Bills vs. Broncos Point Spread: NFL Divisional Playoffs Odds, Prediction
The Denver Broncos look to claim their first postseason win since their victory in Super Bowl 50 when they host the Buffalo Bills on Saturday afternoon in NFL Divisional Round betting action at Mile High Stadium.
The Broncos enjoyed a bye last week after finishing as the top seed in the AFC with a 14-3 record, but have unfinished business to settle after suffering a crushing 31-7 loss to Buffalo on Wild Card Weekend last season.
The Bills get set to make their sixth straight Divisional Round appearance after eking out a 27-24 win in Jacksonville last weekend. The sixth-seeded Bills have now won four straight on the road, and six of seven overall.
The Broncos have emerged as slim 1.5-point favourites on the NFL odds. The Bills trail as -102 underdogs on the NFL moneyline and the total is pegged at 46.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Saturday afternoon’s matchup marks just the third all-time playoff meeting between these AFC rivals, with the Bills earning the win in both of their previous postseason clashes while outscoring Denver by a 41-14 combined margin.
Overall, the Bills have claimed victory in six of their past eight dates with the Broncos, and have won four of five in Denver, with each of those victories coming by wide double-digit margins.
While the Broncos hold a narrow edge on Saturday’s game-line odds, Buffalo still outpaces them as a +600 bet on the Super Bowl odds, while Denver lags at +700.
The Broncos closed out the season with a pair of low-scoring victories over Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, and ranked their defence ranked second in the NFL while surrendering just 18.3 points per game.
Conversely, the Bills ranked fourth in the league with 28.3 points scored per game during the regular season and have averaged 27.8 points during their 4-0 run on the road.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills’ hopes to advance to the AFC Championship game hinge on the performance of Josh Allen. The star pivot was a one-man wrecking crew in last week’s win over the Jags, tossing for 273 yards and one touchdown while adding 33 rushing yards and two scoring runs.
The breakthrough was welcome after Allen closed out the regular season in relatively tame fashion, failing to toss a scoring pass in his final two starts and topping 200 passing yards just twice in his final five outings.
While Allen now faces a formidable Broncos pass defence while continuing to nurse an array of nagging injuries that have taken their toll over the course of the campaign, he remains a solid -118 bet on the anytime TD scorer odds and offers intriguing upside as a +105 wager to run for OVER 37.5 rushing yards.
Indeed, the Bills may need Allen’s scrambling ability considering the number of injuries impacting the depth of his receiving corps. However, help may be on the way, with Curtis Samuel practicing in full on Thursday after missing the past eight games.
Denver Broncos
All eyes will be on Bo Nix, as the Broncos pivot looks to atone for a disappointing performance in Denver’s lopsided loss to the Bills in last season’s playoffs. That defeat certainly served as a learning moment for the second-year passer, who demonstrated veteran calm while leading the Broncos attack this season despite failing to improve on his rookie-year stats.
Indeed, Nix failed to dominate down the stretch, connecting on just two total TD passes against two INTs while completing over 61 per cent of passes just once over that stretch.
However, Nix and the Broncos could get a big lift from the return of top rusher JK Dobbins. Sidelined since Week 10 with a foot injury, Dobbins has been spotted at practice early this week.
While it is unlikely that Dobbins will be ready in time for Saturday, RJ Harvey has more than filled the void, averaging 46.5 rushing yards and tallying five TD runs in his past seven appearances and is a solid -140 bet on the NFL player props to run for OVER 56.5 rushing yards.
BUF
DEN