Apparently the Kansas City Chiefs traded away McLovin, not McDuffie.
Obviously, the Chiefs signed Lydell Mitchell, not Keaton Mitchell.
And Jaylen Waddle must be the sequel to “Howard The Duck.”
How else to explain DraftKings’ current over-under, season win totals for the AFC West? The amount of disrespect shown the Broncos is disgusting.
The Broncos won 14 regular-season games last season. They captured the AFC’s top seed. Had they stuck with the run-it-back philosophy exclusively this offseason, they would have deserved to be dinged. But after the Broncos acquired Waddle, their victory line changed from 9.5 to 9.5.
Huh?
The Broncos’ schedule is like catching a barbed wire football in the teeth. Nine teams reached the postseason last year. And that does not count the Chiefs. But the toughest opponents come to Denver — Seahawks, Rams, Jaguars, Bills — where the Broncos are 15-4 over the past two seasons.
Even without knowing the draft picks, the Broncos should win 11 games, with 10 as the floor. No one pressures or sacks the quarterback like Denver. And with Waddle and new play-caller Davis Webb, the Broncos should lead more frequently, creating opportunities for takeaways.
Waddle moved bettors’ money, but not the line. This is surprising given how it addressed a specific need to make the offense more explosive. Talking to people who set lines, they believe 9.5 should be 10, but offered reasons why it isn’t.
The predicted minimum four-game drop traces to Bo Nix’s health. And luck.
The team’s messaging is that Nix is fine, enjoying a seamless recovery from ankle surgery. Wife Izzy shared a photo earlier this month of Bo walking out of the hospital with their newborn baby girl, Riley Belle, without a boot, crutches, or scooter.
It was the first evidence that Nix is on track, suggesting he should not have to fundamentally change how he plays quarterback.
The 12-3 record in one-score games remains an issue, given how teams typically trend backwards the following season. That is fair. Waddle, however, will minimize a plunge.
There is no way the Chiefs and Chargers should be listed above the Broncos.
Oddsmakers trust the Chiefs because of their past. They are showing enormous respect to Patrick Mahomes, coming off ACL surgery, and coach Andy Reid. But they shipped off their best defensive player, Trent McDuffie, who forced a trade to get paid, and admitted that he “wanted to go to a team that was a contender.” The Chiefs could not get off the field on third down last year, and losing McDuffie will exacerbate the problem.
No one knows when Mahomes will return. And even the most optimistic timeframe suggests he will miss a chunk of September, replaced by Justin Fields, who is on his fourth team in four seasons.
And the Chargers spent the offseason shopping for discounts or off the clearance rack. Like the Broncos, they focused on retaining players. Just getting their offensive tackles healthy will not make them better than Denver, not with road games at Baltimore, Buffalo and Seattle.
The Broncos are not a great team. They need a few more tweaks. But there is no way to interpret the DraftKings’ 9.5 wins number as anything other than an insult.
Avs as Kings: The Avs posted a 4-0 road trip after the disappointing home loss to the Stars. Time to draw some conclusions. Marty Necas has been worth every penny of his new contract (yes, he needs to produce in the playoffs). And Scott Wedgewood must enter the postseason as the No. 1 goalie, no debate, no controversy.
No Cinderella: There are no Cinderfellas in the NCAA tournament anymore. Don’t bring me Iowa. They are in the Big Ten. Culture and coaching matter. But the days of George Mason and Loyola of Chicago reaching the Final Four are over. Any kid who stars at smaller schools transfers before the program can become a threat to the behemoths.
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