Denver Broncos (2-0 SU, 1-0-1 ATS) vs. Buffalo Bills (1-1 SU, 2-0 ATS)
Week 3 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 1PM EST
Where: New Era Field, Buffalo, New York
TV: CBS
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: DEN -3/BUF +3
Over/Under Total: 40
The Denver Broncos come out to New Era Field for a week three matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Bills have covered the spread in both of their games this season and are 1-1 after a tough 9-3 loss to the Panthers on the road on Sunday. The Broncos had a big week two, bumping their record to 2-0 with an eye-popping 42-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. They look to go to 3-0 this week against a Buffalo team that figures to be tough at home.
After a MNF win against the Chargers in a dramatic game, the Broncos had less drama on Sunday in their second straight game at home with the 25-point win over a good Dallas team that was out of their element and taken aback at the Broncos level of menace on both sides of the ball. While Denver has maintained its high defensive standards since winning the Super Bowl a few years ago, the offense has been the sticking point. On Sunday, they shined and have forced us to maybe upgrade our opinion of the Broncos this season.
Trevor Siemian was a surprise on Sunday, looking fantastic with four touchdown passes. With the run-game doing well, this offense could be in pretty good shape. The line has been good in springing the run and keeping Siemian out of trouble. Running back CJ Anderson seems reborn this season and had a big 118 yards rushing, while making three catches, and scoring both on the ground and aerially. Jamaal Charles showed some live legs and that could be big down the road to have some depth in the ground-game. Receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders both had productive games and we now see that on the right day, this Denver offense can put it together and make a lot of good things happen.
The Denver defense had a lot of good things happen on Sunday. Aqib Talib returned an interception 103 yards for a touchdown, with Chris Harris, Jr. also notching a pick. Von Miller was active with two sacks, with Shaquil Barrett and Brandon Marshall also big in the second level. Up front, Domata Peko aided a run-stop that held Ezekiel Elliott to 8 yards on 9 rushes. The secondary made plays and Darrian Stewart and Bradley Roby also made plays on the day. When you can hold the Dallas offense to 268 yards of offense, it counts as a victory. We'll now see how the Denver defense performs on the road.
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Buffalo looks somewhat interesting under new head coach Sean McDermott. After beating a down Jets team, 21-12, in week one, the offense ground to a halt against Carolina. But the Bills don't often visit NFC South teams and under the circumstances, a 9-3 loss and a cover isn't all that bad. They were in it the whole game, but the offense languished late when in close and when they needed a positive development late, they came up snake-eyes.
While the defense performed well, the offense really came up short on Sunday for the Bills. They gained a total of 176 yards and ten first downs in the game, with a pathetic 39 yards of offense in the second half. LeSean McCoy had 9 yards on 12 carries. Tyrod Taylor threw for 125 yards on 25 attempts. While that's what kind of game it was, it doesn't reflect all that well on the Bills to come up with so little on offense. After a pretty good week one on that side of the ball, maybe they were just off amid tough conditions and will be better at home. But for a struggling offense, facing the Broncos defense doesn't seem like the best medicine.
McDermott had the right recipe on Sunday against the team where he was the defensive coordinator, holding the Panthers to just 9 points. That's 21 combined points in two games—not too shabby. They put a lot of pressure on Cam Newton on Sunday with Jerry Hughes getting two sacks, while Jordan Poyer, Lorenzo Alexander, Shaq Larson, and rookie DE Eddie Yarbrough also had sacks. At linebacker, Preston Brown, Ramon Humber, and Alexander look to be forming a tough group. The secondary, led by Tre'Davious White, EJ Gaines, Micah Hyde, and Poyer are developing nice chemistry. And up-front, we see an identity forming with Lawson and Hughes at the ends and Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams inside. This definitely looks to be the strength of the team.
This is a sleeper game where a team like Denver can get tripped up by a team like Buffalo. Denver might have had a fruitful day on offense on Sunday, but it's still not an offense that can be expected to be firing on all cylinders every week. We've seen teams show up to Buffalo, even against bad Bills teams, and see pegs not fall into the slots as easily as people would have guessed. Granted, picturing an abundance of Buffalo scoring with that offense against the Broncos defense isn't all that easy. But we see the Bills doing well this week and getting the cover.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Buffalo Bills plus 3 points. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today and bet the Denver vs. Buffalo game by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 100% sign-up bonus!