Denver face Giants in the Battle of Brothers
Last season in Super Bowl 47 the battle of brothers pitted Jim and John Harbaugh against one another as head coaches. This season the Manning Bowl III takes place when brothers Peyton and Eli Manning meet for the third time in their careers.
Peyton’s Denver Broncos visit Eli’s New York Giants on a late summer afternoon in East Rutherford, New Jersey home of the New York Giants.
Peyton has won the previous two head-to-head meetings with younger brother Eli. However, Eli has had more success where it counts, the Super Bowl. Eli owns two Super Bowl rings, while older brother Peyton has just one.
The brothers have had great careers with nearly 92,000 combined yards passing, 658 touchdown passes, 3 MVP awards at the Super Bowl, 15 Pro Bowls, not to mention a combined winning percentage of .650.
The big question coming into this matchup is if the Giants defense can stop Peyton. The Broncos started their football season playing the opening Thursday Night game of the season in the NFL and thrashed the Baltimore Ravens 49-27. Peyton had 462 yards through the air and 7 touchdowns, which tied an NFL record.
Peyton has an incredible ability to read opposing defenses. Most defenses are unable to stop him, but hope they can slow him down. New York must put pressure on Manning, something Baltimore failed to do on a consistent basis in game one.
For the Giants on offense, they need to have better production out of the running back position. For New York to win, they must make the game shorter and that means more time running the ball and consuming the clock.
However, with DeAndre Brown out with a broken leg, the running back duties fell to David Wilson in game one. He fumbled twice against Dallas in the first and was benched during the third quarter and did not return.
During the week, the Giants signed their former back Brandon Jacobs and he might even start, but at least will see playing time on Sunday.
Turnovers will be a key in this game. In the first week, Denver lost two fumbles, while New York lost three and were intercepted three times.
Both teams do not have much faith in their running attacks, even though if New York hopes to stay close they must us their running attack to their advantage.
The wide receivers are crucial in this matchup. New York has top receiver Victory Cruz with help from Reuben Randle and Hakeem Nicks. The three had 15 catches in game one for 333 yards and 3 TDs.
On the Denver side, there is Wes Welker, Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas. The three caught 16 passes for 260 yards with four touchdowns.
Look for all six players to have big games once again catching the bullets throw by the Manning brothers.
With all the offense on the field, it is not surprising that the most important player on the field has been overshadowed. Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants defensive end must pressure Peyton Manning or the Giants will lose big.
Prediction: Broncos 38-28
