Denver Broncos 2020 Season Preview and Best Bets
Fangio Will Turn the Broncos into Winners
The Denver Broncos have gone ‘all-in’ to second-year head coach Vic Fangio looking for him take a big step forward towards NFL playoff contention. The overall public sentiment is a bit sour coming off three consecutive losing seasons for the first time in franchise history. As a result, substantial betting opportunities arise out of the phoenix when NFL fan sentiment is highly negative for a team.
Denver’s Coaching History
Denver has had a history of significant head coaches, mostnotably Reeves and Shanahan. Let us look at how first and second-year coacheshave done in the Broncos franchise.
Remember Wade Phillips?
In Wade Phillips’ first season, he earned a respectable 9-7straight-up (SU) record and earned his backers a 9-5-2 against-the-spreadrecord (ATS). However, he was unable to build on that success and went a dismal7-9 SU and 5-9-2 ATS and escorted to the exits.
Enter the HOF Shanahan
At the start of 1995, Mike Shanahan took over the reins andwent 8-8 SU and 9-7 ATS. In his second season, he exploded for a 13-3 SU and9-6-1 ATS season and went 2-1 SU in the playoffs losing in the Super Bowl 43-8to the Seattle Seahawks.
After a great run, Shanahan retired and gave way to Josh McDaniels, the offensive genius, and he went 8-8 SU and 9-7 ATS in 2009. After a horrid start to the 2010 season, McDaniels was fired. As a result, Eric Studesville finished off the season and was never truly considered for the head coaching position in 2011.
The Under-Appreciated Coach Fox
The Broncos turned to John Fox among five solid head coaching candidates in 2011, and he went 9-9 SU and 8-10 ATS and earned a playoff berth and won his first playoff game. He built the Broncos into a smash-mouth style of team ranking third in sacks and first in offensive rushing yards. In his second season, he went 13-4 SU and 11-6 ATS, making the playoffs but losing in the Divisional Round. He is only the second coach in NFL history to win four consecutive Divisional crowns with a new team.
Kubiak Inherits a Contender
Gary Kubiak took over in 2015 and inherited a great teamfrom Fox and went 15-4 SU and 12-7 ATS and lost 24-10 as 4.5-point underdogs tothe Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton in the Super Bowl.
GM Elway Loves Fangio
Kubiak was followed by Vance Joseph, who somehow sent thisteam into the abyss with 11-21 SU record spanning two seasons. Now, Vic Fangioenters his Sophomore season amid low expectations after a 7-9 SU and 8-7-1 ATSrecord in 2019.
What are the SB odds and Wins Total for the Broncos?
So, most books I have researched make the Broncos a 75 to 80:1 long shot to win the Super Bowl as offered by the Draft Kings Sportsbook and post seven wins for their 2020 season. I will tell you right now I am all over this 7-win line. The line is calling for a 7-9 record because of their past failures. By contrast, I see them going 9-7 and possibly 10-6 if the stars align. In other words, I love the Denver Broncos and fully expect them to have a great year and the following paragraphs discuss the X-factors that will make it happen.
Drew Lock
Drew Lock (6-4, 228) started the last five games of the 2019season and went 4-1 SUATS, completed 64% of his 156 pass attempts for 1,020yards, and an 89.7 quarterback rating. He will start the season fresh and willhave several new additions to the roster, including their No.1 draft pick JerryJeudy out of Alabama. Jeudy will start at WR and lined up on the right side ofthe formation with speedster Courtland Sutton lined up on the left side.
Draftee Jerry Jeudy
Jeudy enters his NFL rookie season, possessing many of the skillsetsthat established pros possess. He runs extraordinarily tight routes, does notbreak off routes, and has the speed and agility to make catches in tightspaces. When he catches the ball in space, he has been a nightmare for defensestop tackle, and he will be at this level too. Take Jeudy and Sutton and add inK.J. Hamler, and Noah Fant, it becomes pretty easy to see why this is a vastlyunderrated team.
The Broncos defense is coming off a strong season and will be led again by Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. The defensive unit is flat-out frightening to the rest of the quarterbacks on the Broncos schedule this season. Moreover, armed with an improved offensive unit, the defense will spend less time on the field and as a result, will be even better in late-game situations.
What Are the Technical Trends to Know?
The Broncos are 11-1 ATS covering the spread by an averageof 12 points-per-game (PPG) when on playing on a grass field and facing adivisional foe when coming off a win of seven or more points as a home favoriteand were leading by more than three points at the half. The Broncos will facethe Titans in Week1 and installed as 2.5-point home favorites. Should they winby seven or more points, the trend would be active in Week 2 when they travelto face the Steelers as a 5.5-point dog.
The most crucial game of the season just might be in Week 6when they host the Miami Dolphins as 6.5 point favorites. They win this matchupover the Fish by seven or more points the trend is active as they face-offagainst the defending Super Bowl Champs Kansas City Chiefs.
The second meeting with the Chiefs will be at Arrowhead Stadium, where they are currently an 11.5 point underdog. I have already made this bet on the Broncos plus 11.5-points because the offense is going to monumentally more efficient. This line could be below six points, for instance, if the Broncos play as well as I expect during the first 12 weeks.
In conclusion, the Reigning World Champions are prone to a Super Bowl hangover that could see them drop to 10 or 11 wins. As a result, the Broncos are in perfect position to be the Cinderella team of the 2020 campaign. So, put me down for the Broncos to win 11 games in 2020 and make it a Best Bet ‘OVER’ the posted 7-win regular season wins line.
I hope you enjoyed this article and be sure to check out all of the other fantastic Win Daily Sports articles too. I can be found on Twitter @JohnRyanSports1 and I welcome further discussion from you. Please join me on the Free Discord Chat to get things started. See you soon.
