The Denver Broncos haven't played the prettiest games ever to get to 3-0, but being undefeated at this stage of the season generally means good things for getting into the postseason. Another stern test awaits on Sunday though, as the Minnesota Vikings bring their new-look offense to Mile High for the first time in the Teddy Bridgewater era.
WHEN THE DENVER BRONCOS HAVE THE BALL
Peyton Manning's arm still looks like a wet noodle, but the one thing that he will forever have is one of the best minds in the game for a quarterback. That was clearly demonstrated at the end of the first half last week against the Lions on Sunday Night Football when, on a 4th and 1 play with just a handful of seconds left to play, he threw a deep ball to Demaryius Thomas in one-on-one coverage instead of just playing to get the first down to setup a long field goal.
Those are the types of heady plays which still make the Broncos viable for live betting purposes.
Otherwise, this is a team with no ground game whatsoever and very little of a deep threat in terms of the passing game.
Minnesota's defense has played three really good games thus far in 2015, and it is one of the more underrated bunches in the league, so it's plausible that backing the dogs in live betting could make a lot of sense.
WHEN THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS HAVE THE BALL
Meanwhile, the Denver defense has been both ferocious and opportunistic. Sure, this team isn't going to recover 80 percent of its fumbles forced as it has thus far in 2015, and picking off passes at an average of two per game won't be the status quo either, but rushing the passer is always going to create more opportunities for turnovers.
That's one thing the Broncos are insanely good at. Von Miller and Demarcus Ware are up there in age, but they can still get after any quarterback in the league.
Bridgewater might have some mobility to him, but he also hasn't seen a pass rush like this thus far in 2015.
If Adrian Peterson gets the ball in his gut 20-25 times in this game, Minnesota has a shot at the upset. Anything less than that, and the Vikes are going to have some problems, as this offense isn't going to be capable of letting Bridgewater sit in the pocket and just throw against this defense, especially with both John Sullivan and Phil Loadholt out along the offensive line.
TREND TO TRACK
It isn't much of a trend yet, but we wonder if travel to the West Coast is bothersome to the Vikings. They didn't play a single game that wasn't in the Eastern or Central Time Zones last season, and their one trek to the West Coast earlier this year resulted in a 20-3 blowout loss to a bad San Francisco outfit.
Even though Bridgewater doesn't have a lot of history here on the West Coast, the Vikings' minimal history overall isn't good. The team was crushed by Seattle 41-20 in 2013 and 30-20 at CenturyLink Field in 2012. In fact, Minnesota's last win in either the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones came in 2008 against Arizona. Since then, the team is just 1-5 ATS and is 0-6 SU, something that live bettors definitely shouldn't forget while wagering on this game.
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday game at -7 in favor of the Denver Broncos. The NFL odds total surfaced at 45. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, 2015, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
