NFLX HANDICAPPING TIP #7 – REVENGE & RIVALRY GAMES
Today’s NFLX Handicapping Tip is: Play ON a team seeking revenge for a bitter loss.
When one team suffered an embarrassing in the last meeting with their current opponent, they can be highly motivated to win the game, even if it’s just preseason.
We jumped on Denver as a 1-point favorite over Indianapolis last year. In a classic revenge situation, we noted in our STAR SELECTION:
“While this may be ‘only’ a practice game, Denver is ready to ‘get it on’. The impact of the consecutive playoff blowouts was felt by defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, who wasn't even part of them. ‘You kind of heard it every day for a little bit,’ Ekuban said. ‘I'm new to the club, this is my first year, but when I got here, the talk was the Colts. Just being in the playoffs the last two years and having them beat us, so even though it's the preseason, we still want to do some things to make sure we found the right solution to solving that problem.’…’It's a great challenge,’ Broncos coach Mike Shanahan added. ‘Any time you go against an offense that scored more points than anybody in the National Football League, it's a great challenge for our defense.’…’You never want to lose,’ Denver LB Ian Gold said. ‘I don't know any guy out here who says, 'I want to go out and lose a game.' They beat us in the playoffs, and I look forward to getting out there and trying to get a win.’…’It's all about going out against Indianapolis,’ Bronco LB Keith Burns chimed in. ‘Some people say preseason doesn't mean anything, but to us, this game means a whole lot’…While Peyton Manning and the Colts 1st-string offense figures to play better this week and do some damage, it’ll be the Broncos with momentum and motivation on their side. They’ve had this game circled on their preseason schedule and we look for them to make a bit of a statement here with a SU & ATS win.â€
It may have been “only†preseason, but Denver was all business, as they buried Indy, 37-24. Coaching rivalries can also effect exhibition games. Some coaches develop personal feuds with one another. When there is bad blood between the 2 coaches you can expect extraordinary exhibition games between them.