Thursday Night Football Betting Picks: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, Oct. 12

Thursday Night Football Betting Picks: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, Oct. 12

This article is part of our NFL Picks series.

Chiefs vs. Broncos Betting Odds, Picks and Predictions for Thursday Night Football, Week 6

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The NFL kicks off week 6 with an AFC West showdown between the Chiefs and Broncos. Let's look at the betting market for this matchup and highlight some wagers to consider.

Chiefs vs. Broncos Betting Odds for Thursday Night Football

Chiefs: Spread -11 (-108), -625 Moneyline
Broncos: Spread +11 (-112), +455 Moneyline
Game Total: 47 points

These two teams are heading in opposite directions. The Chiefs are 4-1 and have their sights set on another Super Bowl. The Broncos are 1-4 and have one of the worst defenses in the league.

Chiefs vs. Broncos Betting Picks This Week

Isiah Pacheco has emerged as the lead running back for the Chiefs. After recording a modest 20 combined rushing attempts over their first two games, he has at least 15 carries in each of the last three games. That included a stellar Week 4 performance against the Jets in which he turned 20 carries into 115 yards and a touchdown.

This should be a game in which Pacheco receives another heavy workload. The Chiefs are significant favorites, so if they have built up a big lead by the second half, they would likely lean on Pacheco to salt the clock away. The over on his rushing attempts prop comes with plus odds, making it an appealing option to take a chance on.

Chiefs vs. Broncos Best Bet: Isiah Pacheco over 16.5 rush attempts (+105 DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 unit

Operating under the belief that Pacheco will be busy in this game, it might also be wise to take the over on his rushing yards prop. The Broncos have been awful against the run, allowing a league-high 6.1 yards per carry. They have given up 821 rushing yards to opposing running backs. The next worst team is the Giants, who have allowed 679 rushing yards to running backs. Expect the Broncos to have a difficult time slowing down Pacheco.

Chiefs vs. Broncos Best Bet: Isiah Pacheco over 74.5 rush yards (-135 DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 unit

The Broncos' defense is a major concern against Patrick Mahomes and company. The Broncos not only gave up 70 points to the Dolphins in Week 3, but they allowed 35 points to the Commanders in Week 2, 28 points to the Bears in Week 4 and 31 points to the Jets last week. It's scary to think what Mahomes could do against them, considering the success that teams led by the likes of Sam Howell and Zach Wilson had.

If the Broncos find themselves in a significant hole early, they could be playing catchup for most of the second half. In that scenario, Russell Wilson would likely be asked to throw a lot. When they were down big to Miami, he attempted 38 passes. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him at least approach 40 pass attempts in this matchup.

Chiefs vs. Broncos Best Bet: Russell Wilson over 32.5 pass attempts (-115 DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 unit

Chiefs vs. Broncos Prediction

The question isn't whether or not the Chiefs will win this game, it's if they will cover the spread. It's a big number and the Chiefs have a margin of victory of at least 10 points in just one of their four victories. The better bet to pursue might be the over in the game itself. The Broncos and their opponent have combined for at least 52 points in each of their last four games.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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