Subscribe
Follow Us
With a reeling Green Bay Packers (2-3) team traveling west, a Denver Broncos Week 7 win is on the table, which probably feels like more hope than Denver (1-5) fans have felt in a while. The Packers have lost two in a row after starting their season 2-1, and their chances on Sunday hinge largely on improvements via the injury report.
But why feel optimism for the Broncos? Well, let's put aside the Week 3 debacle against the Miami Dolphins. In Denver's other four losses, one came by three points, one by two points, and another by a single point. Some of that is directly related to Sean Payton and the team; some of that is probably some good old fashioned bad luck too. And this team just held Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to 19 points. In a loss, of course, but still. There are decently positive signs, if you squint hard enough.
The Packers have been struggling on offense over the last few weeks. That's not an entirely surprising development, considering the team is breaking in Jordan Love as its new starting quarterback. Green Bay will receive a big boost if RB Aaron Jones is healthy enough to suit up, because Love is simply not at the point where he is going to win this team games single handedly.
Two teams, one of which is bound to seize the opportunity to turn their season around for at least an afternoon. Let's get into our Broncos Week 7 predictions.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Jerry Jeudy flashes, perhaps for the last time in Denver
The trade speculation around WR Jerry Jeudy is fully humming ahead of the league's Halloween trade deadline. Jeudy hasn't said much, but it seems like a split between the Broncos and its 2020 first round draft pick is inevitable. Clean break, etc.
So why anticipate a big game from Jeudy? To bolster his trade value, of course! Who knows if Jeudy wants out of Denver or not, but the best way to facilitate a trade would be to shine against the Packers and entice teams to offer up improved trade compensation.
It's not as if Jeudy doesn't have talent, and he's far from the only disappointment on the 2023 Denver Broncos. Showing other teams what he can do would help Jeudy join a contender this month — that seems like enough motivation to predict a strong showing for the former Alabama star.
Patrick Surtain II nabs his second pick of 2023
It's true that Patrick Surtain II hasn't been at his best this season. Opposing quarterbacks are completing passes when targeting him at the highest rate of his career, and averaging more yards per completion as well. Still, Surtain is one of the few bright spots on this defense.
Jordan Love started out his first season as the Packers' QB1 in such a promising fashion, throwing six TDs to zero interceptions in his first two games. He's gotten progressively worse with ball protection since then. He has thrown just two touchdowns across Weeks 3, 4, and 5, while his interception tallies in those games have increased each week, from one to two to finally three in an ugly 17-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Will Love toss four picks on Sunday? Probably not. With the Broncos run defense performing (or not performing) as it has, why even throw at all? But throw it the Packers will, and Love's turnover issues just might come back to bite him again on the road.
The Broncos drop home game to the Packers, fall to 1-6
Jordan Love and the Packers offense has been in a real rut lately. Will coming off a bye week help them get their season back on track? Aaron Jones seems trending towards a go on Sunday, which would be music to Love's ears.
So, would you rather bank on Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur's ability to correct what ails his team over two weeks, or on Sean Payton to turn around his first season at the helm in Denver?
One of these feels like a much tougher lift than the other. The Packers have shown the ability to win games this season, and are experiencing anticipated growing pains. The Broncos were supposed to be a contender, and have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this season to date. A home game should be an elixir for down-bad NFL teams, but a lot of things that “should” for the Broncos have not so far. Add a Week 7 loss to the list.
