AFC West: Week 3 Recap
The Denver Broncos rolled to a 14th straight regular season victory.
It’s looking like business as usual for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos as they marched to a 14th straight regular season win Monday night.
The Broncos are not only the class of the AFC West but also the class of the NFL, which will be clearly reflected when the bookmakers release their football futures odds later today. But there’s more the AFC West than Denver’s dominance, as was shown this weekend.
BettingSports.com gives you the rundown of the division’s trio of Week 3 matchups, taking a look at how each team faired against the Vegas lines, before giving you the briefest previews of what you can expect in Week 4.
Kansas City Chiefs 26, Philadelphia Eagles 16
Andy Reid was welcomed back to Philadelphia.
The AFC West got an early start to the week with the Kansas City Chiefs travelling to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Andy Reid got the better of his former club as the Kansas City defense stifled Michael Vick and the Philadelphia offense while solid performances from Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles saw the Chiefs continue to build momentum.
Vegas Impact: With the Eagles favored by as many as 3.5 points ahead of the game, the Chiefs covered the spread in the upset win. The Chiefs are now 2-1-0 ATS this season. The total, which opened at 49.5 and climbed to 51, went under for the third time in a Kansas City game this season.
Up Next: The Chiefs (3-0, 1-0 home) host the winless New York Giants (0-3, 0-1 road) on Sunday (1:00 p.m. ET), concluding a stretch of three in a row against NFC East opposition. As chance would have it, all four AFC West representatives meet NFC East opponents in Week 4. Kansas City is 2-10 all-time against the Giants, and have not beaten the side since 1995, a stretch of four games.
Opening Odds – Favorite: Kansas City Spread: 5 Over/Under: 44.5 (matchup)
San Diego Chargers 17, Tennessee Titans 20
The Titans edged out the Chargers.
The San Diego Chargers are making a habit of keeping things close, even when they shouldn’t be.
After blowing a 21-point lead in Week 1 against the Houston Texans, the Chargers scored a comeback victory over Philadelphia last weekend, benefitting from a Nick Novak field goal with seconds left on the clock. Sunday saw the side succumb to a fourth quarter comeback by the Tennessee Titans.
The banged-up Chargers built a 17-10 lead late in the third quarter thanks to a 1-yard scoring run from Ronnie Brown. The Titans, a team that hadn’t beaten the Chargers since 1992, fought back though, first scoring on a 37-yard Rob Bironas field goal before Jake Locker passed a game-winning touchdown to Justin Hunter with 15 seconds left on the clock.
For the third week in a row the Chargers were in a close game. For the second time in those three games the AFC West team let victory slip through its fingers.
Vegas Impact: The Chargers were three-point underdogs entering the game and finished three points down resulting in a push. The games marked the first time this season San Diego (2-0-1 ATS) has not covered the spread. The total, which opened at 48.5 but dropped to 43.5 at game time, went under, marking the first time the Chargers have been involved in a game with the total going under this season.
Up Next: San Diego (1-2, 0-1 home) returns home this Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET) to face the Dallas Cowboys (2-1, 0-1 road). The Chargers are 3-6 all-time against the Cowboys but have won two of the last three meetings between the sides.
Opening Odds – Favorite: EVEN Spread: EVEN Over/Under: 45 (matchup)
Oakland Raiders 21, Denver Broncos 37
Terrelle Pryor left Monday’s game with a suspected concussion.
The Denver Broncos remain undefeated this season after dispatching of the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football.
The Broncos jumped out to an early 17-0 lead before bolstering its advantage to the sum of 30-7 midway through the third quarter. But rather than fold in the face of adversity, the Raiders continued to work hard and went on to score a pair of touchdowns. First running back Darren McFadden surprised the Broncos defense with a touchdown pass to Marcel Reece before going in himself from a yard out in the final minutes.
While the final score wasn’t close, and in reality the game wasn’t close, the Raiders earned themselves some respect, especially quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who continues to improve with every passing week. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Pryor left the game late to be checked for concussion.
Of course, the Broncos were as adept as ever and certainly deserve their own plaudits. Peyton Manning threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns. He’s now completed 12 touchdown passes in the opening three games, an NFL record.
Vegas Impact: The spread opened at 14.5 but grew to 16.5 ahead of the game meaning the Raiders (3-0-0 ATS) covered the spread instead of the Broncos (2-1-0 ATS). The total, which opened at 49.5, went over for the third time in a Broncos game this season and first time in a Raiders game.
Up Next (Denver): The Broncos (3-0, 2-0 home) stay in the Mile High City and welcome the Philadelphia Eagles (1-2, 1-0 road) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET). Denver trails the Eagles 7-4 in the all-time series but has won the last two meetings between the sides played in Colorado.
Opening Odds – Favorite: Denver Spread: 14.5 Over/Under: 49.5 (matchup)
Up Next (Oakland): The Raiders (1-2, 1-0 home) return to the Bay Area to welcome the winless Washington Redskins (0-3, 0-1 road) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET). The Raiders own an 8-4 record against the Redskins including a win at Super Bowl XVIII. 1984 was a long time ago though and the Redskins have won the last two games played in Oakland.
Opening Odds – Favorite: Washington Spread: 3.5 Over/Under: 46 (matchup)
