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Denver Broncos: Team becomes 3.5-point favorites at Bengals

By Graham Tiedtke

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 18: Head coach Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos watches the action during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 18, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 18: Head coach Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos watches the action during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 18, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Broncos were originally 2.5-point underdogs at Cincinnati against the Bengals. That has since changed.

The Denver Broncos travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals in week thirteen. Denver started out as 2.5-point underdogs to the Bengals.

Following the news that the Bengals were placing quarterback Andy Dalton on injured reserve with a thumb injury, Denver has since been tagged as a 3.5-point favorite, according to Oddsshark.

The Bengals are going to go with Jeff Driskel at quarterback, which is likely good news for the Broncos. It is good for defenses to play against less experienced quarterbacks.

On the other hand, there is hardly any game film on Driskel, so it could be an issue for the Broncos.

Both teams sit in third place in their division at 5-6. The Bengals have lost three games in a row while Denver has won two straight following their bye week.

Against Cincinnati, Denver is projected to out-gain the Bengals in:

Passing yards (241.36 – 239.64)
Rushing yards (124.73 – 93.55)
Time of Possession (28:16 – 26:31)
Number of plays (61.91 – 58.64)
Yards Per Play (5.91 – 5.68).

Denver has been playing better as of late. Throughout the 2018 season, they have been very close to winning multiple games. Unfortunately, each of the close losses was due to a couple of bad plays or penalties that come at the worst times.

I fully expect the Broncos defense to get in the face of Driskel, forcing him into making mistakes. It would be extremely good if Denver was able to force interceptions and/fumbles.

It may not be necessary, but defensive touchdowns would greatly improve the team’s chances of beating the Bengals, especially with offensive weapon, tight end Jeff Heuerman, being lost for the season with three broken ribs and a bruised lung.

Heuerman is currently third on the team in receiving yards. Denver has lost a lot of players at the tight end position: Heuerman, Jake Butt, and Troy Fumagalli, a rookie who has not played in a game yet.

Next. Scenarios facing the Broncos in 2018. dark

Denver needs to win as many games as they can the rest of the regular season if they are going to be one of the teams that makes it into the 2018 postseason.

They need to make sure they live and breathe by one thing: one game at a time.

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