The Denver Broncos (6-2) will be looking for their seventh win of the season and their fifth in a row when they face the Carolina Panthers (3-4) on Sunday. Being cross-conference opponents, these teams don't play each other often.
The Broncos lead the all-time series 7-2, but the Panthers did win the last time these two teams met in Charlotte back in November 2022. Of course, the Broncos hold the biggest win in the series, defeating the Panthers to win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.
Much has changed since then. But each of these teams is currently in first place in their respective division races. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time, and the Broncos will be making the dreaded cross-country trip from the West Coast to the East
Coast for an early kickoff. They'll need to overcome that against a team that has had some extended rest in order to pick up their third win on the road this season.
Here are some bold predictions, which are all favorable to the Broncos, in this matchup.
Bold predictions for Broncos vs. Panthers in Week 9
1. Bo Nix has two long TD passes
Bo Nix has been maligned this season for his average yards per pass attempt and he has not taken many chances downfield. Nix ranks No. 31 in the league in average air yards per completion at 3.7 yards. That means that the ball is traveling less than four yards past the line of scrimmage on the passes he has completed.
A strong running game led by Jonah Coleman against a weak Panthers run defense will allow coach Sean Payton to open up the playbook and let Nix throw the ball deep a little bit more in this game.
This season, Nix's longest touchdown pass went for 52 yards, but that was on a screen pass to RJ Harvey in the flat and he followed great blocking all the way to the end zone. Aside from that, his next longest touchdown pass was in Week 1, a 19-yard strike to Evan Engram.
Nix will look like a different player on Sunday.
Bold prediction: Nix throws two touchdown passes of 20 yards or more.
2. Broncos have a sack fest
The Panthers are vulnerable against the run on defense and on the other side of the ball, they have a hard time protecting the quarterback, allowing 23 sacks so far this season. That's not a great thing when you have the Broncos coming to town.
This is a game in which Vance Joseph should unleash the hounds against this Panthers offensive line, forcing them to protect against one of the best pass-rushing groups in the league. The Broncos have Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper off the edges and Zach Allen, along with Malcolm Roach, who is having a great season, up front.
The Broncos are going to be all over Bryce Young in this game and it will go a long way toward the team getting this win.
Bold prediction: Broncos record 6 sacks as a team; Nik Bonitto has 3 of them
3. Broncos register a season-high in points
The Broncos have averaged 21.5 points per game this season, relying on a strong defense to help them win close, generally low-scoring affairs.
But this Panthers defense has struggled and gave up 59 points in one game this season, which was a game they had at home. It feels like a game in which the Broncos could light up the scoreboard often. Denver has scored 30 points in a game twice this season, but will exceed that number in this game.
Bold prediction: Broncos score a season-high in points and defeat the Panthers, 34-19.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: 3 bold predictions for Broncos’ game vs. Panthers
