Broncos vs Patriots Preview
Manning has gotten the better of Brady in their later exchanges.
This Sunday the most exciting game, in my estimation, will be the match up between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. The rivalry between the Broncos and Patriots is a storied one. The rivalry between these teams two quarterbacks is legendary.
Peyton Manning is now throwing the ball for the Denver Broncos. He lost his first six encounter with Tom Brady. Brady is 8-4 in his match ups with Manning. These two quarter backs have faced over 11 times over the past 12 seasons, so they are no strangers to each other.
This game is not just about two hall-of-fame caliber quarterbacks one-upping each other. Both the Patriots and the Broncos sit at 2-2 with one quarter of the season behind them. Now is the time that contenders start to pull away and both these teams would like to walk away with a winning record.
The difference between being 2-3 and 3-2 is huge at this point in the season. No team ever wants to slip into a losing record, but one of these great teams inevitable will and that is what each team will be fighting to prevent in this game.
Manning has a bit more to prove in this game than Brady. A win against the Patriots will finally shut up all those still questioning Manning’s ability, arm strength, awareness, etc. Manning can finally shake off all the “has been” labels stuck to him since his return and replace them with “still is” lables with a big win against the Patriots.
Pictured: Bolden
A key to a Bronco victory will be stopping the Patriots run game. Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden are proving to be a lethal combination. They combined for 243 yards against the Buffalo Bills last week. Tom Brady is going to throw the ball well against the Broncos, but Denver cannot afford to allow the Patriots to run the ball all over them too.
The Patriots may not have the dynamic duo to lean on though as Bolden is questionable, with a knee injury, for Sunday’s game. If he does not play, it will be up to Ridley to get the running done on his own.
According to betonline.com’s sportsbook the moneyline for the game is +245 for the Broncos, while New England is at -29o. This puts the Broncos as the underdogs. The point spread is -6.5 for New England, +6.5 for Denver. The over/under is at 51.5.
Do not let the large gap in the moneyline deceive you. This will be a close, offense heavy game, in my opinion. The over/under is one of the highest for the week but I would not be surprised to see it go over.
The game starts at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.
I expect this game to be another afternoon nail biter as it will come down to the wire as these two great offenses pass the ball all over each other. Expect a good one from these two rivals.
