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The Denver Broncos' miserable 2022 season has finally reached its end. The Broncos have just one more game, a home match against the Los Angeles Chargers before they can begin to wash the bad taste of this season away. Ahead of the Broncos-Chargers game, we'll be making our Broncos Week 18 predictions.
Although it may not seem like it at first, this game does have some playoff implications. The Chargers are playing to secure their spot as the AFC's fifth seed, meaning they'd play the AFC South winner in the first round instead of the Bengals or Bills. On the Broncos' side, they're just trying to ensure they don't send a top-three pick to the Seattle Seahawks. Far from the best motivation, but it is motivation nonetheless.
With that said, here are our bold Broncos predictions for Week 18.
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3. Russell Wilson throws two touchdowns and no interceptions
Russell Wilson has had a terrible first season in Denver, as everyone knows by now. He has thrown for a career-low in touchdown passes, and he has thrown 10 interceptions for the sixth time in his career. Unsurprisingly, his QBR this season of 35.6 is the lowest of his career by over 20 points.
Wilson has shown flashes of his past form, but those have been few and far between. However, one of those flashes did happen in the first game against the Chargers in Los Angeles. He played decently well in the first quarter as Denver jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but an awful performance in the final three quarters proved to be the Broncos' undoing.
Still, that hot start in the previous matchup may provide a small glimmer of hope. If Wilson can play like that again, but for the entire game, then he may give Broncos' fans some slight optimism heading into 2023. Avoiding the turnover bug is key, but throwing multiple touchdowns for just the third time this season would be even better.
2. The Broncos hold the Chargers under 250 total yards
For all of Denver's faults this season, the defense has actually been quite strong this season. The Broncos sixth in the NFL in yards allowed and 10th in points allowed, and has kept them in games despite their awful offense. Even after trading away Bradley Chubb at the deadline, the defense has remained rock-solid.
Additionally, one of the defense's better performances this season came against the Chargers. The Broncos held the Chargers to just 297 total yards, including just 73 on the ground. They also held Justin Herbert without a touchdown pass for the first time since 2020 and intercepted him once.
If Denver wants to win this game, the defense will have to play just as well, if not better. The Broncos have a strong chance to win this game if they can hold LA under 250 yards of offense.
1. The Broncos end their season on a high note
Somehow, Denver is actually the betting favorite entering this game. It doesn't make much sense at all, and LA is the heavy favorite according to ESPN's FPI. Still, let's ride with it.
The Broncos did take the Chargers to overtime in the first meeting, and would have won with just one more bounce going their way. Broncos fans are also desperate for some happiness after how awful this season has been. It won't erase the bad taste by any means, but winning and potentially pushing their rivals to a lower seed would help a bit.
