Broncos at Chiefs Week 13 Odds: Denver Opens as Massive Underdogs | What it Means
The Denver Broncos are unfortunately spending a third week in a row going against one of the hottest teams in the NFL. The rival Kansas City Chiefs have won six games in a row and have been arguably the most explosive offense in football during that stretch.
The one saving hope for the Broncos is that the Chiefs' defense has struggled of late, surrendering almost 29 points per game over the last three contests. However, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the Broncos are huge underdogs in this one. SportsBetting.com has the Broncos as 14-point underdogs to the Chiefs.
Let's get to the odds, spread, over/under, and moneyline for Broncos-Chiefs.
ATS: Kansas City -14
Over/Under: 51
Moneyline: Broncos +680/Chiefs -1000
What it Means
Against The Spread: The only shocking thing about the spread is that it's not larger. These are two teams heading in opposite directions and the Broncos were hit hard with serious injuries to top players last week in Bryce Callahan, Phillip Lindsay, and even Malik Reed. For the Broncos to cover the spread, Drew Lock is going to have to play the best game of his career.
So far, Lock has struggled against the Chiefs, but some of that can be put on both games being in snow weather. As of right now, the weather is expected to be decent for the game at Arrowhead Stadium, giving the Broncos a chance to maybe catch some footing on offense.
The best bet for the Broncos to cover the spread will be leaning heavily on the run game. Lindsay could be available for the game, but at what capacity remains to be seen.
Can the Broncos trust Melvin Gordon to carry them throughout this game with the help of the suddenly resurgent Wildcat QB extraordinaire Royce Freeman? That's a question one will need to get a bead on if planning to place a bet either way in this game.
Over/Under: The Chiefs are averaging 31.6 points per game this year. Their lowest output of the season came back in Week 2 when the Chiefs played against the L.A. Chargers and were held to 23 points. I would expect Kansas City will at least put up 27 points in this game unless something crazy and unforeseen happens.
This bet comes down to how many points a person believes the Broncos can put up against this struggling Chiefs' defense. The Broncos have been very up and down with Lock at the helm.
I could see the Broncos' offense being fired up after the NFL dropped the hammer down on them this past week, making an example of the team and forcing them to play without a QB. The players still seem to be upset, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to overcome some of the struggles the offense has shown throughout the season.
Moneyline: The Chiefs now have the largest moneyline of any team the Broncos have played all season. They sit at -1000, meaning a bet of $100 would only net the winner $10 of actual profit. I personally would not want to place a bet that brings so little in return.
If one is inclined to believe in miracles, though, this week could pay big dividends for anyone betting on the Broncos. Denver sits at +680, meaning a $100 bet would net the person a $680 return. Unfortunately, the Chiefs have dominated the Broncos as of late, winning 10 in a row against Denver, making it hard to see this week providing a different result, but crazier things have happened.
Bottom Line
Not many in the sports betting world are giving the Broncos any kind of chance this week for obvious reasons. These are easily the worst odds the Broncos have seen, not counting last week after the QB crisis broke, since back during the 2011 season.
The Broncos are going to need to play their best game of the year in all three phases to stand a chance to win, let alone cover the spread. If Lock wants to make a statement that he is the future of the Broncos, there is no better time than against the hated Chiefs.
Follow Carl on Twitter @CarlDumlerMHH and @MileHighHuddle.
