On Sunday Night Football, the Giants will travel to Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado to take on the Broncos. This matchup will kick off at 8:30 PM/ET.
The Broncos are coming off their bye week, and find themselves second in the AFC West. Denver’s defense has the Broncos in a strong position among AFC contenders. On the season, Denver’s defense has allowed only 74 points. Expect Denver’s defense to keep them in the mix for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, the Giants season has been a complete disaster. Through five weeks, the Giants are winless and look totally hapless on both sides of the ball. The NFC East is routinely the most competitive divisions in all of football, but so far this season that hasn’t been the case. Through the first few weeks, the Giants’ offense struggled without Odell Beckham Jr. at receiver. When he returned, the offense hit another gear and it appeared they could have turned it around. With the Giants losing Odell for the rest of the season to a broken ankle, expect New York’s offensive struggles to only get worse.
Is Denver’s Defense Good Enough to Carry them?
Yes. Through four games, Denver’s defense is allowing the fewest total yards per game, according to NFL Stats. The Broncos rank seventh in terms of points allowed per game. According to NFL Stats, the Broncos gave up 18.5 points per game this season.
The staple of Denver’s defense has always been their secondary. Their “no-fly zone” secondary has grounded even the best passing attacks over the years, but this season it’s the run defense that’s making a name for itself. According to NFL Stats, the Broncos run defense is giving up only 2.4 yards per rushing attempt and have yet to allow a rushing touchdown on the season.
On the offensive side of the ball, Denver finds itself in the middle of the pack. According to NFL Stats, Denver’s offense ranks 13th in total yards. Although their yardage puts them in the middle of the pack, they’re making the most of their opportunities. The Broncos are completing an impressive 47 percent on third downs.
Despite having big name receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, Denver’s passing attack is playing second fiddle to the rushing attack lead by C.J. Anderson. On the season, Anderson ranks fourth in yards per game, according to NFL Stats. Anderson is having a break out year as Denver’s bell cow and against a Giants run defense that’s struggled through the first five weeks of the season, expect Anderson to have a big night.
Have the Giants hit rock bottom?
Yes, and no. It’s hard to say that a winless team hasn’t hit rock bottom, but there’s a lot of football still to play and a lot more losses coming New York’s way. The Giants’ defense ranks 29th against the run and 16th against the pass. Having the 26th rated defense in the NFL and virtually no consistency on offense is a recipe for disaster.
With no rushing attack to bring balance to the Giants’ offense, Eli Manning must carry the offense. To his credit, Manning is completing 68 percent of his passes. Against a stellar Broncos defense, Manning won’t have any help on the ground and will have to challenge the Broncos secondary. Expect Eli to have a few picks this week as he tries to thread the needle too many times.
Broncos vs Giants Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Broncos favored to win the game by 11.5 points. The over/under on total points scored is 38.5. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
The Broncos are coming off their bye week and have the luxury of playing at home, where they haven’t lost yet this season. It’s never easy playing in Denver; even the best teams struggle. The Giants are a very desperate team, and expect them to play like it. Denver is the better team in every way and it’s hard to imagine the Giants even keeping this close. Expect Denver to dominate this one from start to finish and cover the spread..
Play: Broncos -11.5 @ BetOnline.ag
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