With the Denver Broncos having extra time to prepare after a Thursday night rout of the New Orleans Saints, a home game against the heavy-underdog Carolina Panthers on Sunday may seem like the perfect recipe to put together the team's fifth win in its last six games.
Can a stout Denver defense and recent improvements from quarterback Bo Nix keep the Broncos from falling into a potential trap?
According to the BetMGM odds accessed on Thursday, Denver (4-3) is a 10-point favorite over Carolina, a team at the bottom of the NFC standings with a 1-6 mark. The Panthers will also be making a change at quarterback this Sunday, with Bryce Young taking back over under center after being relieved of his starting duties following a 26-3 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 15.
Young is getting another chance this Sunday after Andy Dalton was involved in a car accident earlier in the week and suffered a sprained thumb on his throwing hand.
So far this season, Young has thrown for just 299 yards on 37 completions and has yet to throw a touchdown. He will try to up those numbers against a Broncos defense that is ranked third in the NFL in total yards allowed, giving up just 282.4 yards per game.
A struggling quarterback playing in Denver against a defense with plenty of momentum at home certainly sets up well for the Broncos ... if they can focus on the task at hand rather than look ahead on the schedule.
Following Carolina's visit to the Mile High City, Denver hits the road for what could be a pair of pivotal AFC matchups. The Broncos head to Baltimore to take on the 5-2 Ravens before returning to AFC West action at Kansas City.
The visit to the currently undefeated Chiefs marks Denver's first AFC West road game of the season, as well as the first meeting between the two teams since Denver posted a 24-9 win last year, snapping Denver's 16-game losing streak to Kansas City.
Those are a pair of big road tests for a Denver team that is believing it could be in the playoff mix late in the season. But if the Broncos are going to indeed be in that mix, registering a win over Carolina has to come first.
After seven consecutive losing seasons, the Broncos being a double-digit favorite this Sunday against Carolina represents a rare occasion when the vast majority of expectations will be on Denver to win.
Now the Broncos have to live up to those expectations by playing in the moment if they are to continue what has been a solid early-season turnaround.
