Going into Week 1 of the National Football League, one of the biggest questions around the league is how well the Denver Broncos will fare in the tough AFC West with Trevor Siemian as the starter for opening day against the Carolina Panthers.
Siemian could be what Denver needs
A 2015 seventh-round pick out of Northwestern, Siemian beat out Mark Sanchez and 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch for the starting job under center. Sanchez was released by the team as the front office seems pleased with the progress Siemian has made and the way he has performed throughout the offseason and preseason. With Peyton Manning retired and Brock Osweiler off to play for the Houston Texans, he's the best option the Broncos have got. The job is Siemian's to lose.
A championship defense still exists in Denver
Led by Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller, Denver has managed to hold onto the defensive core that brought home the Super Bowl win last season. Miller is looking ahead at another great season joined by partners DeMarcus Ware and Brandon Marshall, while fellow Pro Bowl defenders Aqib Talib and Chris Harris hold down the secondary, which also features safety TJ Ward. Another player to watch on D is defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, the heartbeat of this defense and a man who pushes the line forward for Miller and Ware to come off the edges and make the highlight plays. Wolfe is the force that holds offenses in check in the run game while the rest of the defensive stars take care of passing sets.
Offensive pieces are there for a consistent quarterback
Regardless of who's at QB, the Broncos still have quite a few weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Their tandem of Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson makes for a solid backfield and rookie Devontae Booker has also impressed so far. At wideout, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are more than enough to keep secondaries at bay and create big-play potential. If Siemian can get the ball to any of these options, the Denver offense will put up points and keep the defense off the field long enough to stay fresh.
Offseason moves are good ones for the Broncos
The Broncos lost Malik Jackson, Danny Trevathan, and Brock Osweiler to free agency, but the acquisitions of Shane Ray and Bradley Roby could ease concerns on the defensive side of things. Ray, in particular, is set up to not skip a beat and fill Trevathan's spot right in.
Denver's offensive line needed help, so the front office made the moves to change that. Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson were brought in via the free agent market to stabilize the line, Okung coming from the Seattle Seahawks and Stephenson from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Prediction
Despite stiff competition from the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, Denver should win the AFC West. With Tom Brady suspended for the New England Patriots' first four games, the AFC's top seed is there for the Broncos to grab, and as most NFL fans know, it's never easy to travel to the Mile High City for a playoff game.
The Broncos' schedule is relatively straightforward in 2016, and while they will face a number of tough opponents, a 13-3 season is not too much to expect, and that would almost certainly translate to a division title. Once Denver reaches the playoffs, as one of the league's most dangerous teams, it wouldn't be a surprise for them to make it back to the Super Bowl.