AFC West Predictions: San Diego Chargers Lead the Pack

Columnist Written on June 13, 2008

(Page 3 of 6)

Week	Opponent	Win%	Avg Score
1	Carolina Panthers	61	26-18
2	@Denver Broncos	75	29-20
3	New York Jets	64	30-18
4	@Oakland Raiders	83	28-18
5	@Miami Dolphins	85	29-18
6	New England Patriots	34	22-26
7	@Buffalo Bills	73	27-21
8	@New Orleans Saints	66	29-23
10	Kansas City Chiefs	89	33-13
11	@Pittsburgh Steelers	47	21-27
12	Indianapolis Colts	35	23-28
13	Atlanta Falcons	83	33-14
14	Oakland Raiders	86	33-15
15	@Kansas City Chiefs	95	29-13
16	@Tampa Bay Buccaneers	77	25-17
17	Denver Broncos	77	36-21

Denver Broncos (7-9)

It may not seem like much for Cardinals and Bengals fans, but three years without a playoff appearance for Mike Shanahan and his Broncos is a drought. Worse yet, there are good players on this roster, but not many exciting names or potential stars. The Broncos average 24.7 points per game (12th) and allow 26.6 points (24th) against a schedule featuring five games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 7-9

Most Significant Newcomer: Boss Bailey, LB—Bailey should be able to step right in and be instantly productive alongside D.J. Williams. The wide-receiver additions, Darrell Jackson, Keary Colbert, Edell Shepherd, and Eddie Royal also warrant consideration, but none have shown the consistency (at any level) needed to be singled out on this list.

Biggest Strength: Shanahan—In his 14th season leading the Broncos, Shanahan still knows a lot about football and how to build a team that can run the ball on offense and force turnovers on defense.

Most Exploitable Weakness: Lack of a star—Simulations like these take human bias out of the argument, but what is going on here can be explained in a very human way. With the possible exception of Champ Bailey, there are no stars on this team. There is not really anything to get people excited.

In the sim, that translates into the fact that no player puts the team over the top. Yes, it is balanced and lacks an obvious weakness, but Denver is balanced in a very average way across the board.

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written on June 13, 2008 Preview/Prediction

Bleacher Report has a featured columnist opening for Kansas City Chiefs.

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