Worse met worst for the Denver Broncos before the 2020 season even began. Star tackle Ju’Wan Johnson announced he was opting out of the season over health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and one day before the season was to begin, Von Miller was lost to an ACL tear. Star receiver Courtland Sutton was lost to injury in Week 2 and the Broncos fell to a flat 5-11. With their disastrous season firmly behind them (which included a game with zero active quarterbacks on their roster), Denver is looking to the future.
It’s clear Drew Lock is the guy for at least another season, but there’s plenty of pieces that need to be upgraded. Without Miller, the Broncos were unable to create turnovers and finished the season last in turnover differential. Justin Simmons is set to be a free agent this coming offseason and will generate plenty of interest from around the league. Will Denver try to replace Simmons (who earned $11.4 million in 2020)? With just $19.6 in cap space, that may be hard to do.
As some of their key pieces continue to age (Miller included), the Broncos are looking to make the playoffs now. In order to do that, they will need to make some drastic moves, especially given the young powerhouse state of the AFC.
Denver Broncos odds
Best Broncos betting site(s)
Broncos prop bets
Prop bets are based on individual performance, typically surrounding players. Noah Fant was a popular target for prop betting this past season as the young tight end continued to emerge. In the Broncos’ Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, Fant had a projected receiving total of 35.5 yards. That game, he hauled in a team-leading 81 yards, giving those who bet the over on his receiving prop the win.
Search below for Denver Broncos team or player props currently being offered at sportsbooks. You can also look around at other teams and players using this tool. Happy shopping!
Broncos futures odds
Futures are long-term bets that can range from an offseason to a full season (or beyond). Team win totals, award winners, and player performance are common futures. For example:
2020 Odds to win NFL DROY
- Chase Young -110
- Patrick Queen +450
- Kenneth Murray +1000
- Jaylon Johnson +1500
This line for the Defensive Rookie of the Year would often be bet before the season starts. Futures allow for bettors to capitalize on players they think are favorites to win awards long before the odds shift away from their favor. For example, Queen opened with odds of +900 to win the DROY award after the NFL Draft; his odds will shift as the season develops based on his performance for the Ravens defense.
Broncos Super Bowl LVI odds
The Denver Broncos opened with +6000 odds to win Super Bowl LVI. Those odds are worst in the AFC West and are likely derived from question marks at the quarterback position combined with an underperformance in 2020.
Broncos AFC West odds
Brief description of last year’s outcome until the divisional odds are released.
Broncos win totals
NFL win totals will be released later this offseason. Keep your eyes on this page for the latest NFL projected win totals.
Denver Broncos 2021 schedule and betting odds
Check back for the complete Broncos 2021 schedule along with the opening spreads for every game.
How to bet on the Denver Broncos
Moneyline
The moneyline is the simplest of bets, decided by the straight-up winner and loser of each game. Consider the following example:
- Broncos +310
- Packers -185
The Broncos are considered heavy underdogs in this matchup (indicated by +310), paying out $410 total for a $100 bet ($310 in winnings). The Packers are the underdog in this matchup, requiring a $185 bet to win $100 (plus the initial bet back). How much either team wins or loses by does not matter in moneyline betting, the payout remains the same.
Point spread
Betting on the point spread is determinant on how many points a team wins or loses by. Take the following example:
- Broncos +6.5 (-110)
- Buccaneers -6.5 (-110)
In this example, Tampa Bay is favored by 6.5 points, indicated by “-6.5.” If the Bucs win the game 27-20, the Bucs (-6.5) win the bet and would have a total payout of $19.09 on a $10 bet ($9.09 in profit). If the Broncos keep the game within seven and lose 23-17, the Broncos (+6.5) would win, and the payout would be the same as listed above.
Point total (over/under)
The point total refers to the over/under line set by books. This number projects the total number of points scored in a game and, like prop betting, is bet whether one thinks the score will go over or under the set point total. For example, the Broncos’ Week 11 matchup with the Dolphins had a projected point total of 43.5 points. Denver won that game 20-13, resulting in just 33 points. Those who bet under the point total that game would have cashed out.
The Broncos often struggled offensively in 2020, giving their games a lower projected point total. Typical Broncos games say over/unders between 42 and 46 points, sometimes dipping as low as 39 points. Moving forward to 2021 should see a similar trend in projected point totals barring an unforeseen emergence of Drew Lock.
In-play and live betting
Sometimes, the most thrilling and rewarding bets are bets made while games are being played. These are referred to as live bets or in-play bets. Odds are ever-changing during games, which would prove to be fruitful for sharp and prepared bettors. For example, if the Broncos (-205) were heavily favored against the Falcons (+140) before kickoff, a payout on a $10 bet on the Broncos to win would win just $4.88.
However, say the Broncos fell to a big 17-3 deficit in the first half despite controlling the overall game (due to a costly turnover or special teams gaffe). Odds may swing in favor of the Falcons, who may be a -110 favorite at halftime. Taking the Broncos to come back and win the game could present plus-odds (say, +130). Should a bettor take Denver (+130) at halftime and the Broncos pull off the comeback, winners would win $13 instead of $4.88 (plus the initial $10 bet).
This could also be an effective way to “hedge” your bet; say a bettor took the Falcons (+140) in that game, but Denver jumps out to a 16-0 first quarter lead and is controlling the overall feel of the game, bettors could hedge by throwing some money down on Denver (-255) to return some of the inevitably-lost bet.
Parlays and teasers
You can always string bets together in the form of parlays or teasers. Usually during busy Sundays, bettors can parlay several teams to win or cover against the spread and if all bets are successful, the payouts are multiplied. Teasers function similarly, except they allow bettors to move each point spread to a more favorable line in exchange for diminished odds.
Broncos 2020 recap
Record: 5-11
Record ATS: 9-7
Over/under record: 8-8
A strong defense wasn’t enough to overcome an offense that, at times, looked completely incompetent. It wasn’t always Denver’s fault– at one point, they had no active quarterbacks on their roster due to COVID-19 contact tracing and they had to promote a practice squad receiver to play the position. However, even when Lock was behind center, he proved to be mistake prone and occasionally incapable of moving the football.
The Broncos were able to keep themselves in games compared to what oddsmakers projected often thanks to their sturdy defense and methodical way of moving the ball. Their first two games saw Denver covering the spread (against Tennessee and Pittsburgh) and they were even able to upset the Dolphins outright.
Broncos 2021 offseason moves
Key free agents: A.J. Bouye (CB), Justin Simmons (S), Elijah Wilkinson (LT), Tim Patrick (WR), Alexander Johnson (LB)
Draft pick position needs: CB, EDGE, LB, QB
Fortunately, not a ton of players who saw significant playing time in 2020 are due for free agency. Unfortunately, A.J. Bouye and Justin Simmons are due their money and Bouye is serving a six-game suspension, making his contract situation a tricky one. Further, it’s rumored that Von Miller will not be returning to the team despite not being a free agent this season to an alleged domestic altercation that’s been kept mostly quiet among league news. Simmons and Johnson seem like must-keeps and Tim Patrick emerged into a young star this past year.
With Miller potentially on his way out and Bouye carrying such a high price tag, the Broncos will be looking to defenders early in the draft. At the ninth pick, Denver should have their pick of a pair of ridiculously talented corners in Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley and Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II. Quarterback might be a position addressed later in the draft, as patience seems to be running thin on Lock.