Denver Broncos (3-4 SU, 2-4-1 ATS) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (7-1 SU, 6-2 ATS)
Week 9 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 1PM EDT
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: CBS
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: DEN +7.5/PHI -7.5
Over/Under Total: 43.5
The Denver Broncos face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in week nine action. The Eagles are sitting pretty atop the NFC east at 7-1, on the heels of six straight wins. On Sunday, they scored a routine 33-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, the fifth time in a row that they have covered the spread. This is their second of three straight home games before entering the bye. They look to do more damage against an incoming Broncos bunch that lost their third in a row on MNF, falling to the Chiefs, 29-19. After a 2-0 start, the luster is off and Denver needs a win badly before this season completely gets away from them.
The Eagles seem to have fallen upon a nice formula with 6 straight wins and the best record in the NFL at 7-1. In Sunday's win over the Niners, we saw a little of all the different elements that have made the Eagles so successful this season. They got big pass-plays with fast-rising Carson Wentz and his improved cast of aerial performers. They ran the ball well with Corey Clement and LeGarrette Blount both productive on the ground. The defense was stout, but beyond that, they got after the quarterback and created turnovers, with Jalen Mills taking one for a pick-six. It's been a dependable recipe so far for the Eagles and in a league with so much variance from week-to-week, the Eagles have been pretty steady on both sides of the ball.
Carson Wentz continues to shine behind center for the Eagles in his second season. He didn't even have his best day, but he didn't need to be great. He connected on a huge 53-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery, while also hitting Zach Ertz for a score. Blount ran in a score, as well, with Clement having some nice runs on the day. They average 29 points a game and apply what they do well week in and week out. They added some juice to their run-game with a trade for Miami back Jay Ajayi early in the week.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been solid on defense, allowing an average of less than 20 points a game. Mills has three picks now, as the secondary has been more-adept at making plays, with Rodney McLeod also having an interception on Sunday. Still, while they are now healthy and should be better moving forward, it's been the weak-point of the defense from a leakiness standpoint. Up-front, they are rigid and impactful. Teams are having a lot of trouble running the ball against Philly this season. Vinny Curry, Fletcher Cox, and Brandon Graham all had sacks on Sunday. The middle with Mychal Kendricks and Nigel Bradham is solid. We'll see how they fare this week against this Denver offense.
Denver wasn't very good against Kansas City. Turnovers were a big problem, with an opening-quarter fumble returned for a TD. Another TD in the first quarter took it to 14-0 and although they didn't allow the Chiefs to score another touchdown, they also never really climbed back into the game, either. The Denver defense was pretty good, keeping the Chiefs' playmakers limited and Alex Smith in-check. But the offense was really bad overall with five turnovers and one has to wonder what has to happen before QB Trevor Siemian gets the hook.
With 6 picks in his last three games and just two touchdowns, Siemian has been off-the-mark. He's a smart player and there are moments where he does impressive things, but his limitations have rendered this offense a diminished version of what it once was. Demaryius Thomas has been made to look ordinary. The one saving grace is a run-game that is getting good play from CJ Anderson, along with Devontae Booker and Jamaal Charles. With Brock Osweiler now back in the fold and former first-rounder Paxton Lynch ready to come back shortly, is a quarterback change impending?
BET THE BRONCOS VS. EAGLES AT DISCOUNTED ODDS AND STOP WASTING YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY! STOP LAYING -110 ODDS! START LAYING ONLY -105 TODAY AT THE WEB'S BEST SPORTSBOOK: 5DIMES
If Denver manages to pull itself out of this muck, the defense will be a big part of it. They did some good things on MNF. Smith had been doing really well and was held to 202 yards on just 14-for-31 passing. Star back Kareem Hunt had just 46 yards on 22 carries. Tyreek Hill was prevented from having his normal fireworks. Darian Stewart had a pick, making up a little for when he was burnt in a TD pass to Travis Kelce. Von Miller made some plays. They are both good against the pass and have been even better against the run this season. Their three-game losing streak notwithstanding, the Eagles might be facing one of their tougher matchups this week, at least on the defensive side of the ball.
This is not easy for what has to be a dispirited Broncos bunch, now facing a cross-conference and cross-country trip against a peaking Eagles team. When looking at the teams the Eagles have beaten in this latest run of wins, there aren't a lot of good defenses in that group. Denver's "D" could give them a different look. Still, Denver is going to need to put up some points and while Philly's quarterback is thriving, Denver is still looking for their quarterback of the future as it further-crystallizes that it probably won't be Siemian. I see the Broncos continuing to be somewhat dysfunctional and a against a team in as good a form as the Eagles, that won't resonate well this week.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm taking the Philadelphia Eagles minus 7.5 points. Bet the Broncos vs. Eagles game for FREE by taking advantage of a massive 100% sign-up bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $500 at GTBets!