Patriots outduel Manning and Broncos, Jets host Texans on MNF

Looking to generate some separation in the AFC East, New England hosted Denver on Sunday afternoon in a bid to move above the .500 mark for the first time since Week 1. The highly-touted matchup marked the thirteenth time Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would meet head-to-head, and the first time since Manning joined the Broncos this past summer.

Meanwhile, the Bills and Dolphins hit the road to take on the 49ers and Bengals respectively, as the Jets prepare to host Houston at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.

Denver Broncos 21, New England Patriots 31

Stevan Ridley ran for 151 of the Patriot's 251 rushing yards helping New England defeat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

It may have been billed as Brady vs. Manning but it was the New England running game that did the damage in Foxboro on Sunday.

The Patriots (3-2) ran for a combined 251 yards, three touchdowns and 18 first downs as they ran out 31-21 winners over the Denver Broncos (2-3). Stevan Ridley continued his strong start to the season, racking up 151 yards on 28 carries with a score. Brady himself ran a touchdown in for the second straight week.

Of course, Brady was no slouch passing the ball either. The New England gunslinger threw for 223 yards on 23/31 passing and one touchdown, driving the Patriots to a 31-7 lead late in the third.

Peyton Manning made things a lot closer with an attempted fourth quarter comeback. The quarterback threw for 345 yards on 31/44 passing with three touchdowns. The Broncos however came up short after running back Willis McGehee fumbled the ball late in the game and the Patriots recovered to hold on for the win.

The late surge by the Broncos saw the total go over, rewarding bettors that had been looking for a shootout while the Patriots beat the spread for the third consecutive week.

Up Next: at Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Buffalo Bills 3, San Francisco 49ers 45

Having blown a 21-7 halftime lead and gone on to lose in embarrassing fashion to the Patriots last weekend, Buffalo was in desperate need of a bounce back win as the team traveled to the Bay Area. What the team got was exactly the opposite.

With the game tied 3-3 early in the second quarter, San Francisco (4-1) served up 42 unanswered points to trounce the Bills (2-3) 45-3.

Buffalo – who spent a lot of money ‘improving’ its defense this past offseason –  looked shaky to say the least, and any fans that had put stock in a win in Cleveland righting the team’s woeful road record can only look at this deplorable effort and fear for the future.

On an afternoon that saw San Francisco break a franchise record for total offensive yards (621) with a running game that piled up 311 yards by itself, the Bills looked bereft of ideas and execution. The tandem of Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller had a paltry 53 yards combined (of 89 total rushing yards) while quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tallied just 115 yards through the air.

The Bills have now given up a minimum of 550 yards in two straight games, the first time such a feat has been ‘achieved’ since the 1950 New York Yanks posted such abysmal numbers.

Bettors taking the over will be thankful that San Francisco bettered the total alone, while Buffalo failed (miserably) to beat the spread for the second straight game and the third time this season.

Up Next: at Arizona Cardinals (4-1)

 

Miami Dolphins 17, Cincinnati Bengals 13

Having lost two straight games in overtime, Miami finally managed to hold onto a game, upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals 17-13 on Sunday afternoon.

The Dolphins (2-3) made sure there was no heartache this week, intercepting an Andy Dalton pass late in the fourth quarter and running out the clock.

Miami stifled the Bengals’ (3-2) offense for much of the game, limiting Dalton to 234 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions on 26/43 passing. Meanwhile, rookie Ryan Tannehill followed his record-setting output of last week with a respectable if not dazzling 223 yards on 17/26 passing. After a shaky opening to the season, the rookie is looking decent.

Both teams were impressive stopping the run. The Dolphins ran for just 68 yards, with Reggie Bush (43 yards) leading the way, while the Fins’ defense held the Bengals to 80 yards. BenJarvus Green-Ellis managed just 14 yards on nine carries (a 1.6 yard average) thanks to Miami’s strong front seven.

The low scoring game went under the total, while Miami beat the spread for the third time this season.

Up Next: Vs. St. Louis Rams (3-2)

 

Houston Texans (4-0) at New York Jets (2-2)

Shutout by San Francisco last weekend, the New York Jets face another tough challenge as Houston visits for Monday Night Football.

While the rest of the AFC East nurses any bumps and bruises, the New York Jets (2-2, 1-1 home) prepare to host the Houston Texans (4-0, 2-0 road) on Monday Night Football.

The Jets were embarrassed in last weekend’s shutout to San Francisco but things went from bad to worse during the week as the New York side discovered it would be without receiver Santonio Holmes – injured during the game – for the remainder of the season.

Revis is added to an extensive injury list that includes the likes of Darrelle Revis (knee), Dustin Keller (hamstring), and Stephen Hill (hamstring).

Houston will be looking to join Atlanta as the only unbeaten teams through five weeks of play, after Arizona was upset by St. Louis on Thursday Night Football.

The Texans have found a nice balance between offense and defense, and has conceded the fewest points and yards per game through four weeks of play.

Houston opened as 4½-point favorites, but that figure has since risen to nine points ahead of kickoff.

The Jets are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven while Houston is 4-0 ATS this season.

The total has gone under in four of the last six Jets games, and eight of the last 11 Houston home games, so bettors may want to consider backing the under on 41 points.

In the short history of the franchise, Houston has never beaten the New York Jets, recording a 0-5 record. The closest the Texans came was when the two sides last met (November 2010), a game that saw the Jets narrowly win 30-27.

Up Next: Vs. Indianapolis Colts (2-2)