Vikings vs. Broncos Preseason Pick
The Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos kick off their preseason on Saturday night when they play in Denver at 9:05 p.m. ET. Are the Broncos a good bet to start preseason play with a victory?
Game Snapshot
279 Minnesota Vikings at 280 Denver Broncos
Saturday, August 11, 9:05 p.m. ET
Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, CO
Betting Odds & Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, this game is now a pick’em after the Broncos opened as 1-point home favorites. As for the total, it hit the board at 34.5 but has climbed two full points to 36.5. As of this writing, 55% of betting tickets are on Minnesota to beat Denver.
Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins said he is working to become “a better quarterback off-schedule when the pocket breaks down.”
“I have been a very good quarterback, I believe, on keepers, meaning bootlegs outside the pocket,” Cousins said. “So I’d like to see that translate more, where when a dropback breaks down and I leave the pocket, I can have the same kind of production that I’ve had when we’ve run bootlegs and things like that.” It is a shockingly candid answer, but it makes sense it would be on his mind as he transitions to a new scheme. Even if that improvement does not come, Cousins has the weapons around him to be a solid QB1 this season.
Denver Broncos
Demaryius Thomas said he feels healthier after changing his diet over the offseason.
Thomas has been limited by injuries including a hip issue over the last several seasons, and it got to the point he was considering retirement. A new diet changed his mindset, however, and now he is ready to play into his late 30s. “Now I’m thinking, 15 or 16 (years),” Thomas said. “Like, for real, I’m going to be like Larry Fitzgerald.” Set to turn 31 in December, Thomas has shown serious signs of decline over the last several seasons, but his health and quarterback play almost certainly played a role. If he is healthy, he could bounce back with Case Keenum at quarterback.
Betting Trends
Minnesota
The Vikings are 42-19 against the spread in their last 61 regular games overall.
Denver
The Broncos failed to cover the spread in 10 of their last 12 games last season.
Our Prediction
NFL preseason games often have as much do to with the head coaches as the quarterback rotation or any other factor. That’s because some head coaches want to use the preseason as a message to his team, while others are just trying to get through the four games without losing a key starter to injury. After the Broncos finished 5-11 in Vance Joseph’s first season, I believe Denver will come out motivated in front of its home crowd. The Broncos have a new quarterback in Case Keenum and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Denver highly motivated to put a scoring drive together before Keenum comes off the field. Keenum, of course, led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game a year ago and the team decided to let him go this offseason. He should be motivated in his limited playing time, too.
NFL Preseason Prediction: Denver Broncos PK