A win on Sunday against Cleveland will put the Broncos at 6-0, the exact same place they were six games in to the 2013 season in which they went to the Super Bowl, riding an historic offense.
This year, it’s the defense that is carrying the team. Through five games, Denver has league best 22 sacks (on pace for 70.4 for the year) and has allowed just 15.8 points per game – second best in the NFL. Both of those numbers figure to improve against a Browns offensive line that has allowed 18 sacks and 46 QB hits en route to a 2-3 record.
Eric Goodman of Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports AM 1340 says the 2015 Broncos are far more likely to find themselves with a 13-3 record like the 2013 Broncos than the 2009 Broncos – the other team since that time to go 6-0 – who ultimately finished the year 8-8 and out of the playoffs.
“I don’t see this defense slipping,” says Goodman. “This defense is good enough to carry the team to double-digit wins and a playoff berth.”
Goodman isn’t convinced the team can run away with 13 wins in the same fashion the 2013 team did, hardly being challenged along the way, but he also doesn’t see the nail-biting trends of Weeks 1 through 6 continuing either.
“The Broncos aren’t going to need Bradley Roby to return a fumble, or David Bruton to punch a ball out of a receiver’s hands so Darian Stewart can intercept it, or Chris Harris to return an interception for a touchdown in every game. At some point the offense is going to do its part more and won’t need to be save in the last five minutes by the defense,” Goodman says.
That doesn’t mean he sees things going perfectly.
“Aaron Rodgers and the Packers may carve up the Broncos,” he says. “He’s just so athletic and is playing at such an elite level right now. But he’s the exception. So are the Patriots. This defense won’t win every game, but it will get the team to the playoffs.”
Joe Rico of The Final Word isn’t so confident. He sees this Broncos team looking more like the 2009 team that started 6-0 and ended 8-8.
