Thursday Night Season Opener and Friday Night Season Opener Picks

 Thursday Night Opening Game:

KANSAS CITY (-3) over Baltimore

Friday Night Opening Game (In Brazil)

Philadelphia (-2.5) over Green Bay

2024 NFL Predictions

 AFC

AFC East

1) NY Jets (12-5) 

2) Buffalo Bills (11-6)*Wild Card

3) Miami Dolphins (8-9)

4) New England Patriots (4-13)

AFC North

1) Cincinnati Bengals (13-4)

2) Baltimore Ravens (12-5)*Wild Card

3) Cleveland Browns (8-9)

4) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-10) 

AFC South

1) Houston Texans (10-7)

2) Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)*Wild Card 

3) Indianapolis Colts (6-11)

4) Tennessee Titans (5-12) 

AFC West

1) Kansas City Chiefs (13-4)

2) Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)

3) Denver Broncos (7-10)

4) Las Vegas Raiders (5-12)

NFC

NFC East

1) Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)

2) Dallas Cowboys (9-8)

3) Washington Commanders (6-11) 

4) New York Giants (5-12)

NFC North

1) Detroit Lions (12-5)

2) Chicago Bears (9-8)*Wild Card

3) Green Bay Packers (9-8)*Wild Card

4) Minnesota Vikings (7-10)

NFC South

1) Atlanta Falcons (9-8)

2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)

3) New Orleans Saints (7-10) 

4) Carolina Panthers (5-12)

NFC West

1) Los Angeles Rams (11-6)

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

3) Arizona Cardinals (8-9)

4) Seattle Seahawks (7-10) 

AFC Playoff Seeds

1) Kansas City Chiefs

2) Cincinnati Bengals

3) NY Jets

4) Houston Texans

5) Baltimore Ravens

6) Buffalo Bills

7) Jacksonville Jaguars 

NFC Playoff Seeds

1) Detroit Lions

2) Philadelphia Eagles

3) LA Rams

4) Atlanta Falcons

5) SF 49ers

6) Chicago Bears

7) Green Bay Packers

2023 Playoff Predictions

Wild Card Weekend:

AFC

2) Cincinnati over 7) Jacksonville 

6) Buffalo over 3) NY Jets

5) Baltimore over 4) Houston

NFC

2) Philadelphia over 7) Green Bay

3) LA Rams over 6) Chicago

5) SF over 4) Atlanta 

Divisional Round:

AFC 

1) Kansas City over 6) Buffalo

2) Cincinnati over 5) Baltimore 

NFC

1) Detroit over 5) SF

2) Philadelphia over 3) LA Rams

Championship Sunday:

1) Kansas City over 2) Cincinnati 

1) Detroit over 2) Philadelphia

Super Bowl

Kansas City over San Francisco 

Broncos 2024 Season Preview

With training camp behind us, the Broncos have finalized their roster and are looking forward to the beginning of the 2024 season and their Week 1 season opener on the road at Seattle. It is a lot different when they opened the season at Seattle two years ago with Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett. Just like last year, I'm doing a preview of the Broncos season as the 2024 season is about to get going. Here's this year's 2024 Denver Broncos Preview......

Where we left off?  The last time we saw the Broncos they were on the losing end to the Las Vegas Raiders once again and finished the 2023 season at 8-9. They missed the playoffs for the 8th straight year and it was their 7th straight losing season.

What changed? The biggest change in Denver was the release of QB Russell Wilson. The Broncos released Wilson in March and took on a record dead cap hit to do it. The Wilson Era was a failure in Denver, and Sean Payton wanted to move on in another direction. The other big change was the release of Justin Simmons. Simmons was still playing at a high level and was the face of the Broncos defense and the leader of this team. Seeing him go was sad, but the Broncos did it in a move to save cap space and go younger. The Broncos also traded Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland to give him a fresh start.

New Faces in Denver: The newest face in Denver is QB Bo Nix. Nix was selected 12th overall by the Broncos and he was named the starting QB for the Broncos after Week 2 of the preseason. There is a lot of buzz and excitement in Denver about Nix and he looked good in preseason. Perhaps the Broncos have finally solved their QB problem since Peyton Manning retired.

