Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles Odds
The 8-6 Denver Broncos take on the 10-4 Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in a Week 16 non-conference clash. Last week, the Broncos dropped a 20-19 heartbreaker to Oakland while the Eagles defeated the 49ers 27-13 for their fifth straight win. These two teams have not met since the 2005 season when Jake Plummer torched the Eagles for 309 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-21 Denver win. The Broncos have won back-to-back games against Philly, but they trail the all-time series 6-4. NFL odds makers have listed the Philadelphia Eagles as a 7-point favorite with the total set at 41.
If the playoffs started today, both the Broncos and Eagles would be in. Philadelphia has already clinched a playoff spot while Denver isn’t even close to being out of the woods. With a win Philly can wrap up the NFC East. If Denver can prevail, it can put itself in the driver’s seat for a wild card slot with Kansas City up next.
The big news this week is Brian Dawkins’ return to Philly where he was a staple in the defense for 13 seasons. You can bet the hard-hitting Dawkins will be ready to lay the wood Sunday afternoon against his former mates, and he will need to against the Eagles’ big play receivers.
Offensively, Denver must test the Philly defense with wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is second in the NFL with 93 grabs. Marshall also has 1,081 yards and 10 scores on the seasons.
The Broncos weren’t expected to be in the playoff picture this season, but first-year head man Josh McDaniels quickly put them in the spotlight with a 6-0 start. At that point, the decision to get rid of Mike Shanahan looked line a no-brainer, but the Broncos are just 2-6 since with their playoff hopes still in jeopardy. While I believe McDaniels has done a great job with this team regardless, it won’t stop media members from recanting their earlier hero claims to now calling him a goat if he doesn’t deliver the last two weeks. It is worth noting that plays against any team (Philly) after three consecutive covers as a favorite, with a winning record, playing another winning team in the second half of the season, are 29-9 ATS the last 10 seasons.
Another big story in Philly this week is the expected return of Brian Westbrook. I can’t see the Eagles just inserting him into his old role in the offense right away. This means that other playmakers, such as DeSean Jackson, figure to have a much larger bearing on Philly’s chances to win and cover. Jackson is, perhaps, the best game-breaking wide receiver in the NFL right now with an amazing 19.4 yards per catch average. That mark leads the NFL among all players with a minimum of 20 catches. If the Broncos fail to shutdown Jackson, I can’t see them coming away with the win. It is worth noting that the Eagles are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0 points and the Broncos are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games versus a team with a winning home record.
