Blog

NFL
8:15 PM EST
Rotation # 280
Broncos -7.5 over Bengals (win)
Two weeks ago, the Broncos had a win snatched away from them on a leverage call that led to a Colts field goal at the horn. Denver let another late lead slip away to the Chargers the following week. They should have won two road games, but they didn’t. The Broncos are back home looking for a punching bag. The Bengals are not a pushover by any stretch, even after their embarrassing loss last week to the Vikings. Cincinnati has a big offensive line and can run the ball, but how clean a game can Quarterback Jake Browning have? Will he account for at least one mistake? I would say yes. It’s hard to trust the Bengals in this spot on the road in a primetime game. The spread seems high, but all it takes is one arrant throw for a close contest to become a game out of reach. The Bengals had five turnovers last week and were still blown out of the building despite over 100 yards of Vikings penalties, not to mention playing with their backup quarterback. The Broncos are the only team in the NFL to return all starters from last year’s team in the trenches on both sides of the football. Bo Nix is a mobile QB who can improvise and pick up first downs with his legs when receivers are not open. JK Dobbins is an outstanding back who should be able to loosen up the Cincinnati defense. Bengals’ first-year defensive coordinator Al Golden is a great coach, but he needs a few more weeks to get on the same page with his players. We will let the game play out and worry about the spread taking care of itself. If the Bengals can stay inside the number, then so be it, but even the most faithful Cincinnati fan is not confident in the ability of their backup signal-caller. Take the Broncos.