We wrap up our Sunday with the best game of the week. Tom Brady and the undefeated New England Patriots (10-0) travel to Mile High Stadium to take on the Peyton Manning-less Denver Broncos (8-2) with Brock Osweiller at quarterback.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for preview info.
First, here’s my pick from Friday Afternoon Quarterback.
Sunday Night
New England at Denver (+2.5)
There’s no way the Patriots are going undefeated. I keep saying it and I keep being wrong. I do the same thing with the Panthers and have already taken a loss this week because of it. Fool me once… Patriots 20, Broncos 19
And here are both teams’ entries in this week’s Power Rankings.
1. New England Patriots – (10-0) Another week, another sub-par opponent. Barring a catastrophe, the road to the Super Bowl goes through New England. Let’s just hope they don’t make it down that road. Last week: No. 1
4. Denver Broncos – (8-2) Brock Osweiler gets the start and plays fantastic, looking like the perfect quarterback for Gary Kubiak’s offense. Peyton Manning may want to play next season, but the Broncos look like they’ll be moving on with Brock. Last week: 5
And lastly, here’s our GMS Preview.
The New England Patriots (10-0) travel to meet the Denver Broncos (8-2) this week in a clash between two of the league’s best. The NFL’s fifth-leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas (875 yards, 2 TDs), and top passer, Tom Brady (3,320 yards, 25 TDs), will be on display in this contest. Though Denver had their fair share of success this season, the team has struggled lately, losing one of its last three. The game will begin Sunday, Nov 29 at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC.
Denver prevailed in a close one over the Bears 17-15 last week. Danny Trevathan led the way for the Denver defense in the win, totaling seven tackles and one interception. Ronnie Hillman also had a big day, contributing 102 yards on 21 attempts. New England managed to get the win as well, beating the Bills 20-13. Danny Amendola had an outstanding performance for the Patriots, registering nine catches for 117 yards.
New England is a four-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 46 points.
Heading into Week 12 of league action, the Broncos are 8-2 Straight Up (SU) and 5-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Broncos have records of 3-2 SU and 1-3-1 ATS. The Broncos are averaging 117.2 rushing yards over their last five games, higher than their season average of 94.4. As for the Denver defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. Denver’s defense will look to improve its stats against the run when the Patriots come to town. New England’s 92 rushing yards per game ranks 28th in the NFL. One of the keys to the game will be if the Patriots can protect the quarterback against Denver’s aggressive pass rush. The defense leads the league in sacks with 3.3 per game. Mistakes and lack of focus may be factors that benefit the Broncos in the game. The Patriots are one of the league’s most penalized teams on the road with 87.2 penalty yards per game.
Moving to the road team, the Patriots have 10-0 SU and 5-2-3 ATS records this season. The Broncos may be catching the Patriots at the wrong time. They have found their stride on offense in the past five games, averaging 402.4 total yards during that span. Switching gears to the New England defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Broncos. The New England defense has allowed 88.6 rush yards per game this season, second in the league. Pass protection will be essential for the Broncos against the tenacious Patriots defense, ranking second in the league in sacks with 3.2 per game. The Patriots get a boost in the second quarter of away games, where they average nine points this year.
Predictions: SU Winner – NE, ATS Winner – NE, O/U – Under
The game is on NBC at 8:20 p.m. EST. It’s been an odd day in the NFL so maybe Osweiller beating the Pats won’t be so crazy. Watch it with me and find out.
