Atlanta Falcons (6-4) @ Denver Broncos (5-5)
Sunday, November 17, 4:05 PM ET
After an absolutely loaded slate for the 1:00 ET window in Week 11, we finally arrive to the late-afternoon window with a highly intriguing matchup of two teams that are looking to get back into the playoffs this season.
And two teams that went after quarterbacks in a big way in the 2024 offseason.
No team invested more at quarterback this offseason than the Atlanta Falcons, who not only gave free agent Kirk Cousins a massive contract but then used the 8th overall pick on Washington star Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons have seen pretty immediate fruit from that with Kirk Cousins en route to become the NFL Comeback Player of the Year this year, but it hasn’t been an easy road, by any means.
The Falcons are fresh off of a tough loss to the Saints, in fact, and now they are going to Denver to face off against a ticked-off Broncos team that just lost in the most heartbreaking fashion possible vs. the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
We should be talking about the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, but the Broncos couldn’t execute a 35-yard field goal as time expired and the Chiefs made a huge play on special teams, blocking the Broncos’ kick and winning by two points.
Denver was orange crushed. Devastated.
The Broncos have played two of the best teams in the NFL the past two weeks in the Ravens and Chiefs, so playing a quality opponent like the Falcons isn’t going to take them by surprise. The Broncos desperately need a quality win at home in Week 11 and right now, they’re slim 1.5-point favorites.
I think we’ll see them come out focused in this one and rookie QB Bo Nix will continue to make his bid for NFL offensive rookie of the year while that Denver pass rush feasts.
Prediction: Broncos win 27-20