The Nix/Payton Marriage: The fact that Sean Payton handpicked Bo Nix to be his starting QB and jettisoned Russell Wilson says a lot. Payton got his guy and now it is up to him to make Nix a top, young QB in this league. If Nix plays well, then Payton and the Broncos will turn this franchise around. If Nix falters, then it is on Payton. He has put all his chips into Nix, and it will be exciting to see where this goes. 

Rookies to Watch: Obviously, Nix is the rookie to watch. He is the first Broncos rookie QB to start Week 1 since John Elway in 1983. No pressure there! But, keep an eye out for WR Devaugh Vele. He had a tremendous training camp, and he could be a guy that really helps this receiving corps. OLB Jonah Elliss looked really good in camp and preseason, and he should get rotational time as an edge defender.

Impact Players: On offense, you have to have a big year from Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims. If TE Greg Dulcich can stay healthy, then he could be a real weapon in the passing game. Also, Javonte Williams got in better shape and is another year removed from ACL surgery, so he could have a big year. On defense, you have to look to the combo of Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto to help the pass rush. The Broncos beefed up their defensive line and Jon Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach should add much needed help on the defensive front. Of course, you have CB Pat Surtain in the secondary locking up the other team's best WR.

Schedule Outlook: The Broncos have a tough schedule to start-especially for a young team starting a rookie QB. They head to Seattle in Week 1, which is a very difficult place for Bo Nix to start. Then, they host the Steelers with Russell Wilson coming back to town. Week 3 sends them to hot and humid Tampa Bay to take on the Bucs, and then they go to the Meadowlands to take on the Jets. If they are somehow 2-2 after four games, then that is a huge factor for them. The next four games are manageable: They host the Raiders and Chargers, then go to New Orleans for a TNF game, then host the Panthers at home. If they can go 2-2 after the first four, then they have a chance to be 5-3 after eight games. 

Final Thoughts: This team is not going to the Super Bowl. That is not going to happen this year. It is year 2 of the Sean Payton regime and it is clearly his team now. He has the QB he wanted, the coaches around him, and the players he wants. It is a young team, so we can't expect huge things at this point. A lot of people are picking the Broncos to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, and the same was said about the Texans last year and look what happened. The Broncos over/under is 5.5 and I think they will hit the over. The ceiling for this team is 9-8. I think they will fall in the 7 win range, but the development of Bo Nix is the key to the season. I have zero expectations for this team this year. I don't think they will make the playoffs, but I think they will be better than what people around the NFL are saying about them. 

Your 2024 Denver Broncos

 Here is the 53 man roster for the Broncos as they commence on the 2024 season.......

Offense

QBs: Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson

RBs: Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, Blake Watson

FB: Nate Adkins

WR: Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims, Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin

TE: Adam Trautman, Greg Dulcich, Lucas Krull

OL: Garrett Bolles, Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey, Matt Peart, Alex Forsyth, Alex Palczewski, Frank Crum

Defense

DL: Zach Allen, Jonathan Franklin-Myers, D.J. Jones, Jordan Jackson, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike

OLB: Jonathon Cooper, Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss

ILB: Alex Singleton, Cody Barton, Justin Strnad, Levelle Bailey

CB: Pat Surtain, Ja'Quan McMillian, Riley Moss, Levi Wallace, Kris Abrams-Draine, Tremon Smith

S: P.J. Locke, Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner, Keidron Smith

Special Teams

K: Will Lutz

P: Riley Dixon

LS: Mitchell Fraboni

-The biggest cuts were Tim Patrick, Samaje Perine, and Jonas Griffith. All three were let go due to the Broncos going with youth at those spots. It is sad to see Patrick go. I would have liked them to keep him after he worked his way back from two season-ending injuries, but I guess the play of rookie Devaughn Vele made TP expendable.

-I was surprised they kept 5 safeties, but special teams does play a factor in decisions like that.

-Three undrafted rookies made the cut: Lavelle Bailey, Frank Crum, and Blake Watson

-FB Michael Burton and WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey will likely be re-signed to the practice squad and elevated to the roster early in the season.

