Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks

Denver has a proven winning head coach, Sean Payton at the helm. Payton picked the signal caller he wanted with quarterback Bo Nix stepping in. Four of five starters return to the offensive line. New defensive coordinator Vance Joseph did wonders, with the Broncos leading the NFL with 15 fumble recoveries while ranking second on third down (33.17%). Seattle lost its proven coach in Pete Carroll and turn to rookie head coach Mike Macdonald. First-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will be calling plays in the NFL for the first time. The defensive line looks strong, though there are questions at inside linebacker. The Seahawks are on a 0-4-2 ATS run as a favorite, so back the big dog with the outstanding head coach. Play Denver. 

Russell Wilson will make his Denver debut against his former teammates and the question will be how soon a new offense and a new coach in Nathaniel Hackett will come together and produce especially against a formidable Seattle pass rush featuring lineman Darrell Taylor. Safety Jamal Adams also will try to rebound form having no sacks last season after a record 9.5 for a safety in 2020. The Seahawks will likely play Adams closer to the line of scrimmage to do what he is known for and that is defending the run along with pass rushing. The Broncos lost their last four games last season and ended on a 2-6 ATS run. Seattle expects tight end Noah Fant, who was acquired in the Wilson trade, to play a big role and the the Seahawks expect to have a much-improved offensive line and that was something that Wilson had complained about when he was there. Geno Smith is hoping for a career resurgence and is entering a season as a starting QB for the first time since 2014, but he has plenty of experience and is already familiar with the Seattle offense. The Broncos are 1-5 ATS their last six road games and Seattle is 16-7 ATS its past 23 games as an underdog. Never take Pete Carroll's coaching ability for granted. In Seattle, he's 21-11 ATS as a dog of 3.5 to 9.5 points. He's also 16-6 ATS at home in the first month of the season. This one is gonna be very loud with a ton of energy on the home dog. Take the Seahawks.

Seattle played all three backup quarterbacks and mostly reserves on offense in a 20-7 loss to Las Vegas in Week 1. Alex McGough, Geno Smith, and Sean Mannion combined for 17 of 31 for 126 yards and a touchdown (McGough). Smith left with a concussion, so it probably will be McGough and Mannion in this game. Pete Carroll does not like to lose in the preseason as his record is 35-23 straight-up and 37-20-1 ATS, and the points loom large in this matchup as the Seahawks are underdogs. Seattle won three of four preseason games in 2019, including 22-14 against the Broncos, who come off a 33-6 win over Minnesota. Denver does have plenty of experience at quarterback with Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater, and Brett Rypien, all of whom appeared in last week's game, but Seattle getting points at home is too much to ignore. The Broncos went 2-3 straight up and ATS in the preseason in Vic Fangio's first season in 2019. Take the Seahawks in this one.

Seattle is a run-first team and plays hard-hitting defense for Coach Pete Carroll. Last year QB Russell Wilson became the first NFL quarterback in 27 seasons to lead his team in rushing. They add first-round draft pick rookie RB Rashaad Penny, a big back with a straight-ahead burst. The defense had key losses, but still has free safety Earl Thomas, linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. In addition, talented defensive tackle Tom Johnson comes over from the Vikings, joining Dion Jordan, and DE Frank Clark (22 sacks in three seasons). Seattle is 31-13 UNDER the total in September road games with an average final score of 17-16. The defense will shine against a lousy Denver offense that is putting its chips on new QB Case Keenum, with a 31-18 TD to interception ratio the last two years. The Broncos finished with 22 interceptions by the offense last year - only the Browns were worse. They still don't have a third-option in the passing game, a reliable running game, or a good offensive line. Denver's defense looks better than the offense, all of which means a low-scoring opener. Take this one to finish UNDER.