AFC West: Week 6 Recap
Knowshon Moreno scored three touchdowns as the Denver Broncos whittled out a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For much of the week leading up to game time on Sunday, much was made of the record-tying point spread that accompanied the Denver Broncos into their Week 6 showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars, with many experts believing Peyton Manning and Co. would put on an offensive master class against the winless Jaguars.
In a season that has thrown up more than a few bombshells, it shouldn’t really have come as a big surprise then that the script didn’t quite play out that way. Instead, we were treated to a much more intriguing affair.
Read on for the BettingSports.com recap of Week 6 in the AFC West, starting with a surprise in the Mile High City.
Jacksonville Jaguars 19, Denver Broncos 35
Justin Blackmon had 190 yards receiving against the Broncos.
Favored by 28 points when lines opened last Monday, plenty expected a cakewalk for the Denver Broncos as the Jacksonville Jaguars came to town. What the Broncos got was anything but.
Business started as usual as Peyton Manning threw a pair of first quarter touchdown passes, connecting with Julius Thomas and Wes Welker. But things took a twist from there. A pair of Josh Scobee field goals in the second quarter, including a banger from 50 yards, followed by a Paul Posluszny interception return for a touchdown saw the Jaguars head into the locker room trailing 14-12 at the half.
The Broncos increased their lead in the third quarter on the back of a 1-yard scoring run from Knowshon Moreno, but the Jaguars replied courtesy of Murine Jones-Drew’s 5-yard effort to keep the game within two points. Moreno again went into the end zone as the third quarter dwindled away, giving the Broncos some breathing room. Jacksonville’s defense continued to pose a threat and only a third Moreno touchdown with 9:09 left on the clock allowed the Broncos any kind of respite.
Manning, who went three-plus quarters without throwing a touchdown continued to set an NFL record, becoming the first quarterback to throw 22 touchdowns through the first six games of a season, but was actually topped by Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne on the day. Manning completed 28 of 42 passes for 295 yards; Henne was 27 of 42 for 305 yards.
Ultimately, the Jaguars were handed another double digit loss but the fact that the two sides were two touchdowns apart (not four) was something of a moral victory, for whatever that’s worth to a team that’s 0-6.
Vegas Impact: Jacksonville (1-5-0 ATS) covered the spread for the first time this season, while Denver (3-3-0 ATS) failed to cover for the third time in four games. The total went over, as it has in every Broncos game this season.
Up Next: Manning returns to his old stamping ground next Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET) as the Broncos (6-0, 2-0 road) face the Indianapolis Colts (4-2, 2-1 home) at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Broncos have not beaten the Colts in five games, a streak that extends back to 2005, and have lost eight of the last 10 meetings between the sides. However, Manning was on the other side of the field in all of those games, which means this Sunday Night Football showdown will have a very different feel to it.
Opening Odds – Favorite: Denver Spread: 6 Over/Under: 56 (matchup)
Oakland Raiders 7, Kansas City Chiefs 24
Kansas City sacked Terrelle Pryor 10 times.
As Denver continues to march through the season undefeated, the Kansas City Chiefs continue to match them stride for stride.
The Chiefs picked up their first divisional win of the season, defeating the Oakland Raiders 24-7 at a noisy and hostile Arrowhead Stadium. In fact, so loud was the stadium that it set a Guinness World Record for loudest crowd to attend an outdoor event, with noise levels reaching 137.5 decibels.
On the field, the Chiefs got off to a slow start. Terrelle Pryor connected with Denarius Moore for a 39-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 7-0 second quarter lead. The Chiefs were held scoreless until late in the half, when Jamaal Charles scored from 7 yards out.
Neither offense seemed to click in the second half. Charles scored a second touchdown of the game late in the third before Ryan Succop hit a 33-yard field goal with two minutes to go in the game, giving the Chiefs a 17-7 lead. A 44-yard interception return for a touchdown from Hussain Abdullah padded the score in what was a defensive affair.
The Chiefs sacked Pryor 10 times, at one point forcing the quarterback to contend with a 4th and 48. Andy Reid’s side scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, marking the fourth straight game the Chiefs have had their highest scoring quarter in the fourth. Over the opening six games, the team has scored 57 points in the fourth, compared to 38 in the first, 36 in the second, and 21 in the third.
Vegas Impact: Kansas City (5-1-0 ATS) covered the spread for the fourth straight game and fifth time in six games this season. The Raiders (4-2-0 ATS) failed to cover for the second time in three weeks. The total went under as has become a trend for both the Chiefs (1-5-0) and Raiders (1-5-0).
Up Next (Kansas City): Kansas City (6-0, 3-0 home) stays at Arrowhead Stadium to host the Houston Texans (2-4, 1-2 road) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET). The Texans dropped their fourth straight game last Sunday, getting crushed by the St. Louis Rams. With issues at quarterback punctuating the Texans, the Chiefs will like their chances of snapping a two-game losing skid against the Houston side.
Opening Odds – Favorite: Kansas City Spread: 4.5 Over/Under: 39.5 (matchup)
Up Next (Oakland): Oakland (2-4) will take a bye week before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 27.
Indianapolis Colts 9, San Diego Chargers 19
Ryan Mathews had over 100 yards on the ground.
Having lost last week in Oakland, the San Diego Chargers continued to trade wins and losses Sunday, picking up a 19-9 win over the Indianapolis Colts in a field goal fest on Monday Night Football.
The Chargers kept the ball out of Andrew Luck’s hands, finishing the game with a 38:31-21:29 advantage in time of possession. Phillip Rivers went 22 of 33 for 237 yards with one touchdown strike to Keenan Allen. Running back Ryan Mathews ran for 102 yards on 22 carries, as the Chargers surprised the Colts with a running game that was nonexistent just a week ago.
Andrew Luck completed 18 of 30 passes for 202 yards, but the Colts failed to breach the end zone. Still, three Adam Vinatieri field goals had the team within a touchdown with 7:21 left in the game, but a 50-yard field goal from Nick Novak and an interception by Derek Cox proved enough to send the Chargers to a third win of the season and the Colts to a second loss.
Vegas Impact: San Diego (4-1-1 ATS) continues to fair well against the spread, this week covering in an upset win. Indianapolis (3-3-0 ATS) failed to cover for the first time since Week 2. The total went under. San Diego (3-3-0) has now split the over/under evenly.
Up Next: The Chargers (3-3, 1-2 road) will make the cross-country trip to Florida to face Jacksonville (0-6, 0-2 home) on Sunday (1:00 p.m. ET). The Chargers will be looking to patch together two wins in a row for the first time this season, while Jacksonville will be hoping Sunday’s improved performance against Denver can generate a first win of the year. The Chargers have won two straight and three of the last four against the Jaguars.
Opening Odds – Favorite: San Diego Spread: 8 Over/Under: 44 (matchup)
For a full list of Week 7 NFL odds, click here.
For a full list of NFL Futures, click here.
For NFL team prop bets, click here.
For NFL player prop bets, click here.