-CB Demarri Mathis is on short term IR, so he can't come back until after Week 4

Bo Nix Named Broncos Starting QB and other Training Camp Thoughts

Bo Nix was named the Broncos starting QB for Week 1. Nix has been impressive in his first two preseason games, so this was not a surprise. I felt like it wouldn't be long before Nix became the starter in Denver, and here we are. Nix is the first rookie Broncos QB to start Week 1 since John Elway in 1983. Personally, I know what Jarrett Stidham is at this point in the NFL. He is a spot-starter, backup QB. We need to find out what Nix is-especially since he was selected in the first round of the draft. Nix brings an added element of excitement for the Broncos as they head into the season opener at Seattle. 

Training Camp Thoughts...

-This summer was crazy, so I never did a true training camp preview, but the vibes in Denver's camp are way more positive than last year. Sean Payton seems to be more relaxed and happy with this group, and the feeling from people covering the Broncos in camp is that this team has a good vibe around it. 

-You can tell how much Payton loves Bo Nix. He is so much more complimentary of him than he was with Russell Wilson last year in training camp. He really believes in Nix and believes he can do well as a rookie QB starting Week 1. 

-The Broncos had a solid training camp and a good preseason. Going 3-0 in preseason really means nothing, but the positivity around this team seemed very obvious in camp and in the preseason games. Where that goes, we'll see.

-Young and hungry are the two words that everyone around the Broncos keeps using when describing this team. I think that's a good phrase for this group, but it doesn't mean that they are going to win 10 games and make the playoffs.

2024 Denver Broncos Schedule

 Here is the Broncos 2024 schedule with analysis on the bottom......

Week 1-Sunday 9/8/2024: @ Seattle-4:05pm EST (CBS)

Week 2-Sunday 9/15/2024: Pittsburgh-4:25pm EST (CBS)

Week 3-Sunday 9/22/2024: @ Tampa Bay-1:00pm EST (FOX)

Week 4-Sunday 9/29/2024: @NY Jets-1:00pm EST (CBS)

Week 5-Sunday 10/6/2024: Las Vegas-4:05pm EST (FOX)

Week 6-Sunday 10/13/2024: LA Chargers-4:05pm EST (CBS)

Week 7-Thursday 10/17/2024: @New Orleans-8:15pm EST (Amazon Prime)

Week 8-Sunday 10/27/2024: Carolina-4:25pm EST (CBS)

Week 9-Sunday 11/3/2024: @Baltimore-1:00pm EST (CBS)

Week 10-Sunday 11/10/2024: @Kansas City-1:00pm EST (CBS)

Week 11-Sunday 11/17/2024: Atlanta-4:05pm EST (FOX)

Week 12-Sunday 11/24/2024: @Las Vegas-4:05pm EST (CBS)

Week 13-Monday 12/2/2024: Cleveland-8:15pm EST (ESPN)

Week 14- BYE WEEK

Week 15-Sunday 12/15/2024: Indianapolis-4:25pm EST (CBS)

Week 16-Sunday 12/22/2024: @LA Chargers-4:05pm EST (FOX)

Week 17-Saturday 12/28 or Sunday 12/29: @Cincinnati- TBD

Week 18-Saturday 1/4/2025 or Sunday 1/5/2025: Kansas City-TBD

-The Broncos first four games are very challenging to me. They have to go to Seattle in Week 1 to face a solid team with a new head coach in one of the toughest places to play in the NFL, and the Broncos will probably do it with rookie QB Bo Nix making his first NFL start. Then, they come home to take on a tough Steelers team in the Russell Wilson revenge game. Weeks 3 and 4 are tough because they feature back-to-back road games on the East coast (Tampa Bay and the Jets) and both are early window start times. You have to hope to somehow be 2-2 after that start.

-The next four weeks are favorable from Weeks 5-8. Three home games (Raiders, Chargers, and Panthers) mixed in with a TNF game at New Orleans in the Sean Payton Bowl. You have to think Denver can come out of that stretch 3-1.  

-Weeks 9 and 10 are brutal as Denver heads to Baltimore and Kansas City in back-to-back weeks. That's about a rough of a back-to-back as you can get in the AFC.

-Weeks 11-15 are again favorable. Denver has three home games, one road game and a bye in those weeks. It features their second primetime game of the year with a Monday Night Football game hosting the Browns. 

