If not now, when? Can Denver get its season back on track soon?
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The start of the 2020 NFL season could not have gone any worse for the Denver Broncos.
In this year, that is saying something.
Before the campaign even began, Denver lost All-Pro and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller to what looks like a season-ending injury.
Since then, the Broncos lost starting QB Drew Lock to an injury, although he is expected back just in time to face the red-hot defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on October 25. But there have been other losses as well, most notably on the field, where Denver comes into Thursday’s pivotal contest against the New York Jets at 0-3.
Much like last season, two of the three losses this year have been by five points or less, something that absolutely plagued the Broncos in their 7-9 2019 campaign. But last weekend was not close, and now Denver heads to New Jersey with six starters on the IR, and that does not include Lock or Phillip Lindsay, who will both miss out on the game.
Unlike almost every other game this upcoming weekend, the over/under for the Denver New York contest is not in the high 40s or 50s: these betting odds by U.S. bookies are set at 39.5, which should tell you all you need to know about the state of these two franchises at the present moment. The Jets could be the worst team in football, although the team they share their stadium with, the New York Giants, might have a better claim to that title.
Even with all the injuries to their roster, the Broncos are currently a pick on the points line and -110 on the money line odds with most sports books. But if Denver does not get a win Thursday in New Jersey, when will its first victory of the 2020 season come?
The Broncos are going to be a big underdog next weekend at New England, and then they come home to face a tough Miami Dolphins team that is looking much more competitive this year. After that, it is the Chiefs, and that is not a win.
If Denver is winless after the Kansas City game, it would be 0-7 heading to Atlanta to take on what might be the best team in the league, if you only counted the first three quarters of a game. The last six games of the season are brutal as well.
I would imagine that a win or two is coming here at some point, but could this Thursday night game be one that could give the loser an edge in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes?
It could be.
One team out west that is off to a decent start is the Arizona Cardinals, although they must be kicking themselves that they could not finish off the Detroit Lions last weekend to move to 3-0. As it is, Arizona is 2-1 with three straight road games on the horizon: Carolina this weekend, then the Jets, then Dallas.
The Cardinals are -3.5 favorites against the Panthers, who picked up a big 21-16 win on the road in Los Angeles last weekend. If Arizona can get back on track defensively, it might be able to find itself 4-1 in two weeks heading into what will be a massive Monday Night Football contest against the Cowboys.
Count on Kyler Murray to put on a show this weekend, after throwing three INTs in the loss to the Lions.
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