Denver Broncos at Washington Redskins Odds
The Denver Broncos now find themselves at 6-2 after back-to-back defeats. They’ll look to get back in the win column this week when they take on the Washington Redskins, who have lost four in a row. Last week, the normally cautious Kyle Orton threw three interceptions as Denver fell to the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers 28-10 on Monday Night Football. The Redskins showed improvement coming off a bye week, but they ultimately fell 31-17 to Atlanta. These two teams last met back in 2005 with Denver earning a 21-19 victory. The win was Denver’s third in the last four meetings and it holds a 6-5 lead in the all-time series. NFL lines makers have listed the Denver Broncos as a 3.5-point favorite with the total set at 36.5.
Perhaps a date with the NFC will get the Broncos back on track. After all, Denver has won five of its last six games against NFC foes. Denver is not an explosive offensive team. It’s main objective is to take care of the football on offense to let the defense win games. This strategy has worked for the most part this season as the Denver defense has terrorized teams with its pass rush. In fact, Denver’s 26 sacks are good for third in the NFL. 10.5 of those sacks have come from Elvis Dumervil, who is tied for the most in the NFL. The Washington offensive line has struggled, giving up 28 sacks already this season. The team just picked up Levi Jones a few weeks back and he is slated to get the start at left tackle. This means that Dumervil could be poised for a big day.
Offensively, we have heard a lot about Kyle Orton and Brandon Marshall this season, but it could be rookie running back Knowshon Moreno starring in this one. While Washington is the best team in the NFL at defending the pass, its run defense has struggled. The Redskins have allowed opponents to go over the century mark in seven of eight games this season and they were torched for 181 yards on the dirt last week. Moreno has game-breaking speed and if he is able to get loose for a couple big runs, it could go a long way toward Denver getting back in the win column. It is worth noting that the Redskins are 2-11-3 ATS in their last 16 games overall.
Washington’s passing game hasn’t put fear in anyone this season, but it does have the potential to run the football. But with Clinton Portis expected out with a concussion, Ladell Betts is going to have to step in and do the job as an every down back. It is nothing new for Betts, who played well when stepping into the starting roll during the 2006 season. The Broncos were torched for 173 rushing yards against Pittsburgh last week so the Redskins may be able to find some running room. The key will be making Denver respect the pass to create that running room, however.
If you get a chance to watch the game, make sure you watch Redskins rookie Brian Orakpo. Orakpo has been very impressive, leading all rookies with 5.5 sacks. He looks to be a good one for years to come in the NFL. It is worth noting that the Broncos are 2-14 ATS in their last 16 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0 points.