NFL forecast: Let’s ride with wacky Russell Wilson, Broncos
Russell Wilson has become a laughingstock in his first season in Denver.
The Broncos quarterback was roundly ridiculed this week after telling reporters that he spent four hours of the team’s eight-hour flight to London working out on the plane as his teammates tried to sleep.
“I was walking up and down the aisles. Everyone was knocked out,” he said. “I was doing high knees and working on my legs and everything else, making sure I’m ready to rock.”
Wilson, who has ended news conferences this season by saying, “Broncos country, let’s ride,” was mocked by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker on Thursday after Baltimore’s win over Tampa Bay.
“What are we doing on the plane ride back home? I heard Lamar (Jackson) is leading us in high knees,” Tucker said. “Ravens flock, let’s fly.”
Wilson and the Broncos have a chance to redeem themselves in Sunday’s game against the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.
Jacksonville, which can relate to being an NFL laughingstock with the league’s worst record straight up (6-34) and ATS (14-26) since 2020, is a 2½-point favorite.
Both teams are 2-5 straight up and ATS and on four-game losing streaks. But Denver has the superior defense, ranking second in the NFL in total defense (286.0 yards per game) and third in scoring defense (16.4 points per game).
The Jaguars have lost six straight games as favorites and are on a 2-11 slide, straight up and ATS, as favorites.
Wilson will start for Denver after missing last week’s loss to the Jets with a hamstring injury. I’ll take the points in this matchup of low-scoring squads and bank on Wilson and the Broncos to high-step their way back to respectability.
Four more plays (home team in CAPS):
VIKINGS (-3½) over Cardinals: Minnesota is coming off a bye and is tied with the Buffalo Bills for the NFL’s third-best record (5-1) behind the Philadelphia Eagles (6-0) and New York Giants (6-1). The Vikings rank 12th in scoring defense (19.7 ppg) and 13th in scoring (23.2 ppg) and are laying a short price at home against an Arizona team with one of the league’s worst defenses (25.1 ppg).
Patriots (-2½) over JETS: New York lost star rookie running back Breece Hall and key offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker to season-ending injuries. The Patriots have historically bounced back strong from embarrassing losses such as Monday night’s 33-14 defeat to the Bears. New England has won the last 12 meetings with the Jets and has covered seven of the last nine.
49ers (-1) over RAMS: The Niners have won the last seven regular-season meetings with the Rams, including a 24-9 victory Oct. 3, and have covered seven of the last eight meetings. San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey will face the Rams at SoFi Stadium for the second time in 14 days after compiling 158 all-purpose yards for the Panthers in a 24-10 loss Oct. 16. The Niners are ninth in scoring defense (19.0 ppg) while the Rams rank 29th in scoring (17.3 ppg).
Bengals (-3) over BROWNS: Cincinnati lost leading receiver Ja’Marr Chase to a hip injury. But QB Joe Burrow still has two capable targets in Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd and faces Cleveland’s 28th-ranked scoring defense (26.6 ppg). The Bengals are in the top 10 in scoring (24.7 ppg) and scoring defense (18.9 ppg) and have covered four of the last five meetings and 11 of 14.
Last week: 3-2
Season: 19-14-2
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
