The Broncos were more than happy with their offseason acquisition of
Peyton Manning, but much of that quickly wore off once the regular season schedules
were released. Find out why we believe that the Denver Broncos will have the
toughest road to the playoffs in the 2012-13 season.
Currently, NFL odds makers have listed the Denver Broncos at +1500 in this year's Super Bowl race, but after looking at their schedule, I think most will agree that the lives might be a bit off.
The Gauntlet
Week 1: In Week 1 things
won't start so easy for the fragile Peyton Manning, as he will face off with
the hard hitting Pittsburgh Steelers in prime time Sunday Night Football
matchup. This is a critical game that will help to set the tone for the Broncos’
season, and it will be a huge test as to Manning’s health. The Steelers will no
doubt be bringing pressure from every angle, and we all know that Pittsburgh is
one of the hardest hitting teams in the league. If the Broncos offensive line
isn't up to par, they could get their superstar QB knocked out for the season,
giving that one wrong hit on Manning could end his career.
Week 2: The second
week sees the Broncos in another prim time slot. The team will have to regroup
and take on the high powered Atlanta Falcons offense in Atlanta where QB Matt
Ryan has lost just 2 games in his career. This should be a shoot out and one of
the more fun NFL games to watch all season as two of the league’s top down the
field passers go head to head.
Week 3: After two
prime time games, Manning will face his no one time division foes, the Houston
Texans. As if the Broncos won't get a stiff enough test against a highly rated
defense in Week 1, they will certainly get it here in Week 3. Statistically the
Texans were the #1 defense in the NFL last year, and there will not be of a
drop off in performance this season. Denver very well could open the season 0-3
or 1-2, even after all of the expectations that come along with having Peyton
Manning under center.
Week 4: In an
exciting division matchup, Denver will face the ever improving Oakland Raiders
at home. This is a winnable game for Denver, and a chance for them to really
show off their new skills. However, they must be careful, as Oakland has a very
well rounded defense as well and Manning must protect the football. After a
very demanding opening run, this game very well could be a measuring stick to
see whether Denver will fall flat on their faces or rise to the occasion this
season.
Week 5: While the
Raiders are no pushovers, they will look like a practice squad when compared to
the Broncos’ Week 5 opponents, the New England Patriots. Who ever made this
schedule sure does not like Peyton Manning one bit. Over the years Manning and Brady
have been involved in some of the most classic games in NFL history, but the
Pats are virtually unbeatable at Gilette Stadium. The Denver defensive line
will have to get a ton of pressure on Brady if they want to put a stop to the
passing game and shut down explosive TE’s Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
Von Miller, who had a break out rookie season with 11.5 sacks, will be a key
point on defense and must be in Brady’s face every down.
Week 6: Again, in a prime
time game, the Broncos will face the San Diego Chargers. There really is no capping
this game right now, as we will need time to see both teams out of the gate.
The Chargers are so unpredictable, as they can look like the best team in the
game at one moment, then beat themselves every game. Make no mistake about it,
this is another grueling game for Denver. After facing the Pats and Brady they
will have only a short time to prepare for Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates.
This defense surely will be tested without a doubt. Do not be surprised if we
see Denver at 1-5 or 2-4 after Game 6.
Bye week
Finally the football
gods give the Denver Broncos a break after those grueling first 6 in the form
of a bye week. Wait; hold on, not so fast. Right after the bye week, Denver
will once again be in the prime time spotlight facing off against the New
Orleans Saints. Now there has been a lot of scrutiny against the Saints in the
off season for their bounty reward program, but we feel like they will be just
as good as last year if not better. I mean how can they not be will Drew Brees
at the helm. This is another game where Peyton Manning (if he isn't injured
yet) will be put to the test, being that the Saints are another nasty hard
hitting defensive team.
The next 2 weeks the
Broncos will be on the road to face the Bengals and the explosive Panthers with
Cam Newton under center. They will then face the Chargers once again, followed
by a trip into one of the toughest stadiums in the league to meet the Chiefs.
They will finish off the season against the Buccaneers and their hated rivals,
the Oakland Raiders, once again.
We
are not quite sure what Peyton Manning did to piss the schedule makers off, but
he sure did one hell of a job, as he has been handed one of the most difficult
schedules that we have seen in a long time.
Denver had such high hopes and
dreams after they acquired Peyton Manning. This schedule, which is without a
doubt the hardest that any team in the NFL has, very well may prevent the Broncos
from making the playoffs, and could cost Peyton Manning his career.