Broncos at Chiefs: Odds, trends and more

On Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City has lost every meeting between these two teams since Peyton Manning came on the scene in 2012, but Vegas is not putting weight into the history. According to BOVADA, the Chiefs are favored by a field goal with the over/under sitting at 42.

Next: Ranking The 32 NFL Offenses For 2015

The trends are very conflicting, according to OddsShark. Kansas City is 6-1 against the spread in its last seven home games, while Denver is 4-1 ATS in its last five games at Arrowhead. The smart bet appears to be ion the UNDER. In the Broncos’ previous seven games, the score has been below the line five times. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have seen the score go UNDER in nine of their last 13 contests. Dating back to last season, both teams are playing very well. Denver is 6-2 in its last eight affairs while Kansas City is 8-4 over its previous 12 games.

Considering the home team gets a field goal to start, BOVADA is saying that the Chiefs and Broncos are dead even. After watching both teams win Week 1, it is not a crazy thought. Manning looked rough in the victory over the Baltimore Ravens, not scoring an offensive touchdown for the first time since he came to Denver. However, the Broncos defense was nothing short of super, sacking Joe Flacco twice and scoring on an Aqib Talib interception.

Kansas City was equally impressive against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, but in a different fashion. The notoriously pass-challenged Chiefs scored 27 points in the first half against a good defense with Alex Smith throwing for 193 yards and three touchdowns before halftime. The defense racked up five sacks and sent Brian Hoyer to the bench with a 27-9 fourth quarter lead, before Houston scored 11 points in garbage time.