NFL:
Broncos Patriots Betting – Denver Fairytale
Runs Out In New England
Denver posted a huge
online betting upset at home over Pittsburgh, and
they’ll get a chance to avenge a disappointing regular-season
loss on Saturday night when they head to New England to face the
Patriots, who had a bye week as the No.1 seed in the AFC. The
Broncos will be brought back down to earth by the Patriots, who
will flex their muscles on both sides of the ball.
Why Bet On Denver
Broncos (9-8 SU, 8-8-1 ATS)
The Broncos were a mess heading into the playoffs, losing three
straight, but they still won the AFC West because the rest of
their division is terrible. Still, they were a 9-point underdog
at home against Pittsburgh and no one was giving them much of a
chance. But the Broncos followed Seattle’s lead from last season
and pulled out a 29-23 overtime upset of the Steelers as Tim
Tebow found Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown under the
new overtime rules. It was an all-around extraordinary game as
Tebow torched the No.1-rated Pittsburgh pass defense for 316
yards and two touchdowns, completing 10 of his 21 attempts as he
hit Thomas for a number of big plays. Thomas had just four
catches, but he racked up 204 yards for the Broncos, who also
ran for 131 yards as a team. The Denver defense had been
struggling, but they sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times on the
day and made sure he made him move on his injured ankle as much
as possible. Even when the Steelers made a late run to send the
game to overtime, the Broncos never panicked for an improbable
result, one that sent the social media world into overdrive
after the game.
Receiver Eric Decker (knee) is out for the rest of the playoffs,
which means Eddie Royal steps up as the No.2 receiver for the
Broncos, who were thumped 41-23 at home by the Patriots in Week
15. However, the Broncos are playing with
NFL Betting House Money and no one believes in
them, which can be dangerous. The defense has to play like they
did against the Steelers or it won’t matter how many points
Tebow and company can put up.
Why Bet On New England Patriots (13-3 SU, 9-6-1 ATS)
The Patriots won their final eight games of the regular season
and scored at least 31 points in seven of those games (they
notched 27 in the other game), and even their three losses came
by a combined 15 points. Tom Brady finished third in the league
in passer rating and second in yards, while the Patriots’
running-back-by-committee finished 20th in the league on the
ground. The defense was much maligned as the Patriots couldn’t
stop the pass, finishing 31st in that category, but they led the
AFC in interceptions and total turnovers forced. It’s very
similar to the New Orleans defense that held up its end of the
bargain when the Saints won two seasons ago in that they’ll give
up a ton of yards, but somehow get off the field with the stop
or turnover that they need when the time comes. That is all you
really need when Brady and the offense is on the field, as they
can light up anyone and at home, where they won seven of their
eight this season.
There are no major injuries for the Patriots, but there could be
a situation brewing as offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien
accepted the head-coaching job at Penn State, and the Patriots
rehired Josh McDaniels to take over for him next season, but
McDaniels will assist with duties for this game. The Patriots
set all sorts of records when McDaniels was at the helm, and
it’s hard to imagine him being very quiet this weekend.
Remember, McDaniels was the head coach in Denver who pushed so
hard for Tebow’s drafting, and he may have some pointers to give
the Patriots on both sides of the ball as he knows the personnel
very well. As for being a distraction, head coach Bill Belichick
won’t let it be a distraction.
How It Will Play Out
The early
NFL betting line for this game has the Patriots as
a 13.5-point favorite at home, where they are 4-4 ATS, while the
Broncos are 6-2 ATS on the road. New England was 2-2 ATS this
season as a favorite of eight points or more, and all four games
came at home, and with the week off, they had some time to rest
some injuries. Brady and receiver Wes Welker had been a little
banged up and the week off definitely helped.
In the first meeting, you could see that Brady took all of the
talk surrounding Tebow personally and threw for 320 yards and
two scores, along with a rushing touchdown after which he spiked
the ball as hard as we’ve ever seen. Brady takes these
challenges seriously (all the great players in sports look for
motivation where they can) and he also inspired a solid effort
from the defense, which sacked Tebow four times and forced three
turnovers. Denver’s story is nice, similar to Seattle last year,
but the Seahawks followed up their upset by getting walloped in
Chicago. We expect Belichick and the defense to have some new
wrinkles to confuse Tebow, and we expect the Patriots to cover
the sports betting spread here.
Broncos Patriots Betting Pick: New England Patriots
 Need help deciding whether to play chalks or underdogs visit the
Guaranteed Picks Page for winning NFL, College Football Selections
100% GUARANTEED TO WIN OR YOU DON'T PAY!
We offer a unique guarantee to purchasers of picks:
If you don't win, you don't pay!
You will only be billed for picks that win; multi-pick packages must
show a profit or there is no charge. Be sure to check-in with your
favorite handicapper for
Guaranteed Pick
in this weeks Basketball action.
|
