National NFL Analyst Predicts Broncos to Finish 3-13 in 2020

A national analyst with an emotional bias for Kansas City has picked the Broncos to finish 3-13. Is there any merit to this bold prediction?

Last year, NFL Network's Adam Rank absorbed some fiery darts and the wrath of a fan base when he picked the Denver Broncos to finish 2-14 in Vic Fangio's first year as head coach. Obviously, it backfired on Rank and while the Broncos didn't exactly blow the doors down in 2019, finishing 7-9, they won five more games than Rank predicted. 

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to unveil 2020's version of the Rank debacle. Nick Wright of First Thing's First on FS1 made waves in Broncos Country by predicting that Denver will finish 3-13 in 2020. 

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— Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) May 14, 2020

Wright didn't offer up much by way of an explanation or justification for the Broncos losing 13 games this coming season, at least not that I could find. And I did search. 

What Wright did do, as an obvious big-time Kansas City Chiefs fan, was pick his team to go 14-2 losing to only New Orleans and Baltimore. Everyone in media has a favorite sports team and often, local beat writers become emotionally connected to the teams they cover as journalists. 

But in Wright's case — it's probably a safe bet to wager that his Chiefs bias, and probable disdain for the Broncos as a Kansas City fan, played a big role in his bold prediction. Whatever Wright's justification for picking Denver to go 3-13, it doesn't jive with reality on any level. 

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Rather than rewind and rehash all the same arguments I've made on behalf of what I see shaping up as a resurgent Broncos squad, I'll let one of Wright's co-hosts do the talking. After all, even though Wright is a big Chiefs fan, he is a national NFL analyst, and I've spent the better part of the last four months (since the season ended) explaining why the Broncos are poised to turn the ship around officially in 2020. 

In the same video conversation, ex-NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Eric Mangini summed up why Wright's prediction is destined to be wildly off the mark. 

“The Broncos at 3-13? I think you’re dead wrong there," Mangini said. "Vic Fangio’s effect defensively usually comes into play a little bit slower than some other coordinators but it’s coming. They won four out of the last five games, and they’ve added some nice talent, and the games they lost last year at 7-9, they lost a bunch on the last play of the game. So I think they’re going to push in that Division a lot more than you have.” 

Just by virtue of Drew Lock's presence alone, the Broncos entered 2020 from a far stronger position than they entered 2019. Add to that a proven offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur and QBs Coach in Mike Shula, plus the addition of RG Graham Glasgow, blocking TE Nick Vannett, and Pro Bowl RB Melvin Gordon in free agency, and Lock's situation vastly improved by mid-March. 

However, GM John Elway wasn't done building that nest, saving his best pro-Lock moves for the NFL Draft. The Broncos selected WRs Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in back-to-back rounds to open the draft, plus procured for Lock a starting-caliber center in round three in Lloyd Cushenberry, then, as a kind of cherry on top, grabbed Lock's college teammate Albert Okwuegbunam in round four — a tight end whose 4.49-speed is faster than that of 2019 first-rounder Noah Fant. 

Combined with the expected development and leap forward of young skill players like Fant, and Pro Bowlers WR Courtland Sutton and RB Phillip Lindsay, and it's not unreasonable to say that Lock will be loaded for bear on this hunt. As Coach Mangini said, Fangio's scheme always takes a little time to assimilate and despite this learning curve and the crucial loss of stud defenders like Bradley Chubb and Bryce Callahan, the Broncos still finished as the No. 1 scoring defense in 2019. 

Fangio's defense isn't going to suddenly regress in 2020, not with studs like Von Miller, Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Alexander Johnson and Shelby Harris returning, to say nothing of transplants like perennial Pro Bowler Jurrell Casey and A.J. Bouye joining the unit. If his history as a defensive czar at his previous NFL stops is any harbinger, the Broncos defense is only going to improve in year two of Fangio's scheme. 

I can understand any analysts' take who might surmise that Lock isn't going to be the next second-year QB to win the MVP award, or one who sees the Broncos as a .500 club in 2020. But 3-13? With all due respect, don't make me laugh. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.