The final week of the NFL regular season begins on Saturday, with an AFC West Division matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. While the Chiefs have already clinched their sixth consecutive division title, they need a win to remain alive for the top seed and a first-round playoff bye. Meanwhile, the Broncos will simply be trying to conclude their season on a positive note. Denver was officially eliminated from playoff contention last week. Considering the varying motives that these two rivals have, it is no surprise to see the NFL betting odds heavily favoring the visitors for this Chiefs vs Broncos tilt.
The following Chiefs vs Broncos NFL betting preview will give you the current odds, betting trends and NFL picks against the spread for the Week 18 matchup, along with a stream link to watch games all season long.
Chiefs vs Broncos Week 18 NFL Betting Preview | NFL Picks Against the Spread
NFL Regular Season — Week 18
Kansas City Chiefs (11-5, 4-3 Away) vs. Denver Broncos (7-9, 4-4 Home)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2021
Time: 4:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Empower Field at Mile High — Denver, CO
Coverage: ESPN+
Kansas City Chiefs Preview
Winners of eight straight going into last week’s road game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chiefs appeared to be a lock for the 1-seed in the AFC Playoffs. Following an upset loss that was as much the fault of horrendous officiating as it was the Chiefs’ unwillingness to double-team Ja’Marr Chase, Kansas City now needs a win on Saturday and a loss by the Tennessee Titans to secure a first-round bye. As a result, most NFL betting analysts expect Andy Reid to have his team fully prepared for this regular-season finale.
Aside from coming up short on the scoreboard and failing to make necessary defensive adjustments, the Chiefs have to be pleased with how they are playing with the postseason looming. After struggling for the better part of the regular season offensively, Kansas city has now scored over 30 points in four straight games. Despite no receiver topping 53 yards last week, Patrick Mahomes still threw for 259 and two scores. Darrel Williams also scored a pair of rushing TDs filling in for the sidelined Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs have absolutely dominated this AFC West rivalry of late. In addition to winning each of the last 12 head-to-head matchups outright, Kansas City has also covered the NFL betting spread in 10 of those games.
Denver Broncos Preview
The host Broncos have affectively seen their hopes of a Wild Card berth into the postseason wither away. Denver enters Saturday’s finale on a three-game losing skid. The offense has been anemic during this stretch, failing to top more than 13 points in any of the three games. On the bright side, at least the world now knows that Drew Lock is not an NFL starting quarterback. He will be back under center this week as Teddy Bridgewater has already been ruled out. As a result, expect Denver to lean on the RB duo of Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon.
Given the poor state of the offense, the Broncos will need an A+ effort from their defense if they hope to score an NFL betting upset on Saturday. While Denver ranks third in scoring defense allowing 18.4 points per game, they are only 20th in adjusted defensive efficiency according to Football Outsiders. While motivation could come into question in that case, the Broncos always tend to have a sound defensive game plan when they face Kansas City. Rookie corner Patrick Surtain II intercepted Mahomes in the first matchup between the teams this season. However, both he and Ronald Darby have already been ruled out for Saturday’s game with injuries.
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Chiefs vs Broncos Betting Odds and NFL Picks Against the Spread
NFL betting odds for Chiefs vs Broncos are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Moneyline: KC: (-550) | DEN: (+400)
Spread: KC: -10.5 (-110) | DEN: +10.5 (-110)
Total: 45 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: KC: (83%) | DEN: (17%)
Chiefs vs Broncos NFL Betting Trends
- Chiefs are 6-1 in NFL picks against the spread (ATS) in their last seven games.
- The total has gone over in four of the Chiefs’ last five games.
- Broncos are just 1-4 both straight up and ATS in their last five games.
- Eight of the Broncos’ last 10 games have gone under the total.
- Chiefs are 7-0 ATS in their last seven head-to-head matchups against the Broncos in Denver.
Chiefs vs Broncos Stats
- Kansas City is averaging 28.3 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 4 in the NFL).
- Kansas City is surrendering 21.3 PPG this season (T-No. 13 in the NFL).
- Denver is averaging 19.4 PPG this season (No. 23 in the NFL).
- Denver is surrendering 18.4 PPG this season (No. 3 in the NFL).
Chiefs vs Broncos Prediction
This Chiefs vs Broncos NFL betting prediction uses NumberFire’s game projections. They give Kansas City a 74% chance to win this Week 18 matchup.
