Broncos-Eagles and Week 10 Picks

The Broncos come into this game with Philly riding high after a big, upset win over the Cowboys in Dallas last week. At 5-4, the Broncos have a realistic shot at getting to 6-4 heading into their bye week. On paper, this looks like a very winnable game for the Broncos, and it is, but a few things worry me. First, Denver's injuries are continuing to pile up. They are probably going to be with only two out of five starters on their offensive line this week. Next, Pat Surtain is likely to miss the game due to a knee injury. I just don't know how much of a toll this injuries will continue to have and how much longer the Broncos can sustain them. I know Philly is 3-6, but I think this game will be close and tough for Denver throughout.

Prediction: Philly (+3) over DENVER

Final Score: Eagles-24 Broncos-23

Now, onto the picks for Week 10...

Last Week's Record: 7-7-0

Overall Record: 66-61-8

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS) 

INDIANAPOLIS (-9) over Jacksonville: The Colts at 4-5 can get back to .500 and in the thick of the playoff race with a big home win over the Jaguars, and I think that will happen.

NEW ENGLAND (-2) over Cleveland: Two 5-4 teams going at it in Foxboro. I initially liked Cleveland, but I have shifted to the Pats. I think the Pats will find a way to frustrate Baker Mayfield and win a close game late. 

Atlanta (+9) over DALLAS: The 6-2 Cowboys will rebound from their home loss to the Broncos last week, and I think they will win the game, but I like the Falcons to cover. Atlanta is 4-4 and in the mix for that last Wild Card spot in the NFC. I think this game goes back and forth for awhile. 

Buffalo (-13) over JETS: The Bills lost a bad game at Jacksonville last week and at 5-3, they need to win to stay atop the AFC East. I like Buffalo to take care of business over the 2-6 Jets on the road.

New Orleans (+3) over TENNESSEE: The Titans blasted the Rams last week to get to 7-2. It will be interesting to see how this plays out the rest of the way without Derrick Henry. The Saints lost a close one at home to Atlanta to fall to 5--3. Big game for both teams, but I think it means more to the Saints. I like them to win outright. 

Tampa Bay (-9) over WASHINGTON: Tampa Bay will roll into Washington off a bye week and take care of business over the WFT. 

Detroit (+10) over PITTSBURGH: The Steelers had an emotional win over the Bears on Monday Night Football last week, and I think it will be tough for them to get up for the winless Lions. I think the Steelers will win but I think Detroit keeps it closer than people think.

CHARGERS (-2) over Minnesota: At 3-5, the Vikings desperately need a win. They head to LA to take on the Chargers and there will be a lot of Vikings fans there. This game will be close, but since I'm getting two instead of three, then I'll take the Chargers to win it late.

Carolina (+10) over ARIZONA: Former XFL star P.J. Walker will start this game for Carolina, who is now 4-5 after a 3-0 start. The Cardinals are 8-1 and the best team in the NFC. I think the Cardinals win, but look for a closer game as well.

Seattle (+4) over GREEN BAY: It looks like Aaron Rodgers will be back after missing last week's game against KC for testing positive for Covid. Seattle gets Russell Wilson back, so this game has some juice to it. At 7-2, the Packers need to keep pace for the #1 seed in the NFC, and the Seahawks are 3-5, and if they win this game, then they can start to make their run for a Wild Card with Wilson back. Tough one to call, but I'm going with Seattle and the upset. 

LAS VEGAS (+3) over Kansas City: This is a huge game in the AFC West. The Raiders are 5-3 and coming off a bad loss to the Giants. The Chiefs are 5-4, but haven't looked great all season. The Raiders played the Chiefs very tough last season. I have a feeling the Raiders are going to find a way win this game at home on SNF.

SAN FRANCISCO (+3) over Rams: The Rams just signed Odell Beckham Jr. this week after he was released by Cleveland. I don't know how much of an impact he will have this week. The Rams are 7-2 and they need to move on from last week's debacle to the Titans. They to San Francisco, where the Niners are 3-5 so far this year and actually 0-4 at home. The Niners need this game more than the Rams, and I think they will find a way to pull off the upset on Monday Night Football.

