Bills vs. Broncos NFL Playoffs Divisional Round Player Prop Predictions
The NFL playoffs are heating up as we now shift our attention to the Divisional Round this weekend. This will be the first postseason look at the Denver Broncos, the AFC’s top seed, as they host the Buffalo Bills on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The Broncos finished 14-3 and won the AFC West for the first time in a decade. The team is looking for both its first playoff victory since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016, as well as a measure of revenge against the Bills, who sent them packing in last year’s Wild Card round, 31-7.
Meanwhile, Buffalo picked up its first postseason road victory in more than three decades, defeating the Jaguars 27-24 in Jacksonville.
Josh Allen threw for 273 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns while the Bills’ defence intercepted Trevor Lawrence twice. Allen is banged up after getting pounded by the Jags’ defence, but will be ready to go for Saturday.
Bills vs. Broncos NFL Player Prop Odds and Betting Trends
These teams can’t be split as they both enter this one with -110 moneyline odds, while the total sits at 46.
Both teams feature top-10 defences, with the Broncos finishing second in the league both overall and against the run.
James Cook led the NFL in rushing, but was held to just 46 yards against Jacksonville’s top-ranked run defence last week. With similar numbers expected against Denver, that creates a host of passing odds opportunities with Allen, who has taken Buffalo’s offence completely on his shoulders.
The same can be said of Denver’s Bo Nix. Without a significant running game to speak of right now, Nix will again be expected to move the ball up and down the field primarily with his arm.
Both Allen and Nix have high numbers for passing attempts and completions in the player props market.
Best Bills vs. Broncos player prop bet: Bo Nix over 20.5 passing completions (-110)
Nix continues to defy skeptics, willing the Broncos to win while throwing for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns. He added an additional 356 yards and five TDs on the ground.
There is a line through Denver’s season at Week 10. That is when running back JK Dobbins, who was brought in to bolster the ground attack, was lost for the season after suffering a Lisfranc injury against Las Vegas.
Over the next six weeks, Nix averaged 26.8 completions and 39.8 passing attempts. During that stretch, no running back tallied more than 75 yards.
Denver may try to test Buffalo’s 28th-ranked rush defence more, but count on Nix airing it out early and often.
Bills vs. Broncos player prop pick: Josh Allen over 30.5 passing attempts (-110)
Expect Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, to match Nix’s aerial display. He doesn’t normally throw so many passes. In fact, Allen threw more than 30.5 passes in a game just five times in the regular season.
However, the playoffs are a different beast, and with Cook unable to find much headway against the Jags, Allen completed 80 per cent (28 of 35) of his passes. He has not thrown an interception in five straight games, not counting the regular-season finale when he took just one snap under centre.
Denver should keep Cook at bay again, so Allen is going to have to shoulder the Bills’ load offensively if they are to advance.
Bills vs. Broncos player prop prediction: Khalil Shakir over 5.5 receptions (+110)
With Allen running the show, it’s crazy that the Bills don’t have multiple 1,000-yard receivers, let alone one. Shakir led the team with 72 receptions for 719 yards in the regular season.
Despite his relative anonymity, Shakir had more than 5.5 receptions in a game seven times. But he blew his season-high of eight catches last week against the Jags when he had 12 receptions for 82 yards.
With Cook grounded, Shakir, who averaged 6.8 yards per catch, acted as the Bills’ running game. Look for the same thing to happen this week, as Shakir’s ability to slip in underneath Denver’s secondary but just beyond their linebackers will be a critical advantage for the Bills.
