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Mile High Roundtable: Broncos at Vikings | Week 11 | Predictions & Picks
Khalid Alshami (@KhalidHAlshami) 6-3: Coming off a tough win, facing a team coming off a bye, some have called this a trap game for the Minnesota Vikings. I can't see it going down like that with Minnesota in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt with Gary Kubiak possessing a heavy hand in the organization. Minnesota has one of the top rushing attacks in the league and Kirk Cousins has stepped up his game ever since critics were vocal about his poor play. While the Denver Broncos defense has been playing very well, the Viking offense is an entirely new test, especially on the ground. On the other side of the ball, how does Brandon Allen fare now that teams will have film to watch and better prepare to face him? How long will Allen be able to ward off Drew Lock from taking the reins? My guess, if we're going off Allen's play, it won't be long.
Pick: Vikings 28, Broncos 16
Josh Carney (@JCarney_Sports) 5-4: Tough road trip, tough opponent. I see no way the Broncos pull off the massive upset this week against one of the most talented teams in the NFC. Dalvin Cook and the Vikings’ run game should have a strong day, keeping the ball away from Denver’s improved offense throughout.
Pick: Vikings 27, Broncos 14
Keith Cummings (@KeithC_NFL) 1-1: Riding the good vibes after the win over the Browns, the Broncos have a big opportunity on Sunday. This one has all the hallmarks of a home trap game for the Vikings. Allen is an unknown quantity for Minnesota to defend with his added mobility a factor. I see a defensive touchdown for Denver, and a brace of Courtland Sutton scores.
Pick: Broncos 24, Vikings 21
Carl Dumler (@CarlDumlerMHH) 3-6: Offensively, the Broncos probably do not have a worse matchup than that of the Vikings. Their strengths on defense in stopping the run and having an edge duo that makes good tackles look bad is not something that builds confidence towards a win. The Vikings will work to put the ball in Allen's hands and unfortunately, that leads to a couple of bad turnovers in this one. Defensively, the Broncos should be able to keep the team in the game. The Broncos contain Dalvin Cook for the most part, but with the offense struggling, a few big plays begin to break through, leading to a Vikings win.
Pick: Viking 20, Broncos 17
Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) 6-3: The key to victory in this Broncos-Vikings matchup is stopping the run. If the Broncos defense comes through, they have a shot at victory. If not, it’ll be a long day. But the Broncos defense will do its job and keep the game close, but in the end, they fall short.
Pick: Vikings 17, Broncos 16
Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) 3-6: As always, it's difficult to get a bead on this Broncos squad. Coming out of the bye, will we see a similar surge as last year, when the 2018 Broncos won three straight coming out? With Allen making just his second career start on the road vs. one of the best defenses in the league, I have a really hard time seeing Denver repeat history. The Broncos' only chance is stopping Cook and getting another big performance from Allen's supporting cast — Phillip Lindsay, Noah Fant and Sutton. At the end of the day, the Broncos simply don't have enough juice offensively to go blow-for-blow with Cousins and company. Gary Kubiak gets a small measure of revenge as the Vikings emerge with the 'W'.
Bold Prediction: Allen's play won't be atrocious but it won't be anywhere near a quality starter-level, which will lead the Broncos to prioritize getting Drew Lock on the field sooner than the expected Week 16.
Pick: Vikings 23, Broncos 16
Trevor Judge (@TrevorJudge) 3-6: Allen played well enough in his debut against Cleveland to pull out a win. But that was the Browns. The Vikings are not only a significantly better team, they're also playing at home. I don't see Allen playing nearly as clean of a game now that teams have some tape on him, even if it is just one game's worth.
Pick: Vikings 27, Broncos 16
Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) 3-6: The Broncos must play a perfectly clean brand of football — no mistakes, zero self-inflicted wounds — for 60 minutes in order to spring a massive upset of the Vikings, who seem destined for the playoffs. On defense, despite facing Cousins and Cook, that's fairly achievable. On offense? Different story. Brandon Allen, the hero of Week 9, could quickly become the goat against a ferocious Minnesota defense, especially if the rushing attack goes nowhere. This game will either be the catalyst for the Broncos to play Lock or the reason Allen hangs onto the starting QB job for the foreseeable future. I'm leaning toward the former — and a Denver defeat.
Pick: Vikings 26, Broncos 17
Nick Kendell (@NickKendellMHH) 4-5: The Broncos are 10.5-point underdogs coming off the bye week, heading to Minnesota to play the supremely talented and balanced Vikings. The Vikings, with the help of Kubiak and a rejuvenated offense, are playing complementary football. The Vikings' ground game, led by Cook, is dynamic and, in tandem with Cousins playing game manager and the heavy usage of play-action, are versatile and consistent. The Vikings defense is not playing at the level they have the past few seasons, especially in the secondary and with interior pressure, but their edge duo of Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter and linebacker Mychal Kendricks playing at an All Pro level, can do enough to control the game with a lead. Allen and the Broncos' offense crash back to earth this week.
Pick: Vikings 20 Broncos 16
Bob Morris (@BobMorrisSports) 5-4: The Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL and the duo of Hunter and Griffen excel at pressuring opposing QBs. Their secondary is very good, too. The only issue might be their run defense which, while usually good could be affected if DT Linval Joseph doesn’t play Sunday. On offense, old friend Kubiak has gotten the most out of the players. Cook is one of the best running backs in the game, Cousins has looked more comfortable the past few weeks and Stefon Diggs is a talented wide receiver. If Adam Thielen doesn’t play, that’s one less playmaker the Broncos have to worry about, but there's still enough talent for the Vikings to be a threat on offense against the Broncos. Denver's defense will be up to the task, though, and find ways to contain the Vikings. The offense, however, concerns me because Allen, while solid against the Browns, isn’t the type of QB to threaten opposing defenses much. The Browns had a solid defense but the Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Expect this to be similar to the Packers game, in which the Broncos put up a fight but simply run into a better team.
Pick: Vikings 24, Broncos 13
Lance Sanderson (@SandersonMHH) 6-3: If the Broncos hope to keep their momentum going after an awesome showing against the Browns two weeks ago, they are going to have to fully rely on Allen's arm to take it to a struggling Vikings secondary. Given that it's Allen's second career start and first road start, I really can't trust the Broncos offense to get much going, especially with Griffin and Hunter coming off the edge. Defensively, the Broncos have to figure out a way to corral the league's leading rusher, and with Denver's run defense allowing north of 100 yards per game this season, that's not likely to happen.
Pick: Vikings 24, Broncos 16
Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) 3-6: Allen had a solid game against the Browns, but that Cleveland defense is a mess and leaderless. This is a tougher Vikings defense that won't let the Broncos rely so heavily on the run game. It's a true test for Allen. As for the offense of the Vikings, they have an attack that's hard to stop and well-balanced that can exploit the weak spots of the Broncos defense. Despite having extra time to prep, I don't see the Broncos overcoming the wide talent gap on the road and lose to the Vikings.
Pick: Vikings 24, Broncos 13
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