As the new NFL season approaches, it’s time to take an early look at every team in the league’s offseason prospects, training camp realities, and 2014 prospective. Read on for everything you need to know about the Denver Broncos and for more AFC West previews check out our Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers pieces.
The Denver Broncos’ 2013 season began on a high but ended with a thud in the Super Bowl. With the great Peyton Manning close to the end of a glittering career, the Broncos have loaded up their roster this offseason with the hope of making one more run at the title this year.
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Denver Broncos 2014 NFL Futures Preview
Offseason Updates (8/22/2014)
The Denver Broncos’ Jordan Norwood will miss the 2014-2015 NFL Season after suffering a torn left ACL during practice on August 20. He was making a significant effort of being the sixth wide receiver for the Broncos. Norwood recorded four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in two preseason games combined.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Sanders, one of the Broncos’ key acquisitions in free agency, has missed several practice sessions since August 4 due to a lingering quad injury. He has missed significant practice time which may hinder him from syncing with quarterback Peyton Manning in time for the regular season games.
Overview
2013 Regular Season Record: 13-3 SU/10-6 ATS
2013 was a record-breaking year for the Denver Broncos. Led by the outstanding play of quarterback Peyton Manning, the Broncos set numerous new offensive records, including most points (606), touchdowns (76), and 50-point games (3), on their way to a 13-3 regular season record, the best in the AFC.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Manning personally set new NFL records for total passing yards (5,477) and passing TDs (55) in a single season on his way to winning a record fifth MVP trophy.
The no. 1 seed Broncos won the AFC to make their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1998, but were thoroughly destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks, 43-8.
After suffering the humiliation of that Super Bowl loss, the Broncos have retooled their roster this offseason in hopes of making another run at the championship. With Manning still at the helm, not only are the Broncos overwhelming favourites to win the AFC West for the fourth year running at -450, they’re also the co-favorites along with the Seahawks at +500 to claim Super Bowl XLIX.
Offseason Highlights
The main focus of the Broncos’ offseason was to strengthen a defense that looked hopelessly inferior to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. They certainly invested heavily in that part of the ball via free agency with the signings of DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward and Aqib Talib.
Ware missed a lot of time due to injury last season – the only time he’s missed in his nine-year career – but the Broncos feel the seven-time Pro-Bowler will be a formidable pass rushing complement opposite Von Miller.
Meanwhile, cornerback Talib and safety Ward will be the new stars in the Broncos secondary after cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Champ Baily were not re-signed. The newly-signed duo will look to fortify a secondary that was 27th in opponents’ passing yards last season.
On offense, the Broncos also allowed wide receiver Eric Decker and running back Knowshon Moreno to leave via free agency. Although they were key contributors last season – the two combined for close to 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns – their departures aren’t expected to be incredibly significant.
Denver signed former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders to offset Decker’s loss, while Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman are expected to approximate Moreno’s production between the two of them.
Key Betting Matchups of 2014 NFL Season
After having the easiest schedule in the entire league last season, the Broncos will have a potentially tougher time hitting the over in their regular season win totals, which is set at over/under 11.5, as they were handed the second-toughest schedule in the NFL. These two out-of-division road games will be especially challenging for Manning and co. to escape with victory.
September 21 – @ Seattle Seahawks
The rematch of last year’s Super Bowl could also be a precursor to this year’s battle if things break right for both teams. But if the Broncos got walloped by 35 on a neutral field, how will they fare when they go up against the Seahawks’ 12th man in CenturyLink Field when they visit Seattle on Week 3?
November 2 – @ New England Patriots
Peyton and the Broncos should have won last season’s matchup with Brady and the Patriots having led by 24 at the half, only to squander it away. Manning won’t want to make the same mistake again when he returns to Foxboro to face off against his old foes, Brady and Belichick.
Writer’s Prediction
Despite a tough schedule, the Broncos still manage to win the AFC West (-450), but they fail to hit the over in their regular season win total of over/under 11.5. Likewise, they also fall short of another trip to the Super Bowl.
