NFL WEEK 16 – BRONCOS vs. EAGLES
With the possible exception of Bernie Madoff, has there been a fall from grace more dramatic than that suffered by the Denver Broncos? From that blistering 6-0 start that included victories over the Bengals, Patriots, Cowboys and Chargers (who are now a combined 38-18), Denver enters Week 16 without a playoff spot yet locked down.
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Time: Sunday 4:05 ET
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
MoneyLine: Broncos +250 (-110) / Eagles -300 (-110)
Spread: Eagles -7 (-110)
Over/Under: 41.5
And to make matters worse, the Broncos have to head east this weekend for a not-so-much-fun afternoon against the Eagles, the hottest team in the NFC and hell-bent on nailing down the East division title. In the middle of an all-too-familiar December run, Philadelphia has five straight wins and in the process has vaulted to the top of the division.
If you had shoved a paper in front of Josh McDaniels last July and it said the Broncos would be sitting at 8-6 with two to go, he would have pulled a hamstring running to find a pen to sign it. But the fast start created unrealistic expectations in the Rockies, and just two wins in the subsequent eight games has made the fans base more than a tad impatient.
McDaniels’s job is simple – wave a magic wand and transform the Broncos from what they are now into what they used to be. Forget that the league has caught on to Denver’s conservative game plans, forget that the defense was overvalued and running on sheer emotion early in the season, forget that Denver caught New England, Dallas and San Diego when those teams were all struggling.
Forget all that. It’s time to flip the switch and somehow slow down the Eagles, a team with playmakers on both sides of the ball and a veteran quarterback who has been around the block and played in big game after big game.
Donovan McNabb may never be the Brady or Manning that Philly fans want, but he’s not bad with the game on the line and his numbers (3,000-plus yards passing, 19 TDs and only 9 INTs) are numbers most teams would gladly accept from their quarterback.
Denver’s defense will also have to deal with one DeSean Jackson, who is rapidly becoming one of the top offensive impact players in the league. The Eagles coaching staff is working overtime trying to get the ball into Jackson’s hands as much as possible – last week vs. San Francisco he caught 6 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Denver would no doubt love to get ahead and grind it out on the ground, but there’s one problem with that: The ground game has ground to a halt. Rookie stud Knowshon Moreno had only 42 yards on 19 carries last week in the crushing home loss to Oakland, and backup LaMont Jordan had only 27 yards on 5 carries.
Philadelphia gives 7, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it bet up a half-point or point before Sunday.
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Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling and travel expert from Massachusetts.
One reply on “Week 16 NFL Spreads: Broncos vs. Eagles”
Believe it or not, the wildcard in this game could be Brian Dawkins. He made so many game changing plays for the Eagles over the years, do not be surprised if he pulls of the same feat for the Broncos on Sunday.