Every single year at the start of the season, we are greeted with the old cliché about how difficult it is going to be for the defending Super Bowl champion to repeat. While it’s certainly a tired argument, it’s one that actually seemed to make sense with the Denver Broncos. After all, this is a team that came into the season with a QB in Trevor Siemian who had only ever taken a single snap in the NFL, and who had to replace the legend that is Peyton Manning.
What everyone seemed to forget was that this was a team that won a championship by playing a stifling brand of defense. That group is back and as good as ever, and that Siemian kid is turning out to be a pretty decent QB. The Broncos take their show on the road to Tampa to face the Buccaneers this coming weekend, and I think what we might have here is the potential play of the weekend. I’ll get to that at the end of this piece, but let’s start by taking a closer look at these two teams. Find the latest NFL betting odds here.
A Closer Look At The 2016 NFL Broncos At Buccaneers Winning Favorites
When: Sunday, October 2 at 4:05 PM EST
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV: CBS
Radio: KOA and WFUS
Live Stream: CBS Sports Network
NFL Odds: TBA
Why bet on the Denver Broncos
This Denver Broncos team has picked up right where it left off last year, and are coming into this weekend with a perfect 3-0 record. The defense has been as good as expected, but they are getting a lot more out of the offense than anyone bargained for, and that makes them incredibly dangerous. In Week 3, the Bengals did a fantastic job of stuffing the Broncos run game, and that means giving more work to Trevor Siemian at QB. He rose to the occasion, throwing for over 300 yards and leading the Broncos to a gritty 29-17 win on the road against a team that is considered to be one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the playoffs.
Why bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 1-2 Buccaneers have been unable to effectively move the ball on the ground in the opening weeks of the season, and you have to believe that they are going to struggle again this week. That means putting the ball in the hands of Jameis Winston, and while the young QB has been good, he is not going to have time to run around like he normally does. The Broncos have been outstanding in the passing D this season, which presents yet another problem for Winston and his receivers. The Bucs need to establish the run to have any shot here, and the good news is that the Denver defense has looked a little sloppy against the run at times this season.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
I mentioned at the start how I believed that this was the best betting opportunity of the week, and it’s all because of the spread. The Broncos are a 3-point favorite on the road this weekend, which I think is the equivalent of free money. I like Denver to win very comfortably on Sunday.
