2013 Broncos Season, Week 9


The bye week is usually a quiet time of rest. But that wasn't the case for the Broncos, who begin the second half of their season with a number of new challenges courtesy of a week where they didn't even play a game. This week we'll explore all that as well as look at the NFL season at the half way point.

Week 9: Bye week
Season Record: 7-1 (5-0 Home)

Recap: The Broncos headed into the bye on a record pace, offensively, but in second place in their own division. None of that changed, but they will come out of the bye with a new set of challenges. Hopefully the week off provided rest and healing for key players. Peyton Manning, Champ Bailey, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker, and Eric Decker all went into the bye with nagging injuries. Hopefully the week without a game will have provided them some time to improve so they can get back on track. But the team comes out of the bye minus a coach. John Fox fell ill on Saturday and will undergo heart surgery this week. He could be gone for as much as eight weeks, or the balance of the regular season. This has forced a shuffle, as defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio will take over as interim coach. The good news is that Del Rio is an experienced head coach. The bad news is that it forces changes to the defense, which was starting to round into form prior to the bye week. You never want to have these kind of things causing unrest for your team — just look at what happened to the Saints in 2012 when Sean Payton was suspended. In addition, despite another close call, the Chiefs won on Sunday and head into their own bye week unbeaten at 9-0. This means that the best the Broncos can hope for is that they'll be one game back when the teams meet on Sunday Night Football during week 10. That game is in Denver, and it will be key for the Broncos to step up and win at home in order to be in a good position to take the top spot in the division and ensure home playoff games.

Lingering Questions:
* John Fox. It's hard to lose your coach. Sometimes teams rally — just look at the 2012 Colts. But we'll have to see how the team responds. Del Rio is a good coach, and the Broncos offense is still in place. Hopefully they will weather this storm.

* Protecting Peyton Manning. Without Peyton Manning, the Broncos Super Bowl chances don't exist. The last three games before the break were rough, so let's hope the line can round into shape, despite injuries, before Sunday's game.

* Broncos health. The Broncos have had some nagging injuries. Let's hope the team is better and ready to go Sunday in San Diego.

NFL Playoff Picture:
* After nine weeks, we have an idea of who the contenders are, who the pretenders are, and who will be in the playoffs. Below is my mid-season playoff predictions.

NFC:
West Champ: Seattle Seahawks
East Champ: Dallas Cowboys
North Champ: Green Bay Packers
South Champ: New Orleans Saints
Wild Card: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions

AFC:
West Champ: Denver Broncos
East Champ: New England Patriots
North Champ: Cincinnati Bengals
South Champ: Indianapolis Colts
Wild Card: Kansas City Chiefs
Wild Card: San Diego Chargers

Playoff pick thoughts:
* The Seattle Seahawks, after looking like the most dominant team in the NFL for a few weeks, have shown signs of cracking. Still, I think if they win the West and get home field advantage they will be tough to beat. And all the NFC contenders have shown cracks.

* Pre-season, and even after four weeks, I liked the Chicago Bears. Now I think the Bears are fading out of it. While I was tempted to jump on the Carolina Panther bandwagon, I think it's the Detroit Lions that have what it takes to make the playoffs.

* There are five strong teams in the AFC — The Broncos, Chiefs, Patriots, Colts and Bengals. After that it's a crap shoot. I don't feel good about picking the Jets, and inconsistent Geno Smith, or the hot mess that is the Miami Dolphins. The Texans appear out of it, the Ravens and Steelers are struggling, and the Browns aren't there yet. That leaves the Chargers. I don't feel good about that pick either, but what are you going to do...

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