Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat reporter: The Broncos are doing their best Will Ferrell impersonation and going streaking. They’ve got three straight wins to get to 4-5 on the season. To make it a quad, they’re going to have to beat Minnesota at home in prime time. In order to be better than .500 (Who’d have considered that conversation in early October?) when a three-game road trip against Houston, the Chargers and Detroit starts in early December, they’ve got to get the Vikings and Cleveland at home the next two Sundays. Can they do it? Minnesota’s hot, too, having won five straight, and the Browns have one of the best defenses in the NFL. But they’re also starting Josh Dobbs (great story and a literal rocket scientist) and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (or P.J. Walker), respectively, at quarterback. Denver squandered a gettable two-game home set to open the season against Las Vegas and Washington. It still feels like a split to me. What do you fine gentlemen think? Do they end up heading to Houston 6-5? 5-6? 4-7?
Ryan McFadden, Broncos beat reporter: Originally, I predicted the Broncos would beat Minnesota but lose to the Browns. But I’m going to tweak my prediction a bit. Denver will knock off the Vikings and Cleveland, improving to 6-5 before facing the Houston Texans in December. Dobbs has played well since coming to Minnesota and his story is fascinating. But the Broncos have been playing well on defense and I’m going to continue to stick with that unit until proven otherwise. The Browns decided that quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be the starter moving forward, making me believe the Broncos have a shot in that game as well. Yes, the Browns have the best defense in football. But if the Broncos can avoid turning the ball over, they should take care of business.
It’s still mind-boggling that Denver went from 1-5 to creeping into the playoff picture. This three-game win streak has provided hope in the team, but they are far from a finished product. The Broncos still have to improve on generating explosive plays, pass protection and Wilson getting the ball out quicker. If Denver can clean up its offense, we are in for a wild run down the stretch because defense and special teams will keep the team in a lot of games.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: I think we’re on the train to Splitsville, but not the split Ryan pegged before the Hallelujah at Highmark this past Monday night. The Broncos have found their identity — picture Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans with slightly better QB play — and some long overdue mojo at the perfect juncture, given how muddled the middle of the AFC looks right now. The good news? Conference tiebreakers are awesome, and I think the Orange & Blue rack up another one this month. Less good? They’ll probably hit a speed bump against the Purple People Risners first. The Vikes are on a better clip than even the Broncos right now, especially on the road, where they’re 4-1 so far and, more impressively, giving up just 19.6 points per game. It ain’t rocket science. Defense travels. I could see the short week biting the Broncos on the backside a bit, but Cleveland, funnily enough, might offer a shot at a rebound. Cleveland’s 2-2 on the road so far while surrendering almost 30 points (29.8) per game. You’d prefer to be 3-0 coming off the bye, granted, but as the song goes, two outta three ain’t bad.
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