NFL Predictions: Broncos vs. Patriots Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Friday, 13 January 2012 17:33

It’s time for NFL predictions in Saturday’s playoff game between the Broncos and the Patriots.

The Denver Broncos (9-8) hit the road to take on the New England Patriots (13-3) on Saturday, and we hope that our predictions and preview will help sort out the NFL Playoff madness.  Start time of the Broncos vs. Patriots game is set for 8:00 PM ET, and the game can be viewed live on the CBS channel.

New England went into Denver earlier this season and won 41-23 as a 7-point favorite, and the rematch figures to also be a blowout if you believe the NFL betting odds.  Bovada Sportsbook (formerly BoDog Sportsbook) has the home-team Patriots as a 13.5-point favorite, while the total sits at 50.

Broncos’ Offense vs. Patriots’ Defense:

Denver had a nice rushing attack, but quarterback Tim Tebow (2045 yards, 46.6%, 14 TD, 6 INT) hasn’t consistently added the passing game to make this offense truly explosive.  The Broncos caught the Pittsburgh Steelers off guard with some deep passes in their first round upset, but now the Patriots will be able to figure that facet into the equation during preparation time.  New England’s defense is far from incredible, but they are usually so far ahead that the defenders can sit back and take chances.  It is important for the Patriots to get an early lead, or their defense could be exposed a bit.

Patriots’ Offense vs. Broncos’ Defense:

New England has one of the NFL’s elite offenses, and they come into the game against the Broncos with averages of 32.1 points and 318.0 passing yards per contest.  Quarterback Tom Brady (5239 yards, 65.6%, 39 TD, 12 INT) is one of the best big-game stars the league has, and I can’t see the Broncos stopping him.  Denver has been only average at stopping both the run and the pass this season, and I have little confidence in them after allowing 41 points while playing at home just a month ago.

Broncos vs. Patriots Predictions:

Denver was able to pull the upset against the Steelers because Pittsburgh had a dinged up offense that couldn’t take advantage of the Broncos’ defensive issues.  The Broncos were able to use their run throughout and weren’t playing from way behind.  Look for the Patriots to score at will here and for Tebow and his Broncos to have to give up their run-based game plan by halftime if they want to keep pace.  That won’t end well, and my Broncos vs. Patriots predictions call for New England to cover the spread while the total easily goes over.

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Broncos 20

Patriots 41