Denver Broncos (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) vs. New York Giants (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS)
NFL Week 2
Date and Time: Sunday, September 15, 4:25pm
Where: Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
TV: CBS
by Bob, Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: DEN +5.5/NYG -5.5
Over/Under Total: 56
The Manning Bowl!! Here we go, one of the most clutch Super Bowl quarterbacks of all time will take on his brother, Peyton. Yea I said it. Lets be real, one game with it all on the line, if you take Peyton over Eli, you are a moron. However, this isn’t the Super Bowl, this isn’t do or die, it is NFL week 2, therefore Peyton will be in his normal regular season form slinging the ball all over the field, to his teammates, just like he did this past week against the Ravens. A game that looked like a nail biter at halftime quickly became a laugher as the Broncos went on the dominate the defending champs 49-27, and if not for a boneheaded play by a Denver defender, the final score would have been even more one sided than that. While Denver went on to win their game, the Giants lost to their long time rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Eli looked less than stellar in the loss, as did the New York Giants defense. As much as I hate to admit it though, I really think Dallas may be a good team this year. I could just be buying into the ESPN love fest with the Cowboys, but they do have talent, so maybe this Giants loss wasn’t as bad as we all thought. This game opens with a 5.5 line in favor of the Broncos, who will be traveling to New York. This week is full of road favorites. Lets break this one down.
Denver looked good in their season opener, they looked real good. On both sides of the ball, Denver looked like they were already in midseason form and ready to take on anyone. However, we have learned over the years of the NFL that things change week to week. Denver will go on the road for this one to New York, which is a pretty hostile environment when a true contender comes to town. One thing that plays into Peyton Manning and Broncos offense favor is the fact that this game is in September and not December. If the temperature was 20 degrees instead of 70s, I would lay every dollar I had on e Giants, but that’s not the case. Peyton will be warm and ready to show up his little brother. Denver’s offense is absolutely ridiculous. With Manning leading the charge, Wes Welker not missing a beat since New England, and a group of young talent, this offense could rival the Saints and Falcons as the most explosive in all of the NFL. When you have an offense like this and then add that defense to the mix, boy could this team become really scary. But covering 5.5, on the road….hmmmmm. I don’t know…. not yet.
The New York Giants are such a strange team. Just two years ago they won the Super Bowl, then last season tanked down the stretch to not even make the post season. You just never know what Giants team will show up, but typically after a loss, coach Tom Coughlin has them more focused and ready to correct mistakes. The Giants lack the big play guy and they have to fight for every inch and every yard. With the exception of Victor Cruz, I really don’t have much faith in any other of the skill position players for this team, at least on a consistent basis. With Eli throwing 3 picks, and the Giants only rushing for a little over 40 yards or so against the Cowboys, one thing that stands out is that somehow, the Giants still had a shot to win that game in Dallas. The guys play hard, even when the execution isn’t at its best, the G-Men give it their all. The key to this game is simple, if the Giants want to avoid an 0-2 start, play defense. They MUST stop Manning and the Broncos from scoring in the 30s this week. New York needs to keep the contest low scoring and grind this one out.
Bob’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I really like New York in this game, especially being given 5.5 points to play with. Remember guys, this is the NFL, EVERY player on the field is a paid professional. No one sucks, no one doesn’t belong, everyone is a baller in this league, even the guys we all make fun of at times. Denver coming off a big win and New York now fighting to not go 0-2 tells me all I need to know. This game will be close, very close. Do I think for sure New York comes out and wins? No. But there is no way I would ever lay 5.5 on a home team who is just 2 years removed from winning a Super Bowl. Take the Giants. NEW YORK GIANTS +5.5