Peyton Manning to Broncos: Denver Must Curtail Super Bowl Aspirations

Before we go crowning the Broncos Super Bowl champions and Pat Bowlen pens his "This one's for Peyton" speech, we need to realize that the Broncos are still nothing more than a fringe top 10 team. 

No, my curiosity does not come from nothing. According to ESPN The Magazine, expectations are high. 

"

Vegas thinks Manning makes the Broncos a legit Super Bowl contender. They're 7/1 to win SB — only the GB has better odds (H/T @RJinVegas)

— ESPN The Magazine (@ESPNMag) March 20, 2012"

Let's cool things down just a touch here, people. A quick look at the schedule shows that wins are going to be easier said than done. 

Home	Away
Kansas City Chiefs	Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders	Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers	San Diego Chargers
Cleveland Browns	Atlanta Falcons
Houston Texans	Baltimore Ravens
New Orleans Saints	Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	New England Patriots

While I can't see anything worse than 4-2 coming against the division, the rest of that schedule is an absolute monster. The Texans, Saints, Steelers, Falcons, Ravens, Bengals and Patriots were all playoff teams in 2011. That isn't to say they're going to lose every one of those games, but with both Cleveland and Carolina having high draft picks, you can't say definitively that they won't beat Denver. 

Remember, the Broncos were an 8-8 team a season ago. That isn't to say that Peyton Manning isn't an upgrade, but their schedule was much easier overall than it is this year. 

Now, I will grant one argument. The Broncos are still a playoff team. The AFC West opponents have to play nearly the same schedule (they won't have the Texans or Steelers), but Denver also catches a huge break playing the Saints in Denver, not New Orleans. 

The problem here is that I look at this schedule and see nothing more than about a 9-7, 10-6 record. The fact of the matter is that Manning hasn't played in the NFL in over a year. It is entirely possible that he'll have a slow adjustment. We don't know exactly when Denver will be facing these teams but looking at that schedule, you're not going to find a soft opening. 

Somewhere in that range puts the Broncos in the same position they were in last season. They will make the playoffs, get a home game, but then have to go on the road. Looking at what happened last year when they played in New England, I can assure you that the difference between the two teams was greater than Peyton Manning vs. Tim Tebow.

With that schedule, the Broncos are going to have to win at least two road games to get to the Super Bowl. That is not going to happen now. The secondary is too thin and the receivers are not strong enough. 

Denver still has a long way to go to be on par with New England, Baltimore and even a healthy Houston team. That doesn't even mention the NFC teams like the 49ers, Giants, Saints or Packers (who admittedly do have better odds). The Broncos are a playoff team, but they are a far cry from being a Super Bowl contender. 

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