There is no question that the Denver Broncos are all-in for the upcoming season. After reaching last year's final with a 13-3 record, the record setting Broncos are ready to do it again.
Super Bowl or bust will be the only topic of discussion for this Bronco team and their recent acquisitions in the offseason will attest to that.
The question is are the Broncos improved from a year ago and will they be able to repeat a performance that was already considered historic?
Here are your best and worst-case scenarios for the 2014 Broncos.
Best Case
In Peyton Manning's mind, the only objective this season is to win a Super Bowl. After getting torn apart by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, Manning and Co. are looking for anything to wipe the bad taste out of their mouths.
For the Broncos, reaching the Super Bowl is a realistic outcome. With an offense returning Manning, Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker, the Broncos will have no trouble scoring and the talent to perform similarly to last season.
Aside from losing Eric Decker, the Broncos are basically returning an entire roster that scored 606 points (record), 76 touchdowns (record) and had three games over 50 points (tied) last season.
The one concern will be at the running back position. After losing Knowshon Moreno in the offseason, Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman will now need to take over as starters. Despite both seeing some playing time last season, their roles will be drastically different from a year ago.
If they can manage to ease into the transition however, the Broncos offense shouldn't have too many worries.
The Broncos will also be showcasing a revamped defense with DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller and T.J. Ward, which could help their case for being the most complete team on paper.
Playing in the AFC West, the Broncos will have the luxury of not having a challenging division schedule. In addition, the Broncos also appear to have a favorable schedule on the road.
If all goes well, the Broncos will make another appearance at this year's Super Bowl and this time, take home the hardware.
Worst Case
The Broncos are entering this season with a 6/1 odds to win Super Bowl XLIX. They also have an 11/5 odds of winning the AFC Championship.
That doesn't guarantee though, that their going to even make the final.
Making the Super Bowl in today's game asks for near perfection and that means the Broncos will have to get close to where they were last season.
To repeat last year's performance would be asking a lot from not only an aging Manning, but also his teammates. Even before the season, the Broncos have already experienced injuries in Danny Trevathan and Ball and it's these type of obstacles they will have to continually overcome.
The Broncos look to have a lot of depth at most positions, even adding veteran leadership in some, but it will be more about good fortune and team chemistry than anything. You can have a loaded roster led by Manning and it can still not be enough.
The worst case scenario for the Broncos would be to lose to a team like the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, failing to reach the Super Bowl. For most teams that would be a more than sufficient outcome, but the Broncos aren't any other team.
Manning's window of opportunity is quickly closing and it may be sealed shut before he know's it. If there is a year to win it all, it's 2014.
They'll just have to wait and see if they have what it takes to sustain excellence for an entire season.
For more of your favorite sporting news follow @ChatSports @ChatBroncos @HayDayKim
Back to the Denver Broncos Newsfeed