New York Jets at Denver Broncos, INVESCO Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
Sunday, October 17, 2010, 4:05 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Jets -3
Current Line: Jets -3.5
Opening Total: 40
Current Total: 41.5
Money Line: Jets -200 / Broncos +170
The Denver Broncos (2-3) hope to bounce back from a 31-17 loss at Baltimore last week and knock off a New York Jets team that is 4-1 and going for their fifth straight victory since suffering a home loss to the Ravens in the season opener. The Broncos saw the wheels start coming off after losing at Baltimore last year and look to avoid a repeat occurrence when they host the favored Jets (-3.5 on the current NFL point spreads) on Sunday.
Denver started last season at 6-0 and was viewed as one of the NFL’s biggest surprises early on behind head coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Kyle Orton. But the Broncos got a huge reality check when they visited the Ravens after their bye week, getting hammered 30-7 to start a four-game losing streak. They ended up dropping eight of their last 10 games to finish at 8-8.
Orton continues to be one of the league’s top quarterbacks this year despite losing top wide receiver Brandon Marshall to Miami in the offseason. Orton’s numbers have been outstanding mainly due to the lack of a running game, as he ranks second in the league with 1,733 passing yards, ahead of both Peyton Manning and Drew Brees but behind Philip Rivers.
The Jets are coming off an emotional 29-20 home win over Minnesota last Monday night, holding off Brett Favre and the Vikings after dominating them defensively in the first half. Favre was able to connect on three touchdown passes in the second half after trailing 9-0 at halftime, but he threw an interception to New York’s Dwight Lowery in the final two minutes that was returned 26 yards for a score to extinguish the comeback attempt.
All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis returned to action in that game after missing the previous two for the Jets, but he tweaked his hamstring yet again and is listed as questionable against Denver. While Revis might be out of commission against one of the top passing offenses, the Broncos might be more balanced if they get running back Knowshon Moreno back.
Moreno has been out since Week 2 with a hamstring injury, and Denver has struggled to run the ball without him. The Broncos rank dead last in the NFL in rushing with only 51.8 yards per game, which is an average nearly 24 yards less than the second-worst team (New Orleans). Even if Moreno plays, he would be going up against the fourth-best defense against the run in the Jets, who are allowing just 79 yards per game and one touchdown on the ground.
The OVER is 9-1 in the last 10 games for the Broncos and 4-0 in New York’s last four since a 10-9 loss to Baltimore. Denver is also 3-1 straight-up and against the spread in the last four meetings with the Jets.
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