The Denver Broncos are preparing to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The Cardinals are a feisty 2-4 team and are already exceeding expectations.
This isn't a gimme game, despite what some people say. That being said, the Cardinals aren't exactly a good team either.
The Broncos can't overlook this opponent, but this game is a chance to do some maintenance on offense and get the unit firing on all cylinders.
And now it's time for this week's bold predictions. If the Broncos can realize these predictions, it could put them on the winning track for the rest of the season.
Bo Nix Has Six Explosive Pass Plays (20-Plus Yards)
Nix has been seeing ghosts when looking deep after some early interceptions and near turnovers, which explains, in part, the ultra-conservative passing approach we've seen for weeks. This is a good game to work on correcting his hesitancy, as the Cardinals rank 31st in explosive pass-play rate allowed.
The Cardinals suffer multiple coverage breaks per game. They have serious issues with their linebacker coverage, and their secondary isn't the best.
The Broncos have no better opponent remaining on the schedule than Arizona to help Nix break out of his shell. The Nix reckoning is coming.
RJ Harvey Finishes With 150-Plus Scrimmage Yards
This pairs with my previous prediction; there is ample opportunity to get Harvey involved in the passing and running game. The Cardinals are the NFL's fourth-worst defense when it comes to covering running backs, despite having one of the lowest rates of targets to backs.
Part of this is due to Arizona's secondary issues. The Cardinals' linebackers will be mismatched covering Harvey, and they struggle against outside runs, which is where the Broncos' second-year back can be used in the ground game.
Harvey finishes with 100-plus receiving and 50-plus rushing yards.
Jacoby Brissett Sacked Six Times
The Cardinals haven't allowed many sacks this year (only 12), and they have the eighth-lowest sack percentage and pressure rate. However, they do allow one of the fastest times to pressure (sixth-fastest).
Given how much pressure the Broncos can generate, as long as they can bring down Brissett, they're poised to have a big day in the sack department. If this prediction comes true, it'll be only the third time in franchise history that the Broncos will have posted three straight games with at least five sacks.
This pass rush is on a roll, and that momentum continues in the desert.
Jahdae Barron Gets a Pick-Six
Thanks to the pressure up front and forcing a mistake from Brissett, Barron nabs an interception and returns it to the house. Barron is aggressive in coverage, and it sometimes backfires, but it pays off in this game.
Brissett throws an underneath route under pressure, and Barron jumps it for the first pick-six of his career. He actually had one as a rookie, but it was called back due to a defensive holding penalty far away from the play.
Broncos Get a Return Touchdown
Through the first six games, the Broncos have gotten close to a return touchdown. Harvey in particular has had multiple long returns that were a block or an avoided tackle away from being a touchdown.
The Cardinals have lapses on kickoff coverage, which create the opening for a special teams touchdown. The Broncos have had a third-phase score brewing for weeks, but the stars finally align against Arizona, whether it's Harvey or Marvin Mims Jr.
Add us as a preferred source on Google