Broncos’ Chances of Winning Super Bowl 55 – Odds, Analysis, and Prediction

Can an NFL team go from 7-9 to Super Bowl champion from one year to the next? When you consider the transformation the offense in Denver has undergone, it just might be possible.

The Broncos waved goodbye to Joe Flacco, thankfully. Brandon Allen’s trial period has ended for good reason.

Drew Lock is now the man in charge, and he gives this organization a fighting chance. The defense has plenty of playmakers, and Vic Fangio is a blue-collar guy who means business.

With that in mind, can the Denver Broncos win the Super Bowl in 2021?

I aim to find out.

The top NFL bookmakers online haven’t budged on the Broncos’ Super Bowl 55 odds since the NFL Draft. Stuck at +5000 to win it all, you have to decide if this NFL futures bet is worth a flier.

Keep in mind that San Francisco won just four games in 2018 before going 13-3 and winning the NFC the following year. The Niners inserted a franchise quarterback and surrounded him with speed, which is exactly what Denver has done.

Forget about Denver going 7-9 in 2019. Eleven of the 16 games were started by Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen, a duo that produced a combined 3-8 record.

On the other hand, Drew Lock was 4-1 as a starter down the stretch and played some impressive football. The University of Missouri rookie led the Broncos to a commanding 14-point victory on the road in Houston by throwing for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Drew’s arm strength is legit, and we can put any questions to bed regarding his awareness in the pocket. Lock was sacked a total of five times in five games and demonstrated his ability to steadily go through his progressions.

The 23-year-old managed to look sharp with Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant as his only reliable pass-catchers. I can’t wait to see what he has in store with the bevy of weapons now at his disposal.

Inking Melvin Gordan and plucking Jerry Jeudy is going to go a long way. With that being said, KJ Hamler was one of the best picks in the 2020 NFL Draft and will immediately boost the air attack in Denver.

To put it bluntly, Pat Shurmur’s group could quickly evolve into one of the most explosive units in football. If Von Miller and company can provide a consistent pass rush like most would expect, Denver’s on their way to being a legitimate Super Bowl threat.

It’s easy to fall in love with what John Elway has done with the offense. In fact, solidifying the interior of the offensive line with Lloyd Cushenberry III and Graham Glasgow are equally important, if not more important, than drafting a couple of speedster wideouts.

Here’s the problem.

What was once a truly elite defense is now fighting to tooth and nail just stay afloat. Denver’s D was above average in 2019 and only surrendered 19.8 points per game, but is “above average” good enough to be the last team standing?

The fact of the matter is Von Miller’s production diminished in 2019. Chris Harris Jr. bolted for the Chargers, Derek Wolfe is now in Baltimore, and Bradley Chubb is coming off tearing the ACL in his left knee. To blindly assume that Ed Donatell is a shoo-in to roll out a top-notch D in 2020 is being naïve.

On top all of that, the Broncos are staring up at the Chiefs and have a long way to go to factor into the AFC West Division.

It’s one thing to expect improvements in Denver from year to the next, but it’s another thing to predict that the Broncos will win Super Bowl 55. Even the locals in Mile High City aren’t that ambitious.

The short answer is no, but look for Denver to creep their way back into relevancy in 2020.

The bottom line is Kansas City is too potent for a Drew Lock-led squad to keep pace, plus you have to account for the powerhouse teams in the NFC.

However, if you are looking for a Super Bowl 55 sleeper in the +5000 range, throwing a few bucks down on the Broncos isn’t the worst idea. Here are some other NFL teams lurking at a similar price point.