Week 10 TNF Pick

 Baltimore (-7) over MIAMI

Broncos Upset Cowboys, Improve to 5-4

 I have to admit that I did not see this coming. The Broncos marched into Dallas on Sunday and absolutely dominated the 6-1 Cowboys en route to a 30-16 upset win. The win improved the Broncos record to 5-4, and it was maybe their biggest win in the Vic Fangio era. This was the kind of game that could turn the Broncos season around. Here are my thoughts on the game...

1) The Cowboys failed on two 4th and short conversions in the first quarter, and Denver never looked back after that. It changed the complexion of the game.

2) The Broncos built an early 13-0 lead with the help of Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams. The Broncos combined for almost 200 yards rushing and held the ball for over 40 minutes in time of possession. It was a dominating performance.

3) Teddy Bridgewater played great and his TD pass to Tim Patrick to make it 13-0 was a backbreaker for Dallas because Patrick beat Trevon Diggs on the deep ball. Diggs has been Dallas' best corner and the Broncos went after him.

4) The key play in the game was when Denver was up 16-0 in the 3rd quarter and Dallas blocked a punt in Denver territory. But, the ball went past the line of scrimmage, touched a Dallas player, and was recovered by Denver. This gave the Broncos possession of the ball and a first down. I have never seen that happen in all my years of watching football. It was a huge break for Denver.

5) The Broncos were up 30-0 in the 4th quarter in this game and it felt like it could have been 50-0. They completely dominated the game from the outset and this was the type of game they can play. Solid and stuffing defense, running the ball effectively, and Bridgewater making timely and big throws in the passing game. Everyone on offense and defense stepped up in this win.

6) It seems like the Broncos were tired of hearing about the Cowboys all week and tired of hearing about how the Von Miller trade was going to end their season. They played inspired from the beginning and you could tell they kept that energy up all game long-especially when they got an early lead. 

7) This is one of the biggest wins for the Broncos in the Vic Fangio era, and they improved to 5-4 and right in the mix in the AFC Wild Card race. This is the first time Denver is over. 500 in November since 2016!. They get a chance to get to 6-4 with a home game against the Eagles next week. 

Broncos-Cowboys and Week 9 Picks

The Broncos are 4-4 after a crappy win over Washington last week and now they head to Dallas to take on the 6-1 Cowboys. Dak Prescott returns to the lineup this week, and this game has the feel of a blowout by the Cowboys. Denver traded Von Miller earlier in the week, Bradley Chubb is still out, Bryce Callahan is out, and this Broncos defense hasn't played well against a good offense all year long. I can't see Denver slowing down this Cowboys attack with them at full speed. It will be an ugly game for the Broncos and I expect them to get smoked.

Prediction: DALLAS (-10) over Denver

Final Score: Cowboys-52 Broncos-20

Now, onto the picks for Week 9...

Last Week's Record: 8-7-0

Overall Record: 59-54-8

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS) 

MIAMI (-6) over Houston: The Dolphins are 1-7 and so are the Texans. I think Miami will win their second game of the year at home, but both of these teams are in the dumps this year.

Minnesota (+6) over BALTIMORE: The Ravens are 5-2 and lead the AFC North. The Vikings are 3-4. I think everyone has the Ravens penciled in for the big win, but Minnesota will make this a tough game. The Ravens will win, but the Vikings will keep it close.

CAROLINA (+4) over New England: It looks like Sam Darnold is out with a shoulder injury so XFL star P.J. Walker will probably get the start. I think the Panthers will keep this close because they are looking at getting Christian McCaffrey back this week.

Buffalo (-13) over JACKSONVILLE: The Bills are 5-2 and rolling to the AFC East title. The Jaguars are 1-7 and trying to build something. Look for another easy Bills blowout win this week.

CINCINNATI (-2) over Cleveland: I think Cincy will rebound after their bad loss to the Jets last week. I think the Browns are 4-4, but could be in trouble because Baker Mayfield is basically playing with one shoulder and their offense is banged up. 

Atlanta (+6) over NEW ORLEANS: Taysom Hill is back and takes over at QB for the Saints with Jameis Winston out for the season. At 5-2, I have been a little surprised by the Saints this year, but I think they could get tripped up in this one.  Atlanta is 3-4 and this is the type of game they win each year.

