5 Potentially Tricky Matchups on Denver Broncos' 2015 Schedule
The Denver Broncos will be faced with many challenges in the 2015 season.
With a new coaching staff comes plenty of changes. How will a 39-year-old quarterback transition into a brand new offense? How will the defense respond switching to a 3-4 scheme?
Fans of the Broncos hope that there is positivity in the answers to both of those questions. If so, Denver should be among the top contenders to reach the Super Bowl in the AFC.
With time running out for Peyton Manning and general manager John Elway to achieve their ultimate goal together, expect them to pull out all the stops en route to the playoffs.
But success makes a team a big target. Under Manning, the Broncos have gone 38-10 during the regular season. Other teams know that they can create a lot of momentum by defeating a team that has been this good and, as a result, the Broncos can expect to get a team's best shot more often than not.
So which games on the Broncos' 2015 schedule could be tricky matchups?
In recent years, the Broncos have been better than their opponents in each of these five games. But that doesn't guarantee wins.
Read on for more on the five potentially tricky matchups Denver faces in 2015.
Week 1 vs. Baltimore Ravens
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Right out of the gate in Week 1, the Broncos face the Baltimore Ravens. Though the game will be played in Denver, it should not be counted as an automatic win for the Broncos.
The Ravens are a team that has beaten them when many people assumed Denver would win. Fans may feel like the Broncos have an advantage with Gary Kubiak spending last season as Baltimore's offensive coordinator, but that could be seen both ways.
That is what will make this game a real chess match.
Which coaching staff will throw in a wrinkle that the other team isn't expecting? Going into the game, the Broncos will likely feel as though they know exactly how to attack the Baltimore defense, while the Ravens will feel like they know a large portion of Denver's offensive game plan.
The team that makes the best adjustments could easily emerge victorious.
The Broncos haven't lost a season opener since 2011 and are 3-0 in those games with Peyton Manning at quarterback. One of those three wins was against the Ravens, in which Manning tied a league record with seven touchdown passes.
Though he almost certainly won't repeat that performance, expect the Broncos to be ready for this game and up to the task of fending off a hungry Ravens unit. However, it won't be easy.
Week 3 at Detroit Lions
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Though the Detroit Lions haven't won a postseason game since the 1991 season, they are a team that has thoroughly embarrassed the Broncos the last two times they've squared off.
In those games, Detroit has outscored Denver 89-17, including a 45-10 drubbing in Denver in 2011, the last time the two teams met. These two teams don't see each other often, and the Broncos haven't won a game in Detroit since Christmas Day in 1999.
In the last meeting, Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes, and the Lions scored twice on defense.
The Lions were 7-1 at home in 2014 and figure to be at full strength and relatively healthy in Week 3. The Broncos will have to overcome their recent fortunes against this team in order to pull off a tough victory on the road.
Week 11 at Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears will likely need at least another year before being a contender in the NFC, but this game will have all the makings of tricky matchup for the Broncos.
There will be some familiar faces awaiting the Broncos in Chicago. Former head coach John Fox and quarterback Jay Cutler will be there, eager to hand a defeat to their former team.
Though Fox and Cutler were never in Denver together, neither man left on particularly great terms, and you can bet they will have this game circled on their calendars.
Add to that the fact that the game will take place in late November, when the Broncos may be confronted by the blustery winter weather of the Windy City, and this game could be a lot tougher than many fans expect.
The last two games these two teams have played have both gone into overtime, with each team getting a victory.
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Week 15 at Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers historically don't stay down for long, and after making the playoffs last season, the team seems primed for a deep run in 2015.
With Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, the Steelers have one of the most potent offensive attacks in the league. Denver's defense will get one of its toughest tests all season as a result.
With the game taking place in Week 15, it could carry plenty of playoff implications with it.
The Broncos haven't had to play in Pittsburgh since November 2006, a game the team won. Still, Heinz Field is one of the more difficult places in the league to get a win, and the Broncos will need to bring their best effort to do so.
A key factor in this game could be how much pressure defensive coordinator Wade Phillips decides to throw at Roethlisberger, who has a propensity to make big plays under serious duress.
Week 16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
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There is a bit of a rivalry forming between these two teams, despite them playing in separate divisions within the AFC. This will mark the first time they have met in Denver since September 2011.
Looking back at the 2014 season, the Broncos lost a tough Monday night game to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Though the Broncos crushed the Oakland Raiders by 33 points the following week, it was tough to overlook that loss to the Bengals.
It was evident the team didn't have what it took to win the Super Bowl after that game against Cincinnati, particularly because of the play of the offensive line and Manning, who tossed four interceptions.
"Last night was Peyton Manning's first career loss to the Bengals. He had been 8-0 previously. #MNF
— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) December 23, 2014"
Both teams could be vying for playoff seeds again this season when they square off in Week 16, and the Broncos will need a much better performance against the Bengals than last season.
If not, the season could end in the same disappointing fashion it did last year—perhaps even worse.
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