Early NFL Odds Disrespecting Broncos as Underdogs in Outrageous Number of Games for 2020 Season

The Denver Broncos only managed a middling 7-9 record in the 2019 regular season, but that doesn't come close to telling the whole story. Opening the year with Joe Flacco as their starting QB, they put together a 2-6 record. Then Brandon Allen took over and they went 1-2. Finally rookie Drew Lock got under center, and they closed out the year winning four of their final five games.

Despite that strong finish with Lock, the early 2020 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook seem to be very low on the Broncos. They are underdogs in 11 of their 16 games.

Right off the bat that looks to have them as favorites in far too few games, as the over/under for their 2020 NFL regular-season win total is set at 7.5 — a mark that may already be too low.

It's not just that the Broncos looked good with Lock at quarterback last year, either. They've done a lot of work to bolster the offense around the youngster, signing Melvin Gordon and drafting both Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in the first two rounds.

Their defense was already solid as well, finishing 2019 ranking 13th in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA metric. With even an average year from the offense, this defense can carry them to playoff contention.

Yet, Denver is currently favored in just one of its six AFC West matchups (at home against the Los Angeles Chargers), and the only game for the entire season in which the Broncos are favored by at least a field goal is at home against the Miami Dolphins (-5.5). On the other side of the coin, they are underdogs of three points or more in six different games, including three within the division.

Unless you're banking on Drew Lock taking a significant step back, despite the reinforced supporting cast in 2020, the Broncos being favorites in just five games has to seem like they're being significantly underrated.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.