Denver at New England

Talk about a tough schedule! The Broncos have had to face Atlanta, Houston and Pittsburgh. They got a bit of a break with Oakland last week and now face New England with San Diego on deck. The Broncos looked great in their opener vs. Pittsburgh, winning easily 31-19. The first quarter of their next game vs. Atlanta was a horror show as Peyton Manning through three interceptions. The Broncos somehow found a way to nearly win that game despite the horrendous start. The following week, Denver fell way behind to Houston but made it a game in the end. Last week they crushed the Raiders. What do we take from all this? Denver has a lot of potential. They bear an excellent team and a bad one. And, in their other two games (vs. teams that are a combined 8-0), they had a chance to win, even with a lot of errors. New England has certainly underperformed expectations this season. The offense finally broke out last week, but that was after falling behid 21-7. This defense has allowed 30 points per game to the two good offenses they have faced so I expect Manning to have a lot of succes in this game. I believe he will continue to improve throughout the season as his rehab is still progressing. Denver has the better defense in this game and right now these offenses are pretty much on par. So, getting nearly a field goal represents a lot of value. With Peyton Manning under center, your team is never out of it and rarely gets blown out (see the last two weeks with big comebacks vs. the Falcons and Texans). I like Denver to find a way to keep this game close.