Trevor Phipps
Denver fans were given a new wave of excitement after they broke their losing streak in Week 3 with a huge win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was what the good football doctor ordered, as the Bucks looked pretty impressive in the early part of the season and the Broncs fooled everyone with this victory.
But as they say, “A win is a win,” and even though it was ugly, the Broncos came up with two wins in a row to bring them back to .500 going into Week 5. On the bright side, the Broncos have shown pretty much all season that their defense is stellar and they won’t get tripped up even by veteran quarterbacks.
When the Broncos played the New York Jets in Week 4, their defense made veteran star QB Aaron Rodgers struggle bad. The Broncos defense absolutely shut Rodgers down and didn’t allow him a single touchdown. They also sacked him quite a few times to where he looked hurt at one point.
However, even though the Broncos defense looks great, it will be hard for them to handle high scoring teams if they don’t get a little bit of help from their offense. It seems like every time the Broncos defense comes up with a big turnover or makes a huge stop, their offense just can’t capitalize from it, forcing the defense to go back out onto the field.
But during the Buccaneers game it seemed like head coach Sean Payton finally got some things working on the offense. If the Broncos can return to that level again, then they could see some more success heading down the road.
The Chargers this year have shown some improvements with head coach Jim Harbaugh in charge. But the team still hasn’t looked like they are playoff-worthy.
At the time of this writing, the Chargers were neck and neck with the Broncos in the AFC West. Despite their improvements, I just don’t think that they will improve to the point to where they will become a major contender. The team has shown some ability in putting points on the board, but I just think the Broncos defense will be too much for them.
This analysis, of course, differs from the oddsmakers in Vegas who have treated the Broncos like a football parasite.
The gurus in Las Vegas are favoring the Chargers in this matchup. But I disagree and think this will be another close game that gets decided in the game’s final seconds.
Vegas Line: Chargers by 3.
Trevor’s Pick: Denver Broncos 21, Los Angeles Chargers 20
Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders Sunday 2:05 p.m.
The Steelers this year quickly grabbed former Broncos QB Russell Wilson hoping that he could turn the team around. However, Wilson got hurt and hasn’t started a game, so backup QB Justin Fields has come in and probably has stolen the starting spot.
The Steelers got stripped from being undefeated in Week 4, but they still look like a solid team. Fields has shown that he can make their offense work and I would expect them to be a playoff contender this year.
The Raiders on the other hand just really haven’t got things together. They have picked up some decent wins, but I don’t think they will stand strong when they play the tougher teams in the league.
Vegas Line: Steelers by 1
Trevor’s Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Las Vegas Raiders 17
Other Games to Watch
The Chiefs have a bye this week, but there are plenty of other games worth watching. Luckily for Ute Pass region sports fans there are a slew of popular spots to watch football locally. Some of our favorite include McGinty’s Wood Oven Pub in Divide, The Creek in Cripple Creek, The Blue Moose in Green Mountain Falls and Jess Place/Pool Hall in Woodland Park.
Thursday 6:15 p.m. San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have had a decent season and I think they will do well as the season goes on. The 49ers on the other hand have had a rough start to the season and they will be looking to pick up a much-needed win this week.
Vegas Line: 49ers by 5.5
Trevor’s Pick: San Francisco 49ers 34, Seattle Seahawks 22
Sunday 7:30 a.m. Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears
Another early morning London game could be worth watching for those who like getting up when the sun rises. The Jaguars have had a rough season, but both teams have talented quarterbacks that give them potential when it’s still early in the season.
Vegas Line: Jaguars by 1.5
Trevor’s Pick: Chicago Bears 24, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
Sunday 11 a.m. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Both of these teams have proved their critics wrong this season and have come out and beat some decent opponents. This division rivalry should be close since it means quite a bit two both teams.
Vegas Line: Saints by 1.5
Trevor’s Pick: New Orleans Saints 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29
Sunday 6:20 p.m. Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants
Both of these teams have looked rough lately, but who knows they could surprise us still at this point in the season. The Bengals looked like they will continue to get better, but the Giants maybe not so much.
Vegas Line: Bengals by 5.5
Trevor’s Pick: Cincinnati Bengals 34, New York Giants 14
Monday 6:15 p.m. Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Both of these teams look like they could be playoff contenders, and the match should be good since it is another division rivalry bout. The Bills have looked very impressive lately with the Jets basically only having Aaron Rodgers as a good thing going for them.
Vegas Line: Jets by 1.5
Trevor’s Pick: Buffalo Bills 27, New York Jets 24
