The Denver Broncos thought that bringing Russell Wilson to town would rejuvenate their offense. Well, we didn’t see that on Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers, as the Broncos had to punt 10 times. They had two drives start at midfield, and their combined total offense on those possessions was zero yards. Wilson took four sacks but also got rid of the ball poorly, sailing several balls. Luckily, he snapped out of it on the last drive, a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, but Denver only gained 50 yards on the other six possessions in the second half. Yes, the Broncos are 2-1, but the offense needs to get moving sooner than later. Looking ahead to Week 4, we have some winners we really like for your NFL betting choices.
NFL News: Sure Winners for Week 4
→ Sunday, October 2
Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) vs New Orleans Saints
(9:30 am ET, NFL Network, London)
If nothing else, we will get a primer in preparing for jet lag with this matchup. The New Orleans Saints lost to Carolina somehow and then kept heading east to London, arriving Monday. By the time Sunday’s game arrives, they should have plenty of acclimation to being six hours ahead. The Vikings will leave Thursday night and arrive Friday. However, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has put together a plan that will keep his team used to being on the same time frame. After all, 9:30 am Eastern time is just 8:30 in Minnesota, which is just 3 ½ hours ahead of a normal early kickoff. Right? Anyway, we will see how that works out.
New Orleans was victimized by the Carolina Panthers’ decision to wake up after a nine-game losing streak that dates back to last season. Laviska Shenault had been declared inactive for his first two games as a Panther, but he made a big splash in his debut, catching a 67-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield, and the Panthers also saw Marquis Haynes take a fumble 44 yards to the house for another score. Mayfield ended up with 170 yards on the day, while Christian McCaffrey rumbled for 108 yards.
For the Saints, Jameis Winston was 25 of 41 for 353 yards and a touchdown – but he also had two interceptions. It didn’t help that Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith and Jarvis Landry all went down to injuries before halftime. Special teams also had some problems, as the Saints saw Wil Lutz miss one field goal and have another one blocked. The Vikings got all the fight they wanted from the Detroit Lions, hanging on for a 28-24 win as Kirk Cousins found K.J. Osborn for a 28-yard score in the last minute of regulation. That was his second touchdown pass of the day – without a pick – and the Vikings are now 2-1. They have fewer questions to answer than the Saints, so can they better negotiate the distractions of London travel? Vikings to win and cover.
Seattle Seahawks (+6) at Detroit Lions
(1:00 pm ET, FOX)
It seems like six months have passed since the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos in their Week 1 prime-time extravaganza. Since then, they have lost to San Francisco and Atlanta, and the loss to the Falcons was more than a bit ironic. We are accustomed to seeing the Falcons blow leads, but this time it was the Seahawks that led by three at the intermission, only to fall, 27-23. Geno Smith threw for 325 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Seahawks, and Tyler Lockett caught nine passes for 76 yards, but the same Seattle team that bent repeatedly for the Denver offense without breaking just could not keep the Falcons out of the end zone.
Detroit has to be frustrated after last week’s loss, as they led Minnesota on the road, 24-14, going into the fourth quarter, but then the Viking offense woke up, despite the loss of tailback Dalvin Cook to a shoulder injury. Jared Goff threw for 277 yards, with a touchdown and a pick, and Jamaal Williams ran the ball 20 times for 87 yards and a pair of scores. The Vikings ended up winning, 28-24, showing that the Detroit defense still needs major work. Even so, the Seahawks’ offense does not have the talent and firepower that the Minnesota attack has. Lions to win and cover.
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