Forecast Not Improving For Denver Broncos' 2010 Betting Odds

NFL News - February 18th, 2010 - Written by John

The Denver Broncos surprised almost everyone with a 6-0 start in 2009, and appeared well on their way to upsetting NFL Sportsbooks with an AFC West crown.

That's when things went south.

Then they got worse.

A season that started with few expectations did end up with the Broncos missing the playoffs. But it was the way they missed out that was unnecessary torture. After the torrid start, Denver really only needed to win three of the next 10 games to make the playoffs. And they seemed poised to do it with a tame Brandon Marshall and a better-than-expected start by Kyle Orton that created whispers of MVP. But the Broncos fell to the Baltimore Ravens in Week Eight, and began a trek of two four-game losing streaks to close out the year. Winning only twice in that span meant an 8-8 record, and a very long off-season for head coach Josh McDaniels.

The good news is McDaniels won't feel the pressure coming into this year either. Bodog isn't expecting a dramatic turnaround in 2010, giving the Broncos 50/1 odds to win the 2011 Super Bowl, according to NFL Betting Lines.

Denver parted ways with Marshall via free agency, but most of the offense remains intact. Orton, who threw for 431 yards in the season-finale finished with 3,802 yards and 21 touchdowns, and now-sophomore Knowshon Moreno is in line for full-time duty. In his rookie year, the first-round pick went for 947 yards and seven touchdowns.

The team will likely look to the draft to replace Marshall, but attention will also need to be paid to the defensive front line. There was a dramatic disparity between rush and pass defense in '09. The unit averaged out at seventh in total defense, but was weighed down dramatically by a 26th ranking against the run.

Linebacker Elvis Dumervil was a revelation, though, earning votes for the Defensive Player of the Year with a league-high 17 sacks, along with three forced fumbles.

D.J. Williams led the team with 122 tackles, but safety Brian Dawkins wasn't far behind with 116.