The Denver Broncos said it best on Twitter.
“2020, can you not.”
2020, can you not
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 21, 2020
That pretty much sums up the 2020 Broncos, just two weeks into their season. That also works for the NFL as a whole, but there isn’t enough room.
Welcome to 2020.
As if the injury news wasn’t brutal enough with Von Miller, A.J. Bouye and Phillip Lindsay, the Broncos found out on Monday that receiver Courtland Sutton is done for the year. He tore both his ACL and MCL in Sunday’s 26-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Denver also found out that quarterback Drew Lock is out three-five weeks with a rotator/labral issue in the back of his shoulder. Given it’s 2020 and all the devastating injury news, Broncos Country will take it. Maybe?
Then comes word that defensive end Dre’Mont Jones is out four-six weeks with a PCL strain, defensive end DeMarcus Walker is out multiple weeks with a calf strain and cornerback Davontae Harris is out one-two weeks with a hamstring injury.
As Chris Farley said in Almost Heroes:
“Enough! Do you want my head to explode? In the name of all that is good and decent, no more for today.”
The season rolls on despite all the injuries.
Next up is Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As head coach Vic Fangio told the media on Monday:
“We’ll get through it here.”
He then added:
“Well, I’m disappointed for the players that have gotten injured. It’s never good to get injured on an individual and personal basis. Yeah, it does have a negative effect on the team. I’m not going to insult anybody’s intelligence that losing the type of players and the amount of players that we’ve lost doesn’t have some type of effect. We have good players here in the building still. They’re going to come in and rally and look at it as an opportunity for them to go out and play good and show what they’ve got. We’re going to get them ready as a coaching staff to go out and compete and try to find a way to win these close games.”
Buccaneers vs Broncos odds
| Buccaneers vs Broncos Week 3 odds | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | BetRivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point spread | TB Buccaneers -6 DEN Broncos +6 | TB Buccaneers -6 DEN Broncos +6 | TB Buccaneers -6.5 DEN Broncos +6.5 | TB Buccaneers -6 DEN Broncos +6 |
| Moneyline | TB Buccaneers -265 DEN Broncos +215 | TB Buccaneers -270 DEN Broncos +220 | TB Buccaneers -278 DEN Broncos +225 | TB Buccaneers -265 DEN Broncos +215 |
| Total points | Over 43 -110 Under 43 -110 | Over 43.5 -105 Under 43.5 -115 | Over 43.5 -110 Under 43.5 -110 | Over 43 -110 Under 43 -110 |
To the surprise of no one, Brady and Tampa have opened as huge favorites for Sunday’s game.
Keep it here for updates to the sports betting odds as the week progresses.
The positive news for the CO sports betting market and Broncos Country is the Broncos have another chance to beat the spread. While Denver is 0-2 on the season, it is 2-0 against the spread. The Broncos will obviously have another chance to do that on Sunday. It will make for some interesting decisions for those betting on the Broncos this week.
Brady in Denver
One of the most fascinating statistics in the NFL is Brady’s record against Denver: The only team Brady has a losing record against is the Broncos. Brady enters with an 8-9 record all-time against Denver. All of those games came with the New England Patriots.
Brady also has a losing record in the Mile High City. He’s 4-7 all-time in Denver against the Broncos.
The four quarterbacks Brady has beaten in Denver?
- Danny Kanell
- Tim Tebow
- Trevor Siemian
- Brock Osweiler
Is Jeff Driskel the next QB who gets added to the list?
How the Broncos can win
For Denver to get its first win of the season, it has to win the turnover battle.
Now that Lock is out, the defense has to find a way to get Driskel and the Broncos offense extra possessions. That also means Denver can’t turn the ball over and give Brady extra possessions.
What should encourage fans and the team is how well Driskel played, especially in the second half. To come in off the bench cold as he did and have the Broncos with a puncher’s chance to beat Pittsburgh on the road late in the fourth quarter is a positive in the deluge of horribleness.
Driskel will get all of the reps this week and get more comfortable with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, the receivers who aren’t injured and the offensive line.
No. 1 on the to-do list is target tight end Noah Fant. Denver also needs to run the ball to take some of the pressure off Driskel.
💪 NOAH. FANT. 💪#DENvsPIT | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/OVnr0ehTaK
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 20, 2020
On defense, the line has to get a push and create havoc in the running and passing game. Don’t let Tampa get the running game started and allow Brady to use play action. That will also make Brady uncomfortable in the pocket.
With the injury to Bouye and struggles rookie cornerback Michael Ojemudia had in Pittsburgh, consistent pressure on Brady will help alleviate some of those issues in the secondary.
Sunday is also the first game that Broncos fans will attend.
The franchise will welcome 5,700 fans to Empower Field at Mile High. That’s far from the typical 77,000 raucous fans that bring the Rocky Mountain Thunder, but it’ll be interesting to see what effect that has.
Given the injuries and who is injured, at this point, it certainly feels like a lost cause for the Broncos.
But then you take Fangio’s comment to the media and remember the fight Denver had against the Steelers. That is definitely something the Broncos could build upon against Brady and the Buccaneers. A rallying cry, if you will.
Then you remember it’s 2020
