The Denver Broncos had themselves an exceptional offseason that was headlined by the acquisition of superstar quarterback Russell Wilson. After a few consecutive seasons of subpar performance from Drew Lock, the team decided it was time to part ways with him.
Besides the acquisition of Wilson, the Broncos continued adding to their already impressive roster through the draft and free agency. They also hired an offensive-minded head coach in Nathaniel Hackett. With an offense that has underperformed since the retirement of Peyton Manning, the Broncos hope Hackett can help steer the Broncos' offense back in the right direction.
Needless to say, there is a lot more hype surrounding the Broncos' 2022 season. For the first time in a while, there seems to be a bit more hope in Broncos Country.
Let's discuss some bold predictions for the Denver Broncos' 2022 season.
Broncos will not end the season last in the AFC West
Over the past few seasons, Denver had a real issue clawing themselves out of the basement of the AFC West. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they reside in one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult division in the NFL.
In the years that they've struggled to get out of last place in the division, the team has also had multiple quarterbacks. Not much success can be had if a team doesn't have a franchise quarterback, and the Broncos were certainly missing one. With Wilson now throwing the rock in orange and blue, the team finally has a franchise quarterback.
In 2022, they will finally have a solid shot at an AFC West title. While winning a division title is certainly going to be difficult, it shouldn't be out of the question. However, it might be a bit too early to say the Broncos will win the AFC West in Wilson's first year in Denver. The Broncos should find themselves in second or third place at the end of the season.
Courtland Sutton will be Wilson's favorite target all season
Denver is absolutely stacked at wide receiver. Wilson will have no problem finding someone to catch the ball. With how stacked they are at wide receiver, hopefully, the Broncos won't have significant issues moving the ball down the field. Again, hopefully.
The Broncos drafted Sutton out of SMU in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite having a slew of quarterbacks throwing him the ball, Sutton has shown he has the tangibles to be a number-one receiver. At 6'4″, Sutton is a large target for Wilson. If Wilson gets enough time after the snap, we could see a lot of him throwing deep to Sutton. After losing Tim Patrick to a season-long injury, Sutton could easily become Wilson's favorite big-man target for the season. There is a high probability Sutton could end the season just north of 1000 receiving yards.
Courtland Sutton made play after play this season 🔥 @SuttonCourtland @Broncos pic.twitter.com/FwZqTbHiot
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 8, 2020
The Broncos will end the season with a winning record
The last time the Broncos had a winning record? 2016. Just one year removed from the Super Bowl 50 victory and the retirement of Peyton Manning. The 2016 season wasn't much to write home about anyways. The team ended the season with 9-7 record, and it marked the start of some bad times in Broncos Country.
But for the first time in a while, there is more optimism ahead of the 2022 season. There is a belief that the Broncos can finally have a good season. There is also hope that the Broncos offense will put up more than 20 points per game, and not rely heavily on kicker Brandon McManus for points.
Official record prediction? Denver will end the season with an 11-6 record.
Denver will finally beat the Chiefs
The Broncos last beat the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015. So in the seven years since that win, the Chiefs have beaten the Broncos 13 consecutive times. Stats like this drive Broncos fans nuts. And what's even more frustrating is the fact that the Broncos' defense has done relatively well at keeping the Chiefs offense in check all these years. The team just needed an offense to put up points.
With the newfound optimism for the season and an elite quarterback at the helm, Denver has their best chance to beat the Chiefs in years. If the defense can keep Patrick Mahomes under wraps, the Broncos should at minimum, win one of the matchups against the Chiefs this year.
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