It’ll be the New York Jets and Denver Broncos doing battle at Mile High on Sunday afternoon. The Jets are looking for their first win of the season and rebound from a loss to the Patriots in Week 2 where they turned the ball over four times. As for the Broncos, they are looking to stay undefeated on the year and continue what has been an impressive start to Teddy Bridgewater’s tenure in Denver.
In this space, we’ll specifically look at this game from a gambling perspective. Below, you’ll find a betting preview of this contest that includes a detailed look at the line movement throughout the week, along with some of our favorite player props and, of course, our prediction for who’ll cover.
All NFL odds via Caesars Sportsbook.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Sept. 26 | Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Location: Empower Field at Mile High (Denver)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Broncos -10.5, O/U 41/5
Line movement
Latest Odds: Denver Broncos -10.5
Given where each of these teams are at to begin the season, it’s no surprise to see a double-digit spread here. The line opened at Broncos -11, but that number seems to be a little too rich for some bettors as this number has been dragged down a half-point to Broncos -10.5.
The pick: Broncos -10.5. Clearly, the Broncos are the better team here and Teddy Bridgewater continues to push all the right buttons in Vic Fangio’s offense. Through two games, Bridgewater is averaging two touchdowns per game, 296 yards through the air, and has yet to turn the ball over. If he keeps that up against an inferior opponent in the Jets, I expect the Broncos to cover. Denver is just one of five teams entering Week 3 with a 2-0 ATS record. Meanwhile, the Jets are one of the five teams in the league to begin the year 0-2 ATS.
Key trend: Broncos are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as a favorite.
Over/Under total
This total opened at 41.5 on Sunday but ticked down to 41 on Monday and held until Wednesday when it returned to its original number.
The pick: Over 41.5. Zach Wilson is reportedly dealing with a groin injury so it remains to be seen how much that impacts him. Even with that in mind, however, this number is simply too low to anticipate the Under hitting. The Broncos could conceivably find themselves in the low 30s scoring-wise, which doesn’t leave much work for the Jets to bump over this total.
Key trend: Over is 8-3 in Denver’s last 11 games vs. teams with a losing record.
Player props to consider
Teddy Bridgewater 246.5 passing yards: Over (-115). Bridgewater has gone over this total in both of his games played this season and is averaging 296 passing yards per game.
Michael Carter 9.5 receiving yards: Over (-110). Carter went from playing 25 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 1 to 45 percent in Week 2. He’s gone over this total in both of his games played and if his playing time continues to increase that only helps his chances of going over here.
Melvin Gordon 10.5 rushing attempts: Over (-140). Expect the Broncos to be leading this game in the second half, which means more running opportunities for Gordon, who has gone over this total in all of his games this season.
