2011 Denver Broncos Predictions
Odds to win the Super Bowl: 80-1
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Broncos Headed in New Direction Under Elway, Fox, Results Soon To Follow?

The Denver Broncos (4-12 SU, 5-10-1 ATS, 11-5 O/U) may have fallen apart in going 4-12 last season, mostly under the now-departed Josh McDaniels, but all that did was spur management to move in another direction – and one that could lead them back into prominence quicker than anyone expects.

The Broncos named former beloved franchise quarterback John Elway as the franchise’s top football executive in January, and Elway in turn, quickly hired former Carolina Panthers’ head coach John Fox to help turn the Broncos around.

Thanks to this expert betting breakdown on the Broncos’ and their chances for success in the upcoming 2011 NFL regular season, gridiron gamblers all over the globe will be able to cash in early and often whether betting on – or against – the Broncos.

Denver ranked seventh in passing last season but just 26th in rushing the ball, but NFL gamblers can expect that to improve under Fox as he produced a fantastic rushing attack during his entire tenure with the Panthers. To help improve the rushing attack, Denver drafted tackle Orlando Franklin with its second round draft pick.

Despite their passing success a year ago, the Broncos tried to move veteran quarterback Kyle Orton (dumb move) in order to go with 2010 first round draft pick Tim Tebow, even though Tebow has struggled to stay in front of Brady Quinn for third string.

Despite their inability to run the ball effectively last season, the Broncos do have a gifted back in Knowshon Moreno and the third-year back did manage to rush for 779 yards while averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

The Broncos were a mess on defense last season, ranking 25th against the pas (236.3 ypg) and an even more dismal 31st against the run (154.6 ypg).

However, NFL betting enthusiasts should know that this is where John Fox will make his contributions felt most.

Denver used the No. 2 overall pick in the draft to nab Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller to pair with veteran pass rusher Elvis Dumervil on the other side.

In addition to Miller, the Broncos used their second round draft pick to grab safety Rahim Moore before adding a linebacker and another safety in the third and fourth rounds respectively.

The Broncos still have lockdown cornerback Champ Bailey and veteran safety Brian Dawkins and re-signed starting tackle Kevin Vickerson in early March.

Outlook
The Broncos kick off their 2011 NFL regular season with a pair of home games against Oakland and Cincinnati before hitting the road to face Tennessee and Green Bay in Weeks 3 and 4. I like Denver to come through this stretch at 2-2 by winning both of their home games.

I also see another 2-2 stretch looming for the Broncos over their next four games (vs. San Diego, @ Miami, vs. Detroit @ Oakland) with losses coming against San Diego and Oakland.

John’s Fox’s crew then could be looking at a slew of consecutive losses. The Broncos play at Kansas City (loss), home against the Jets (loss), at San Diego (loss) and at Minnesota (loss).

Four consecutive losses would drop the Broncos to a discouraging 4-8 with four games remaining – and three of those coming against playoff teams from a year ago. Denver will play three of those games at home, but could potentially be looking at three more losses against Chicago and New England in Weeks 14 and 15 and Kansas City in Week 17. I’ll even give the Broncos a road win at Buffalo in Week 16 to finish the 2011 NFL regular season at 5-11 SU in John Fox’s first season.

Now, having come to this figure, I’ve got to factor in another one or two more wins for the Broncos, mostly because John Fox is an excellent head coach.

If the Broncos can improve defensively, I think Fox be will able to coax at least seven wins out of this team, particularly if they improve on defense the way the Panthers did under Fox during his tenure with the franchise.

By the Betting Numbers
Okay NFL gamblers, you can just toss out Denver’s ATS statistics from a year ago simply because this is now a different team under a completely different regime.

If Denver went 5-10-1 ATS a year ago while dealing with constant turmoil I fully expect them to reach 8-8 ATS at the very least in 2011, if not better. As far as the Over/Under is concerned, NFL gamblers can certainly expect the Broncos to not play Over the O/U Total a whopping 11 times like they did a year ago. As a matter of fact, the Broncos could very well reverse that number under the defensive-minded Fox, but I think 7-9 O/U sounds about right. -Eric Williams

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