3:05 PM ET, Sunday, January 24, 2016
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
NFL Betting Line
New England Patriots | -3.5 | ML -170 | O44 |
Denver Broncos | +3.5 | ML +150 | U44 |
Stats and Records
W/L | Strk | PF | PA | Home | Away | Grass | Turf | OT | Div | Conf | |
New England | 13-4 | W1 | 29.9 | 19.7 | 8-1 | 5-3 | 1-2 | 12-2 | 0-2 | 4-2 | 10-3 |
Denver | 13-4 | W3 | 22.2 | 18.4 | 7-2 | 6-2 | 12-3 | 1-1 | 3-0 | 4-2 | 9-4 |
New England Patriots | Denver Broncos | |||
Avg. Yds. (Rank) | Category | Avg. Yds. (Rank) | ||
286.7 (5th) | Pass Off. | 248.1 (14th) | ||
87.8 (30th) | Rush Off. | 107.4 (17th) | ||
12-4 | 240.7 (16th) | Pass Def. | 199.6 (1st) | 12-4 |
1st AFC EAST (4-2) |
98.8 (8th) | Rush Def. | 83.6 (3rd) | 1st AFC WEST (4-2) |
On November 29th, these teams met here and Denver edged New England by just 6 but Manning didn’t even play which speaks volumes for the Broncos’ running game as they accumulated 179 yards led by C.J. Anderson. In that encounter, New England’s passer Tom Brady had to carry the show because their ground game were non-existent only grinding out 39 yards on 16 carries.
The Bottom Line: Since Denver’s offense is much more balanced than New England’s, blitzing Brady a lot more than they did against Ben Roethlisberger last Sunday is essential because Brady has his full fleet of wide receivers back. Notwithstanding, somehow the Broncos must neutralize Patriot tight end Rob Gronkowski
Selection: Denver +3.5