It’s Week 9 in the NFL, and the Denver Broncos (4-4) are in trouble. They’re in one of the toughest divisions, the AFC West, and they need another win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The latest NFL betting odds put the Broncos at +375 to win on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. The current point spread is a whopping ten points.
Do the Broncos have any chance to win this week?
Let’s take a look at some of their scoring trends on the road in 2021.
The Denver Broncos Are 2-2 On the Road
The Broncos started their season with two road victories. In Week 1, they defeated the New York Giants, 27-13. Then, they won 23-13 in the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Teddy Bridgewater threw for 264 yards, and two touchdown passes against the Giants. Melvin Gordon carried the ball 11 times for 101 yards and a rushing touchdown. Eight receivers caught at least one pass in that victory.
The Broncos scored 17 of their 27 points in the second half.
Bridgewater had as much success when he played the Jags, throwing for over 300 yards with two touchdown passes. In that game, the Jags contained Gordon, while Javonte Williams (the Broncos’ second-round draft pick) averaged almost five yards-per-carry.
Bridgewater connected with nine different receivers, including Gordon and Williams. Again, the Broncos scored more than half their points in the second half.
How about their two road losses?
Broncos in Their Two Road Losses
The Denver Broncos lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns in their next two road games. Still, Bridgewater performed better in the second half.
The Broncos trailed the Steelers at half-time, 17-6. It wasn’t until the final ten minutes of the game when Bridgewater threw two touchdown passes within five minutes of each other.
A Steelers’ field goal left the Broncos down by eight with little more than two minutes remaining left. Bridgewater started the final drive going two-for-three for 29 yards before the two-minute warning.
He then went four-for-seven for 43 yards. With 11 seconds left, on fourth and goal at the three-yard line, Bridgewater threw a pass into the end zone intended for Courtland Sutton. Instead, it was intercepted by Steelers cornerback James Pierre, ending the game.
In their 17-14 road loss to the Browns in Week 7 on Thursday Night Football, the Broncos scored all of their points in the second half. Both of those drives went for 80 yards, culminating in short touchdown passes by Bridgewater.
Broncos vs. Cowboys
So, the Broncos can score in the second half on the road. But, if they have any hopes of getting close to beating the Cowboys this week, they’ll need to do better than that. If they have any chance of winning this game, they’ll need to play better in the first half. Suppose they get behind early and have to abandon the running game in the second half. In that case, the Cowboys will rush Bridgewater non-stop and give their secondary more turnover opportunities.
The Cowboys are basically guaranteed to win the NFC East this season. Last week, the Broncos beat the Washington Football Team, a team at the bottom of that division with the Giants.
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