Wilson gives Broncos massive edge over Seahawks

Hope your weekend was full of football and winning some bets! Ours was a bit light on the latter, there's no hiding from that. So let's turn that around with Monday Night Football and then say goodbye to NFL Week 1.

Broncos appear to have a massive edge tonight

The story of tonight is Russell Wilson's first game as a Bronco, and it just so happens to be against the team he spent his first 10 years with. Seattle traded Wilson to Denver this offseason, which simultaneously set these two franchises on drastically different courses. Quarterback is obviously the most important position on the field, and all of a sudden the Broncos have an elite passer to help elevate what is a solid offense throughout. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are moving forward with veteran Geno Smith this year, and while he has a strong WR duo in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, he's working behind one of the worst offensive lines in football.

Seattle also said goodbye to their defensive leader in linebacker Bobby Wagner, who leaves a massive hole in the middle of the field now that he's a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle is switching to a 3-4 defense this season, which should accentuate their lone bright spots in defensive tackles Al Woods and Poona Ford. Their line did not generate much pressure last season, and if they can't make Wilson uncomfortable, he's going to pick them apart. The Seahawks are trotting out Tariq Woolen as one of the starting corners, making his first career appearance after being selected in the fifth round. Expect Wilson to test him early.

The Broncos are hoping that corner Pat Surtain takes a leap in his second season, and he'll likely be matched up with Metcalf. Surtain has ideal size to keep up with Metcalf, who caught four of Smith's five touchdown passes last season. The Denver defensive line has some questions to answer, but they'll get a preferred first game to succeed against the aforementioned weak Seattle offensive line. It's feeling like a successful homecoming for Wilson, who brings with him a much better team top-to-bottom.

Betting: Denver Broncos -6.5 (-110 DraftKings)

Look for Albert Okwuegbunam to find the end zone

Seattle allowed the fourth-most touchdowns to tight ends last season, and Okwuegbunam is set to be TE1 in a high-powered offense flanked by Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. While Wilson will push the ball down field to his receivers, that success will only bring about an exploitable matchup for Albert O. You can bet him to score at +265 on Caesars.

In the news ...

Dak Prescott out 6-8 weeks — There's plenty to take away from Week 1: we had upsets, ties and everything in between. One of the more tangible impacts on the betting market from Sunday was that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has an injury to his thumb that will require surgery. Expected to be out two months, Dallas is now +340 to win the NFC East following the news and a loss yesterday to the Bucs. The remaining three NFC East teams all won their first games. Philadelphia is -140 to win the division, Washington is +550, and New York is +600.

Weekend of upsets in College Football — What a weekend in College Football, if you missed it we have you covered here. Numerous Top-25 teams fell, headlined by No. 6 Texas A&M losing to Appalachian State and No. 8 Notre Dame falling to Marshall. Alabama just squeaked by Texas on a last-second field goal, which would have sent Austin into a frenzy. The Crimson Tide are still the favorite to win it all at +200, but there's some value in Georgia at +210 and Ohio State and +290, two teams who have shown nothing but consistency to start the year.

Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek wins U.S. Open singles titles — As the field narrowed in New York, the two favorites eventually outlasted the rest. Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest U.S. Open winner ever in Men's singles, taking down Casper Ruud in four sets. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, the favorite from start to finish, won her first U.S. Open title over Ons Jabeur on Saturday.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll