The Denver Broncos got a late touchdown for a backdoor cover in their game against the Rams, however, that was their only consolation as the troubling season continues. The Broncos covered the spread for the first time this season, but they lost their fourth in a row straight up and surrendered a bunch of yards on the ground once again. They have a short week to get things straightened out with a trip to the Arizona Cardinals on tap for the Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup. And the Cards have just as many if not more problems as they opened as a 1.5-point underdog on the NFL betting lines.
Watch this Week 7 regular season matchup live on Thursday, October 18, 2018, at 8:20 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Denver Broncos -1.5
Arizona Cardinals +1.5
Over/Under 40
The Broncos were hoping to rely on their once feared defense to carry the team while Case Keenum got adjusted to his new surroundings. Keenum hasn’t been bad, but he sure hasn’t been the savior John Elway was hoping for when handing him a boatload of money to run the offense. Meanwhile, Denver’s defense has all but disappeared.
One week after allowing Isaiah Crowell to scamper for 219 yards and the Jets to amass 323 yards on the ground in a loss, Broncos were gouged again. Todd Gurley ran for 208 yards and the Rams compiled 270 yards while handing the Broncos their fourth straight loss. Denver now owns the NFL’s worst run defense allowing over 161 yards per game, and overall the Broncos rank 27th with nearly 404 yards given up per game.
If the last two games were outliers and bumps in the road, the Broncos have a chance to show that on Thursday night against one of the most inept offenses in the league. The Cards have yet to gain 300 yards in a game and outside of their win over San Francisco where they were aided by five turnovers, they haven’t scored more than 17 points in a game. To say something has to give when the Cards have the football is an understatement.
We’ve said this all season, but the Cards have talent on offense and David Johnson will get a chance to show that he’s still the capable back he was two years ago when he led the league in yards from scrimmage. Johnson had 55 of the Cards 61 rushing yards against the Vikings and he’ll test the Broncos. Converting a few more third downs to extend drives and possessing the ball longer will help the Cards, who rank last in the NFL in both categories. Establishing the run will be a priority for the Cards and look for Johnson to eclipse his rushing yard total on a prop bet at BookMaker.eu.
The Cards need to have success on the ground since the passing game is lacking. Josh Rosen has shown signs, but the line has struggled in protection and Rosen was sacked four times last week by the Vikings. That plays right into the Broncos strength, which is getting after the quarterback. They can’t stop the run, but they had a nice effort slowing down Jared Goff and the Rams passing attack last week.
Goff threw 28 passes and had just 201 yards while the Broncos totaled five sacks against him. Bradley Chubb had three sacks and Von Miller had 1.5. It could have been much worse for the Rams had the Broncos been able to stop the run. Look for the Broncos to sell out against the run and when the Cards are forced to throw the ball, Miller and Chubb will pin their ears back.
It Arizona’s defense gets any help from its mates on the other side of the football the Cards might be a respectable bunch. The group has carried the team all season and will be forced to do it again. We’ve seen Arizona’s defense get worn down in the second half of game by being on the field way too much. Taking a wager on the first half under on the live betting feature at BookMaker.eu could be profitable before the group slows in the second half.
Broncos at Cardinals Live Betting
The Cards have yet to score a point in the third quarter this season and that’s something you need to keep in mind when examining the adjusted in-game betting spreads for this onw. Also remember that the Cards held leads over the Bears and Seahawks in their previous two home games before losing each time. And their offense is one of the worst in football, so if the Broncos get behind, there’s a good chance they’ll come back so use the live betting feature to your advantage in the second half of this one.
NFL Betting Odds
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