The Denver Broncos beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 9 to move to 3-6. They then had a Bye Week in Week 10.
That means, they are heading into Week 11 coming off a win. However, they're going up against Minnesota Vikings, a 7-3 team that has won five of their last six.
The Broncos may not have a great record, but they've been in basically every game near the end. With that in mind, their record could look a lot different had a few things gone their way.
So although the records are so much different, this could be one of the more exciting games of Week 11.
How exactly do the Broncos pull out the victory though? Here are four reasons they could win in Week 11.
Defense
Denver's defense has been one of the units in the NFL. They've given up 309.7 total yards per game (fourth-best in the NFL) and 18.9 points per game (sixth-best in the NFL).
While they have only 20 sacks (fifth-least in the league) and seven takeaways (second-least in the NFL), the Broncos defense is proving they don't need the flashy stats to stop teams from doing much against them.
The Vikings have a good offense, led by Kirk Cousins. While the quarterback has been on a hot-streak though, he's got a flaw. Cousins has struggled pretty notably at times. He can get extremely flustered, and when that happens things can spiral out of control pretty fast.
Denver's defense has some superstar talents on it. With Von Miller and Chris Harris, they have two veterans who can turn in massive performances at any moment. However, neither of those two have exactly had those big games yet.
At some point, they will happen. Week 11 could be the time. If that's the case, the Broncos could sneak away with the win as they create major problems for Cousins.
Noah Fant
The Broncos have a little bit of an issue with their passing game if we are being honest. They are starting Brandon Allen at quarterback and don't have all that many receiving options.
However, one of those options is Noah Fant. The rookie tight end has shown tons of promise, and had his best game of the year in his last game.
On the year, Fant has 23 receptions for 300 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 9, he had three receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. The game before that, he had five receptions for another 26 yards.
So in his last two games, Fant has eight receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. Those are a pretty solid chunk of his season totals.
I don't know about you, but it sounds to me like the rookie is starting to figure it out.
The Minnesota defense has a lot of positives to it. However, Fant has that rare combination of elite athleticism and fantastic size (6'4″, 249 lbs). He can create major matchup problems, as well as break off a massive play at any moment.
If Fant is truly starting to get comfortable, that's bad news for the rest of the NFL – that includes the Vikings.
No Adam Thielen
This one is about as simple as they come. Cousins has been great lately. That includes games without Adam Thielen.
However, let's not pretend like it still doesn't have a chance to create serious problems for the Vikings.
Thielen is their best receiver. Yes, they still have Stefon Diggs, but that's about it when it comes to receivers. Josh Doctson is returning, but he's a major question mark.
Dalvin Cook is a star running back, as well. If the Vikings don't have Thielen though, major problems could arise.
Get Cousins out of his game, and you don't have to worry about the passing attack anymore. This means they can focus on the run more. The second the Denver defense gets to zero in on something they can shut it down.
Running Game
Denver's passing game has issues. We've mentioned that already. However, they have some great things going for them in the running game. That would be in the form of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman.
Freeman has a 374 yards and two touchdowns on 93 carries (4.0 yards per carry). He also has 27 receptions for 181 yards.
Meanwhile, Lindsay has 584 yards and five touchdowns on 118 rushes (4.9 yards per carry). He also has 25 receptions for another 160 yards.
Those two can carry the offense at any moment.
The fact that the Broncos have two running backs makes a big difference. They can keep each player fresh, as neither has to carry the full burden of the running game.
Minnesota allows just 91.2 rushing yards per game. That's the sixth-best in the NFL. However, Lindsay and Freeman can help run the team to a win against basically anyone, that includes the Vikings.
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