Both the Eagles and Broncos are coming off good performances on Sunday, although a blowout win at the Cowboys is a much better way to end the halfway point of the season, as compared to a moral victory against the Chargers.
Philadelphia Eagles
All credit to the Eagles and Jalen Hurts. This team has become incredibly competitive, if not quite getting to the W.
They played Tom Brady to within a touchdown before losing to the Bucs by six points. And this last week against the Chargers, they only lost because of a last-second field goal by Dustin Hopkins. Hurts only threw the ball for 162 yards, but he once again was a big part of what is becoming the best running offense in the NFL. The Eagles ran for 176 yards and Hurts ran for 62 of them.
DeVonta Smith is a bonified star, picking up 116 receiving yards, which was 71 percent of the Eagles total. Smith now has 537 receiving yards on the season, which is second among rookie wide receivers and is more than both Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins.
The Eagles did give up big chunks of yards to Justin Herbert, who threw for 356 yards. But Philly has embraced a bend-but-don’t-break defense, and it’s keeping them in games.
They face less firepower with their trip to Denver this week, but their running game also faces a much stiffer test against a very good Broncos run defense.
Denver Broncos (-2.5)
What to make of the Broncos’ absolutely dominating performance against the Cowboys?
This team was in free-fall, losers of four of five games, with the lone win coming against a very uninspired Washington Football Team. From 3-0 to 4-4, and with the 2021 season looking so bleak that the Broncos turned their attentions fully to a 2022 rebuild and traded away the face of the franchise in Von Miller.
Then they went down to Dallas and played their most dominant game since beating the Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
This was a Cowboys team that many people considered to be the best in the NFC. Dallas was as hot as anyone and had just rolled the dice by resting Dak Prescott an extra week but still got the win at Minnesota. Offense, defense, it didn’t matter – Dallas will beat you any way they want.
Then the Broncos ran all over the Cowboys, rushing for 190 yards and averaging 4.6 yards per carry. The Cowboys ran for 78.
Teddy Bridgewater completed 68 percent of his passes for 249 yards. Dak Prescott completed 49 percent of his passes for 232 yards.
The Cowboys, the most complete team in the NFC, and perhaps the NFL, was no match for the Denver Broncos.
Betting Picks
Broncos (-2.5)
This will be another close game because the Eagles only play close games. And if the spread were to move over three points, you might want to avoid it. But at 2.5-point favorites, the Broncos are in a position to cover.
A Brandon McManus field goal to win the game seems likely, and appropriate. Of all the Broncos last week, he had the worst game, missing both a field goal and an extra point.
McManus rebounds, has a big game, and provides the points for the Broncos to cover.
Under 45
Only twice in nine games have the Broncos gone over, and only twice has one of their totals gone over 45. The Eagles are five overs to four unders, but the Denver defense controls the tempo of the game, and this 23-20 Denver win will finish under 45 points.