According to Football Outsiders, the Denver Broncos are projected to be the second worst team in the AFC – all due to the fall of the Broncos' defense.
Football Outsiders – a website devoted to bringing its readers new, in-depth statistics that will give you an objective analysis to football – have published their projections for the 2017-18 NFL season. And it looks like the once commanding Denver Broncos are low on the list of top teams. In fact, Football Outsiders has projected the team to be the second worst in the AFC. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Now, this isn't to say this is definite and foretelling of the future. The NFL can be random, and there's a wide variety of possibilities to how this upcoming season could end. But, humor us for a second... what if they're right? After all, Football Outsiders have been known to get their statistics right more often than not, especially when it comes to the Broncos. Through their Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), they are able to measure a team's efficiency by comparing that success (or lack thereof) against the league's average. 2013: DVOA projected Denver as the second best in the AFC behind the New England Patriots, only to end up being the number one seed. 2014: DVOA pegged Denver as the best overall team, until the Indianapolis Colts ruined their post-season run. 2015: DVOA had Denver as the second best team in the AFC, only to go on to win Super Bowl 50. 2016: With Peyton Manning gone, the DVOA moved Denver down to 12th overall and eighth in the AFC. At the end of the season, they finished seventh in the AFC.
Only time will tell how the upcoming season will pan out. Besides, the Football Outsiders' projections are still early and have room for change before the final version is released in September.
What do you guys think? Are the Football Outsiders' projections for the Broncos accurate? Do you think they will change come September? Sound off in the comments below! We'd love to hear from you.
Featured photo courtesy of Mile High Report.
