Will Denver Be the Surprise Team in AFC This Season?
This content was produced in partnership with Gambler.Media
One of the things that makes the NFL so good is the parity from year to year.
Of course, there are teams like the New England Patriots that test that equality, but even they might fall back to the pack now that Tom Brady is gone.
With the way the schedule is set up, plus the NFL Draft, free agency, and other factors, it is very tough to stay at the top, or the bottom for long.
But the one thing that can change the fortune of a franchise very quickly, a la the Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, or most recently last season like the Baltimore Ravens, is a good quarterback.
Many times, a team is not sure just how good of a player they have under center until the second season. Look at Patrick Mahomes, who won the 2018 NFL MVP in his second year. He led the Chiefs to the brink of the Super Bowl, losing in overtime (because the coin flip went the other way) to Brady and the Patriots, who then went on to beat the Rams to win their sixth Super Bowl title. But Mahomes came back last year and led the Chiefs to the title, winning Super Bowl LIV MVP thanks to a stirring fourth quarter comeback.
In 2019, it was Lamar Jackson with the Ravens, leading his team to a 14-2 record with 3100+ yards passing (36 TDs) and an NFL QB record 1,207 yards rushing. He picked up the MVP award, and now has the Ravens primed as the 2020 favorites to win Super Bowl LV.
In 2020, it might be Drew Lock’s year. It could be Kyler Murray’s as well. Two second year quarterbacks that led two under .500 teams last season, who might be under center for potential playoff teams.
Lock is poised to lead the Denver Broncos from 7-9 to a winning record in 2020, and possibly more. American Gambler has some interesting prop bets on the Broncos from the various sports betting apps in Colorado, and it is BetMGM that leads the way.
BetMGM has the Broncos over/under wins set at 7.5, so they just have to improve by one win from last season to go over at odds of -139. The odds are a little longer for Denver to make the playoffs, at +165 for yes and -200 for no, but if Lock can help change any of the three losses the Broncos suffered by two points or less into wins, this team is 8-8 at minimum.
Lock was 4-1 to end the season, after his team was 3-8 in the first 11 games without him under center. Can one player make that much of a difference? He can if he is a good quarterback.
Murray can have the same effect on the Cardinals. This has truly become a quarterback league, and the 2019 top pick in the draft could help Arizona get to .500 in 2020.
Predictions:
I like the Broncos to finish second in the AFC West at +220, behind the defending Super Bowl champion. Denver over 7.5 games is a nice bet as well, both with BetMGM.
Look for Kyler Murray to throw for over 3949.5 yards (-110), as he leads the Cardinals up the NFC West standings.