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They lost their first six games away from home and picked up their lone win on Dec. 14 against a 3-11 Colts team. Head Coach Vance Joseph spoke about the importance of starting fast and eliminating turnovers so that the team could find itself in a fair football game. That rarely happened last year, and this game could provide the first indication of whether the team has turned the corner. A late-season matchup with a divisional opponent always provides intrigue.
This will mark the ninth season since the NFL mandated that regular-season schedules end with division games. Playing the Chargers at home ensures that the Broncos will have closed the season with each of their division opponents three times since the league changed its Week 17 protocol. This will also mark the ninth time in the last 10 seasons that the Broncos have ended their regular season at home. The Broncos, though, may need to get the best of Garoppolo in this game. The Week 14 matchup will likely be critical in the playoff stretch, and a loss may force the Broncos to win the remaining three games on their schedule.
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The two teams will meet earlier in the year on “Monday Night Football,” but this game at the halfway point of the season could answer a lot of questions about the Broncos. And with a new-look roster that includes Patrick Mahomes II, the contest could also shed light on how the next chapter of this rivalry will develop. The Broncos' 2018 season is still months away, but the initial slate of games was announced Wednesday as Denver released its opponents for its four-game preseason schedule. The Broncos' 2018 schedule was going to be tough enough given the competition in their own division.
Here’s a game-by-game look at the Broncos’ 2018 schedule with background on each opponent. With the addition of Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh and Brandin Cooks, the Rams have made it clear they're gunning for a Super Bowl appearance this season. As such, they'll likely provide one of the toughest tests of the season for the Broncos.
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They’ve since signed “Jimmy G.” to a long-term contract extension, and he’s given San Francisco fans a reason to believe the best is yet to come. After taking over in Week 12 last season, he led the 49ers to wins in all five of his starts. The Broncos’ fate over the last two seasons should prove just that.
Denver hopes to continue its recent form in games before the bye when Deshaun Watson makes his first visit to Denver. The Broncos have won five of their last six games preceding a bye week, with the only loss in that run coming in a overtime loss at Seattle in 2014. This will also be Case Keenum's first game against his original team.
Broncos place 2 players on IR, add 2 players to 53-man roster
A Week 13 game against the Bengals and Week 14 contest against the 49ers will wrap up a two-game road stretch. The Broncos have not played a meaningful game in Levi’s Stadium since Super Bowl 50. They’ll travel to the StubHub Center to play the Chargers in Week 11 before a home game against the Steelers in Week 12. Denver fell in its sole trip to the StubHub Center, but the team defeated the Chargers in last year’s season opener.
Los Angeles has arguably the most-talented roster in the AFC West, and many believe the Chargers will be division favorites in 2018. Another notable game for the Broncos is a showdown with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6. That game will give quarterback Case Keenum a chance to face one of his former teams. The contest will also mark the return to Denver for former Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and cornerback Aqib Talib. But the biggest acquisition for the 49ers in quite some time is undoubtedly the trade they executed last season for Jimmy Garoppolo.
They lost to Seattle in overtime when the two teams met the following season and they haven't played each other in a regular season game since. The Broncos head into the season with a five-game losing streak against the Chiefs, and Arrowhead Stadium has been particularly unkind to Denver during that stretch. The Chiefs eliminated the Broncos from playoff contention with a blowout win at the end of 2016, and things weren’t much better in 2017 when the Broncos turned the ball over five times. The Chiefs eliminated the Broncos from playoff contention with a blowout win at the end of 2016, and things weren't much better in 2017 when the Broncos turned the ball over five times. Last season, Denver had a pathetic offensive showing in Los Angeles, putting up a doughnut at StubHub Center.
Von Miller will try to get the best of third-year quarterback Jared Goff. And Vance Joseph will face a stiff test against the 2017 Coach of the Year, Sean McVay. For the eighth year in a row, the Broncos will open in front of their home faithful.
That would be a difficult task, given the two matchups against division opponents. A win in Santa Clara, though, could give Denver some breathing room. Denver hopes to snap a two-game post-bye losing streak when the team ventures to StubHub Center. The Broncos are 21-8 all-time after byes, including a 6-3 mark in post-bye road games. The team also has a chance to avenge its Super Bowl XLVIII loss to the Seahawks when they play them at home in Week ____x_______.
The Broncos' last game against Pittsburgh was a memorable 2015 playoff win en route to a Super Bowl 50 win. Perhaps more than any other game in 2018, a matchup with the Steelers should provide the Broncos with a measuring stick for where they stand in the AFC. Led by Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh’s offense is arguably the league’s best.
Michael Crabtree is out of Oakland and many changes will be made under Gruden’s regime. Considering the history between these ball clubs, expect this one to get heated. The Broncos Week ____x_______ matchup with the 49ers at Levi Stadium in San Jose should also be interesting. Former Broncos safety John Lynch is now the general manager of the team, and former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan's son Kyle.
Both men were key pieces of the Super Bowl 50 team — but they’re now in Los Angeles searching for another ring. Broncos Ring of Famer John Lynch hasn’t relaxed during his second season as the 49ers’ general manager. They are yet another team that has seen its share of changes over the last year, as longtime Seattle Seahawk Richard Sherman joined the fold this offseason. Denver wraps up its preseason schedule with a Week 4 game in Arizona against the Cardinals. The Broncos have competed against Arizona in 12 of the last 14 preseason finales. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers nearly completed a ferocious fourth-quarter comeback, but the Broncos remained strong and held on.
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