Chargers Take On Vikings; Chiefs Challenge Commanders
Trevor Phipps
Well, the one thing Broncos Fans can be proud of for the first part of the 2025 NFL season: Three wins in a row and a 4-2 start (at least at the time of tis writing). However, you would be crazy to be completely pleased with the team and how they have won some of their games.
The Week 6 win against the New York Jets was definitely ugly to say the least. The Broncos almost dropped the game and barely squeaked by with a two-point win, against probably the worst team in the league. But as they say, “a win is a win.”
On the positive side, the Broncos’ defense has held together strong as they kept the Jets to a total of negative-10 passing yards total and completely dominated Jets’ QB Justin Fields. The Broncos currently lead the league in sacks with Nick Bonitto taking serious charge. With 15 tackles this season already, Bonitto is clearly in line to break Michael Strahan’s 22.5 tackles in a season record. According to some reports, Bonitto is vying for the title of AFC Defensive Player of the Year.
The team has stayed impressive on defense, but they clearly need help from the other sectors of the team. The Broncos offense looks terrible from time to time. Plus, their special teams really needs to stop long punt and kickoff returns. Penalties need to be decreased as well.
Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos, Sunday 2:25 p.m.
But despite the Jets’ game, the Broncos have seemed to improve as the season wears on. But their passing stats are still in the middle of the board across their league. The team’s running has stayed consistent so I expect we will see more of that this week.
Broncos’ Head Coach Sean Payton has said several times that coaching needs to clean up mistakes. I think it’s about time that we see better decision making and play calling.
It pretty much goes without saying that the Broncos need to get their ducks in a row this week when they face a decent Dallas team. The Cowboys have a better passing game, but Denver has a better pass defense. The Cowboys pass defense ranks the worst in the league.
The Cowboys have played pretty well this year, but they have been hit or miss. The team has a much worse defense than the Broncos, but they have performed better offensively especially when it comes to their passing game.
The Broncos will need to step up their offense and be successful with a good mix of long runs and passing plays. If they step up their momentum, I think they can use their home field advantage to win this one, but I think it will be another nail biter. In the end, this match will probably go to who makes the least number of mistakes (hopefully for once it’s the Broncos).
Trevor’s Pick: Denver Broncos 24, Dallas Cowboy 23
Vegas Line: Broncos by 4.5.
Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs, Monday 6:15 p.m.
Well, I think it’s safe to see that the Chiefs have officially turned things around. At first, I was a little worried when the former AFC Champs struggled to get things going.
But now, after beating some stellar teams like the Detroit Lions in week 6, I believe that the Chiefs mean business once again. They have of the league’s hardest schedules, so I didn’t expect them to end the season with less than five losses.
Statistically, the Chiefs have mainly stayed in the middle of the pack. But even though the team may not have put up good numbers this season, they still know how to win when it counts.
The Commanders this season have struggled with injuries and getting their team really going. But I still think they will make the playoffs like they did last year.
When you look at the season’s team stats, both teams look pretty even. But, the Chiefs are slightly better than the Commanders in just about every statistical category, and they have home field advantage this week.
Trevor’s Pick: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Washington Commanders 31
Vegas Line: Chiefs by 3.5.
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers, Thursday 6:15 p.m.
When the Chargers first started out the season, I thought that they would be a major force to reckon with. They dropped a few key matches they probably should have won, but they were still number one in the AFC West (at the time of tis writing).
The Chargers though have got things together and they went back to winning after a two-game losing streak. The Chargers are still sixth in the league when it comes to passing and seventh when defending the pass.
The Vikings though have also had a pretty good season. The team is third in the league when it comes to stopping the pass, but in the middle of the board with their rush defense.
Overall, the Chargers have a better offense than the Vikings, but not a better defense. This should be another close AFC West game to watch.
Trevor’s Pick: Minnesota Vikings 21, Los Angeles Chargers 17
Vegas Line: Chargers by 3.
