Mile High Roundtable: Broncos vs. Bills | Week 15 | Predictions & Picks
James Campbell (@JamesC_MHH) 7-6: Let's see what Drew Lock can continue to show. My main target for him this season was to show growth and competency, and while I need a bigger sample size, he has stepped up his game. I expect some regression to the mean from the Denver Broncos offense, but there is a lot to be encouraged by, including KJ Hamler's usage last week as the deep threat he was drafted to be. The use of running backs with a quick-hitting screen game was also a positive. The Broncos Buffalo defense was great against Carolina but stopping Josh Allen and the Bills offense,, especially in the red zone will be important. Strength against strength, it should make for a fascinating battle. Entering this week, this is a team that is playing hard, disciplined and team football. I expect it to be a tough battle, but if the Broncos win the turnover battle and the clock, they can shock the football world.
Pick: Broncos 24, Bills 17
Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) 8-5: One week after an offensive explosion, the Broncos find themselves in a real shootout with the Bills and Allen. This week though, the Broncos and Drew Lock won’t have such easy success as last week. Lock makes some mistakes, the Bills capitalize, and the Broncos have no answers for Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley.
Pick: Bills 38, Broncos 30
Keith Cummings (@KeithC_NFL) 7-6: A stiff challenge awaits for the injury-hit Broncos secondary this Saturday. Lock is back so this could get interesting. Getting intp a shootout wouldn't be ideal, and might be improbable, but it could happen. Lock plays well and the Broncos fall just short in a great game.
Pick: Bills 34, Broncos 31
Carl Dumler (@CarlDumlerMHH) 9-4: I believe that the Broncos offense has turned a corner. Pat Shurmur and Lock seem to be getting on the same page and the young weapons are showing well down the stretch. This game will come down to which quarterback makes the monumental mistake. Allen is second in the league on turnover worthy plays with 20 and Lock is third with 19. Allen has been a bit lucky up to this point in the season. If the Broncos stand a chance in this one, they cannot drop those easy interceptions and cannot miss the sack when given the opportunity. In the end, Buffalo's receivers are a bit too much for the secondary and find a way to squeak out a win.
Pick: Bills 28, Broncos 27
Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) 7-6: Coming off a great game against the Panthers, Lock could force the Broncos to give him the stamp of approval as the franchise quarterback if he can do it again versus the Bills. The biggest issue is, the Broncos haven’t faired well against really good teams this season. There is a chance that the Bills overlook the injury-depleted Broncos after having claimed victory over the Steelers, but that is unlikely. The most probable outcome is the Broncos lose to the superior team.
Pick: Bills 27, Broncos 13
Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) 8-5: I have vacillated on my pick this week, even picking the Bills when pressed on a Buffalo podcast on Wednesday, but I woke up Friday with a different feeling in my gut. I'm picking the Broncos to win this game and it'll come as a massive shock to the NFL system. It's one thing to beat the Panthers and quite another entirely to beat the Bills. Lock doesn't put up the same powerhouse numbers he did in Carolina but he throws two touchdowns while protecting the ball and presiding over an explosion on the ground with Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay combining for 180 rushing yards. Vic Fangio confounds Allen and the Broncos rush gets home, limiting a heretofore explosive offense to pedestrian numbers. The icing on the cake? Denver forces two takeaways and that spells the difference in this one.
Pick: Broncos 23, Bills 19
Trevor Judge (@TrevorJudge) 8-5: Last week, Lock put together the type of game Broncos Country has been looking to see from all season. He’s going to have to put on a similar performance in this tough game against the Bills. Fangio has done a standup job keeping this defense performing despite the plethora of injuries. But this Buffalo offense will prove too dangerous to contain for four quarters.
Pick: Bills 34, Broncos 21
Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) 8-5: Contrary to popular sentiment, this game will be won or lost on offense — not defense. As usual, Fangio will do enough to limit the opponent’s scoring. Can Lock and OC Pat Shurmur rise to the challenge? It’s the million-dollar question each week. This will be a competitive game in which Denver ultimately falls a bit short. But it’ll also be its final loss of the year.
Pick: Bills 24, Broncos 20
Nick Kendell (@NickKendellMHH) 7-6: The Broncos are coming off their best game of the year and the best of Lock’s young career. Denver has it tough this week, though, as arguably the biggest threat to the Chiefs in the AFC is coming to town. Allen is playing at a near-MVP level and there is no wideout playing better than Stefon Diggs. The Broncos will keep it close, but probably fall short.
Pick: Bills 24, Broncos 20
Bob Morris (@BobMorrisSports) 10-3: The Bills are similar to the Panthers in that their defense isn’t their best unit (though Buffalo is better than the Carolina's), but that’s where the similarities end. The Bills have a better offense and enter Saturday’s game with their key starters healthy. The Broncos will need to have their pass rush in full effect because with so many of their best cornerbacks unavailable, the secondary is going to have its hands full against a quality group of receivers. I expect the Broncos should be able to move the ball on offense again, but turnovers have to be avoided — Denver is up to 29 for the season. The Bills have had 19 this year, so there’s a chance for the Broncos defense to come up with one that may give the Broncos good field position. Finally, the Broncos have shown they can be competitive against playoff contenders — they did it against Kansas City two weeks ago, and they did it against Pittsburgh, even when Jeff Driskel started more than two quarters after Lock got injured. A win may be a tall task, though, considering how well the Bills are playing on offense.
Pick: Bills 24, Broncos 20
Luke Patterson (@LukePattersonLP) 8-5: While everyone fawns over the comparisons between Lock and Allen, I’ll be watching the offensive play calling from Shurmur. Look for the 'All-Go Delayed-Y' check-downs for the tight end to continue, especially with a healthy Noah Fant in the lineup. Lindsay is still nursing an injury so expect Gordon to get the rock. There’s nothing wrong with dink and dunk passes underneath. As for the Broncos defense, I’m curious to see what Fangio throws at Allen. Fangio has a history of success against young QBs, confusing them in coverage and with blitz packages. Special teams will be huge for the Broncos, and if they let that slip, it could be a blowout. I'm expecting a competitive game where the Broncos lose.
Pick: Bills 30, Broncos 24
Lance Sanderson (@SandersonMHH) 8-5: Last week really was a taste of what this offense can be, and a big part of that was Lock finally playing within himself and the scheme. His play brought the offense to life. I want to see him do it again, but this week might not be that game. Lock has seemingly struggled against zone teams, and even though it's a middle-of-the-road unit, the Bills run a quality cover 2 zone scheme. Defensively, Denver's banged-up secondary is going against one of the most prolific passing duos without the five top cornerbacks on the depth chart. This has all the makings of a high-scoring affair for the Bills passing offense. Inconsistency and major injury issues plague the Broncos once again, but I feel like they will remain competitive as well.
Pick: Bills 24, Broncos 19
Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) 7-6: The Broncos should be able to have some success on offense, especially with their ground game, continuing to work mostly out of two-tight end sets where the offense has been the most successful all season long. Lock will have to keep an eye out for top Bills corner Tre'Davious White and be wary of their linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The interior will have some challenges dealing with the Bills interior pass rushers, mainly Ed Oliver. Denver should be able to put points on the board, but will it be enough? Allen is a threat with his legs and continues to grow to more of a threat as a passer. With the receivers the Bills have against the beat-up secondary, the Broncos will need a lot of help from their pass rush to try and force so bad throws and throwaways to ease the pressure on the secondary. In the end, the Broncos play admirably but end up taking the loss in this one.
Pick: Bills 34, Broncos 26
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