Chiefs Challenge Texans; Chargers Take On Eagles
Trevor Phipps
Luck continues to prevail for the Denver Broncos as we reach the close of the NFL regular season.
During their recent bye week, the Broncos had some help from the league. The Colts lost, but the Patriots won keeping the Broncos tied with the Pats for the top team in the AFC (at the time of this writing).
If the Broncos can stay focused, they have an awesome chance of a high seed in the playoffs. In fact, it’s still possible for them to get the number one seed in the AFC and earn home field advantage throughout the postseason contest.
And the chances of that are actually pretty good. Compared to other top teams in the AFC, the Broncos have a somewhat easy schedule to finish the regular season. Out of the five remaining games, this week, which pits the Broncs against the Las Vegas Raiders, could be their easiest match to win. That’s the good news. The bad news is that their season gets a definitely tougher after Raider Week.
At this point in the season, the Broncos still have to play every team in their division (the Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers). Their other two matches will be difficult though as they must face the tough Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars before the season ends.
Now that their defense is healthy, they are going to be tough to score against. In the end, if the Broncos can get their offense dialed in, it’s possible that they could win-out the rest of the season.
Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday 2:05 p.m.
The Broncos are technically playing a division rival team on the road this week, but most fans probably aren’t really worried. Besides in Las Vegas, Broncos’ fans seem to outnumber those cheering on the Black and Silver. It’s just not the same rivalry as it was back in the old Al Davis days, when the Raiders were the OAKLAND RAIDERS and they violated every rule known to mankind.
The Broncos have stayed steady this year, but fans would like to see them stop winning matches by just one score. But the team has seemed to improve every week, so I think it’s fair to say that we haven’t seen the best of them yet.
On paper, the Broncos are a much better team than the Raiders. But it is always hard to consider any division match an “easy win.” Besides, the Raiders did almost beat the Broncos in Denver the last time they played
But even though the Las Vegas team may have improved, I just don’t think they will survive this week. The Raiders have disappointed the NFL world, and I don’t see things changing soon.
The Raiders did make Colorado football fans happy though when their lackluster play earned former Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders his first NFL win as a starter when the Cleveland Browns beat the Raiders 24-10 in Week 12. Hopefully, Sanders set a precedent that the Raiders won’t be able to beat Coloradans this season.
Trevor’s Pick: Denver Broncos 31, Las Vegas Raiders 13
Vegas Line: Broncos by 3.5.
Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday 6:20 p.m.
Well, the Chiefs finally did what few thought was possible: They overcame the Colts in Week 12. The game was played well on both sides with the Chiefs sneaking away with a 23-20 win in overtime.
With their latest win, the Chiefs saved their playoff hopes. But despite their big win against one of the league’s best teams, they still don’t look like the stellar team they have been in the past few seasons.
The Chiefs though have looked quite sturdy when it comes to their defense. They were able to shut down Colts’ star QB Daniel Jones pretty well in Week 12.
Their offense though, could use some work. The team just hasn’t been clutch at the end of the game like they have been in the past. They have only won one single score game this season
The Texans on the other hand, are finding their groove at the end of the season. The team has been on a roll, and many say that they are one to watch going into postseason. I’m going with Houston for the upset this week.
Trevor’s Pick: Houston Texans 34, Kansas City Chiefs 31
Vegas Line: Chiefs by 6.5.
Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Chargers, Monday 6:15 p.m.
At one point this season, the Chargers seemed like the team to beat. But after both the Broncos and Chargers had a bye in week 12, the Broncs were two games ahead of them.
The Chargers started out great, and many thought they would be quite the reckoning force after they beat all of their division teams to start the season. But since then, other teams across the league have taken the best of them.
However, I still don’t think they can be counted out just yet. Besides, if the season ended today, the Chargers would have a higher playoff seed than the Chiefs.
This week though, I think will be a challenge for the Chargers. Even though they play at home, the Eagles seem to be on a roll and are gunning for the number one seed in the NFC.
Trevor’s Pick: Philadelphia Eagles 28, Los Angeles Chargers 26
Vegas Line: Eagles by 2.5.