GIANTS (+3) over Las Vegas: The Raiders are dealing with another issue as WR Henry Ruggs was released this week after getting arrested for DUI and getting into an accident that killed a young woman. What a terrible and tragic situation. The Giants are 2-6 but played hard last week in the loss to KC. This is a game I could see going either way.

Chargers (-1) over PHILADELPHIA: I think the Chargers snap their two-game losing streak and get to 5-3 with a big, blowout win over the 3-5 Eagles in Philly on Sunday.

Green Bay (+9) over KANSAS CITY: How bout this game for storylines? Aaron Rodgers is out due to testing positive for Covid, and now we get to see what Jordan Love has to offer in place. I think the Chiefs will win but I have a feeling the Packers will somehow keep it close.

SAN FRANCISCO (+1) over Arizona: The Cardinals are banged up and I think the 49ers are desperate enough to win this game.

RAMS (-6) over Tennessee: No Derrick Henry for the Titans means no problem for the Rams. LA wins big at home.

Chicago (+6) over PITTSBURGH:  I think the Bears will keep this game close into the 4th quarter. I'm still not sold on the Steelers even though they have won three in a row

Jets-Colts Week 9 TNF Pick

 Jets (+11) over INDIANAPOLIS

Denver Trades Von Miller to the Rams

 On Monday, Denver traded Von Miller to the Rams for a 2022 2nd round pick and a 2022 3rd round pick. It was a bit of surprise that the Broncos traded Miller, but there was some speculation on Sunday that this could happen. It is definitely a sad day as a Broncos fan to see Miller go. I understand the business aspect of this, and I understand why George Paton did it, but it still hurts. Von Miller is the face of the Denver Broncos and all-time Bronco. He will be a Ring of Famer in Denver, and he will be a NFL Hall of Famer. He brought us Super Bowl 50, and he is a Mount Rushmore Bronco in my opinion. Denver felt like it was probably not going to sign him next offseason, so they shipped him off and got back two second day picks. They weren't going to get that-even in compensatory picks next year if he walked. It will hard to replace Von Miller on the field and in the locker room, and it is hard for me to explain to my kids why their favorite Bronco is now being traded. It might turn out to be a great move for Denver, but that is for another day to discuss. It hurts to see such an iconic player in Broncos history get traded away. Hopefully, it will be a win-win situation for both Von and the Broncos. 

Broncos Defeat Washington. Get to 4-4

The Broncos defeated the Washington Football Team on Sunday in Denver to even their record at 4-4. The Broncos stopped a four game losing streak, and the 17-10 got the Broncos back on the winning track. Although a win is a win, this game was not very impressive for the Broncos. It took two late game stops by the defense to clinch it at the end. Here are my thoughts on the game....

1) The Broncos had a bunch of missed opportunities to put this game away but a penalty or mistake just didn't allow that to happen. I felt like every time the Broncos would be on the move a negative play would knock them back and they couldn't recover.

2) The offense still is struggling and they only put up 17 points on a defense that was playing the worst in the NFL in recent weeks. That is not a good sign going forward.

3) The Broncos defense stepped up and harassed the WFT offense all game long. They got key stops late in the 4th quarter to preserve the win.

4) The last sequence of plays by the Broncos was truly interesting to say the least. After Justin Simmons intercepted a pass near the goal line, the Broncos had the ball with only 37 seconds left. WFT had 3 timeouts, so Denver ran the ball on first down and Javonte Williams fumbled, but Dalton Risner recovered. On 2nd down, the Broncos called a rollout pass, and Teddy Bridgewater threw an incomplete pass instead of just sliding and forcing Washington to take a timeout. On 3rd down, Melvin Gordon ran right and fumbled and Washington recovered. The Broncos defense did hold and they closed out the game, but that was a rough sequence there in that spot. The one thing you can't do is fumble the ball and the Broncos did that twice in three plays.

5) The Broncos are 4-4 but it feels like they are 2-6. The offense struggled to score points once again, and there is just not a good vibe around this team. I can't remember a less satisfying win for the Broncos at this point in a season in a long, long time. Denver will definitely have their hands full when they head to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Sunday.