuity will pay off into a winning season and playoff berth. The Broncos have built a talented, young roster, and this is the time of the year to build this team and get ready for the regular season. Here is the training camp preview as football returns....

Where We Left Off: The Broncos were walking off the field after a home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on a late two-point conversion. Denver finished 2020 with a 5-11 record. It was the fourth straight losing season for the Broncos, and it concluded a season that was strange due to Covid and also unkind to the Broncos in many ways including the injury front.

What Happened Since? John Elway stepped aside as GM to become President of Football Operations and the team hired new GM George Paton. They also made a splash in free agency by signing Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby to bolster their secondary, and they also made a trade for QB Teddy Bridgewater. They also re-signed Shelby Harris to a long-term deal, and re-upped Justin Simmons for a long-term deal as well. The team drafted Patrick Surtain in the first round of the NFL Draft in April. 

Position Battles at Camp: The number one position battle to watch in camp will be at QB. It is Drew Lock vs. Teddy Bridgewater. Lock is coming off a turnover-filled year last year, and the Broncos got a good deal in the trade for Bridgewater to add some competition. I think it will be better for team for Lock to start the year, but if they feel like they can't trust him, then Bridgewater will get the nod. Either way, this team needs improved play at the QB position to be able to compete for a playoff berth this year.

Surprise Cuts: I could see a guy like LB Josey Jewell end up getting cut. The Broncos have added depth at that position and I could see a starter like him getting a pink slip. 

Out of Nowhere Players: A name to keep an eye on is Jonathon Cooper, a rookie 7th round pick from Ohio State. The outside linebacker has impressed in camp so far, and he could be a guy that make the team and make an impact in year one.

Biggest Questions That Need To Be Answered: It all comes back to the QB. Who wins the job? How long does Fangio drag this battle out in camp? Can either Lock or Bridgewater take control of the job? The QB battle looms over everything for the Broncos in camp this year.

Broncos 2021 Schedule

The NFL released the 2021 schedule on Wednesday and for the first time ever, the league is going to a 17 game regular season over 18 weeks. This was something NFL fans knew was coming for a few years, but here it is. The Broncos will have nine home games and eight road games this year, so that is something that works out in Denver's favor. Without further ado, here is the Broncos 2021 schedule with analysis down at the bottom....

Week 1-Sunday September 12, 2021: at NY Giants-4:25pm EST (FOX)

Week 2-Sunday September 19, 2021: at Jacksonville-1:00pm EST (CBS)

Week 3- Sunday September 26, 2021: vs NY Jets-4:05pm EST (CBS)

Week 4- Sunday October 3, 2021: vs Baltimore-4:25pm EST (CBS)

Week 5- Sunday October 10, 2021: at Pittsburgh-1:00pm EST (FOX)

Week 6- Sunday October 17, 2021: vs Las Vegas-4:25pm EST (CBS)

Week 7- Thursday October 21, 2021: at Cleveland-8:20pm EST (FOX/NFLN)

Week 8- Sunday October 31, 2021: vs Washington-4:25pm EST (FOX)

Week 9- Sunday November 7, 2021: at Dallas-1:00pm EST (FOX)

Week 10- Sunday November 14, 2021: vs Philadelphia-4:25pm EST (CBS)

Week 11- Sunday November 21, 2021: BYE WEEK

Week 12- Sunday November 28, 2021: vs LA Chargers-4:05pm EST (CBS)

Week 13- Sunday December 5, 2021: at Kansas City-1:00pm EST (CBS)

Week 14- Sunday December 12, 2021: vs Detroit-4:05pm EST (FOX)

Week 15- Sunday December 19, 2021: vs Cincinnati-4:05pm EST (CBS)

Week 16- Sunday December 26, 2021: at Las Vegas-4:25pm EST (CBS)

Week 17- Sunday January 2, 2021: at LA Chargers-4:05pm EST (CBS)

Week 18- Sunday January 9, 2021: vs Kansas City-4:25pm EST (CBS)

-The first thing that stands out for Denver is that this is the first time in 29 years that the Broncos are not scheduled for Monday Night Football. In fact, Denver is only scheduled for one primetime game this year (Thursday Night Football at Cleveland). I know that if they are having a good season, then the chances of them getting flexed in are probable, but the Broncos have been bad the last four years, and they don't deserve to be on primetime at this point. Win and they will get those primetime spots.

-I think the Broncos can take advantage of the opening three weeks. They visit the Giants in Week 1, visit the Jags in Week 2, and host the Jets in Week 3 in the opener. Vic Fangio and that defense gets to go up against Daniel Jones, rookie Trevor Lawrence, and rookie Zach Wilson in the first three weeks. There is a very solid chance Denver can be 3-0 to start the year.

-Denver hosts Washington on Sunday October 31st. From that day, they only travel once (at Dallas on 11/7) until a road game at KC on December 5th. They will basically spend the entire month of November at home including a bye week. That could be very big for them.

-The two toughest stretches in my opinion are from Weeks 4-7 where they host Baltimore, go to Pittsburgh, host the Raiders, and travel to Cleveland for TNF. Having the Ravens and Steelers back-to-back is really tough. The other stretch that is tough is the last three games: Hosting the Raiders, at Chargers, and home against KC the final week of the season. The AFC West will be very competitive next year, and those three games could decide the Broncos fate.

-Overall, I think it is a fair schedule for the Broncos. There are some very winnable games and weeks that they can get on a run (Weeks 1-3 and Weeks 13-14). After two straight years of 0-4 and 0-3 starts, it would be nice to see the Broncos get off to a fast start and ride that down the stretch and break a five year drought of missing the playoffs. 

Denver Broncos 2021 Draft Picks

 Here is the Broncos 2021 NFL Draft class......

Round 1 #9 overall: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama

-Surtain should come in and start early or play very early on in nickel and dime situations. He should be an impact CB for this team for years to come.

Round 2 #35 overall: Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina

-The Broncos traded up in the 2nd round to get Williams. He should be part of the 1-2 punch with Melvin Gordon at RB right away this year.

Round 3 #98 overall: Quinn Meinerz, OG, Wisconsin-Whitewater

-The small school stud dominated at the Senior Bowl. He should come in and be a depth guy at first on the line, but I could see him pushing Lloyd Cushenberry at Center or even Graham Glasgow at Guard at some point.

Round 3 #105 overall: Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State

-Maybe Browning gets into the rotation at LB, but look for him to get some reps on defense and provide special teams help.

Round 5 #152 overall: Caden Sterns, S, Texas

-Sterns is probably not cracking the starting linuep at safety this year, but he adds depth and will probably contribute on special teams.

Round 5 #164 overall: Jamar Johnson, S, Indiana

-Johnson also won't get a ton of playing time at safety to start the season, and he will contribute on special teams.

Round 6 #219 overall: Seth Williams, WR, Auburn

-Williams provides depth at the WR position. He probably hopes to make it as a practice squad guy his rookie year.

Round 7 #237 overall: Kary Vincent, CB, LSU

-Vincent will try to make it as the 6th or 7th CB on the main roster. If not, he is a practice squad probability next season.

Round 7 #239 overall: Jonathan Cooper, LB, Ohio State

-Cooper could look to make the team as a depth guy and special teams contributor. If not, he is a practice squad candidate as well.

Round 7 #253 overall: Marquiss Spencer, DE, Mississippi State

-Spencer has to hope to make it as a rotational player on the defensive line, and if he doesn't, then he is a practice squad type player as well.