-The Broncos bye week is as late of a bye for them that I can remember. Week 14 for a bye week in December is late.

-The Broncos last three games are tough. They head to the Chargers in Week 16 and then have a rough back to back with at the Bengals in Week 17 and hosting the Chiefs in Week 18. Maybe the Chiefs would have clinched the division by then and they will be resting starters and the Broncos can take advantage of that.

-The Broncos have three sets of back-to-back road games, so that will be a challenge throughout the year. Two of those sets have early starts on Sunday afternoon.

-Denver hasn't gotten off to good starts the last few years to start the year, so the key is coming out of those first four games at 2-2 and then going from there. 

-You never know what is going to happen when you look at a schedule. Last year, everyone had Denver beating the Raiders and Washington to start the year at home to be 2-0. They lost both at home to start 0-2, but beat Kansas City and Buffalo in back-to-back weeks in November. 

Broncos 2024 Draft Class

 Here is the Denver Broncos 2024 NFL Draft class with my thoughts on each selection....

Round 1 Pick #12: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon: The Broncos had to come away with one of the six QBs that were projected to go in the 1st round of the draft. In my opinion, it really didn't matter which one they got, they just needed to get one. They didn't have the draft capital to trade up for the top 3 QB picks (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, or Drake Maye), so they stayed at #12 and grabbed Nix, who they had graded as the third QB on their board (behind Williams and Daniels). Sean Payton really zeroed in on Nix as the guy as the draft process played out, and if Payton is sold on Nix, then that is good for me. I was happy that the Broncos were decisive and used conviction in picking Nix at 12. A lot of experts had him going late Round 1 and even in Round 2, but none of that matters at this point. I think Nix can be a really good fit for Sean Payton and his offense, and I think that Payton will maximize Nix's strengths and ability. I'm looking forward to watching Nix play this year and develop, and it works out, then the Broncos have finally found their QB.

Round 3 Pick #76: Jonah Elliss, Edge, Utah: The Broncos didn't have a 2nd round pick, so they had to wait until the 3rd round to pick again, and they went with a pass rusher in Elliss. He is the son of former NFL defensive lineman Luther Elliss. He was very productive at Utah as a pass rusher, but didn't participate in the Combine or Pro Day because of an injury. He is fully healed, and the Broncos believe they got a steal with him in the 3rd round. He will join the pass rushing rotation of Baron Browning, Jonathan Cooper, and Nik Bonitto. 

Round 4 Pick #102: Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon: The Broncos traded up to near the top of Round 4 to grab Franklin. Most mock drafts had him going late in the 1st round or in the 2nd round, so to see him drop to the 4th round was surprising. Franklin was a teammate of Bo Nix at Oregon, so that should really help both of them adjust the Broncos and the NFL in general. Franklin could make an immediate impact in the WR room, and could be a factor in his rookie year. It will be fun to see how Payton utilizes him in the offense. 

Round 5 Pick #145: Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Missouri: I didn't know much about Abrams-Draine, but the more I studied him over the weekend, the more I like this pick. You can never have enough CBs on your roster in today's NFL, so grabbing him here is a good value pick. He will compete with Levi Wallace and Damari Mathis for the second CB spot to complement Pat Surtain on the other side. 

Round 5 Pick #147: Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame: The Broncos added to their RB room with the selection of Estime. He had a very good career at Notre Dame, and he is a big physical presence. I think he will make the roster and add to the RB group alongside Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, and Jaleel McLaughlin. He could be a factor his rookie year in the run game.

Round 7 Pick #235: Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah: The Broncos added Vele in the 7th round to a pretty crowded WR group. It is hard to see a scenario where Vele makes the 53 man roster with the depth at that group, so he is probably fighting for a practice squad spot.

Round 7 Pick #256: Nick Gargiulo, Guard, South Carolina: Gargiulo figures to add depth to the interior of the offensive line, but realistically he is looking to grab a practice squad spot as well. 

Defensive Lineman John Franklin-Myers acquired in a trade with the New York Jets for a 2026 6th round pick: This was a surprise and came on Day Three of the NFL Draft on Saturday. This was a really good move for Denver and it only netted a 6th round pick in 2026 to acquire Franklin-Myers. He can play all down the defensive line, and this was very positive move for the Broncos defense.