Denver at New England
Time: NOON (CBS)
Spread: NE -10.5
Total: 44.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The New England Patriots are 2-2 on the season with wins over the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders, and losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. The Pats take to the road in Week 6 to face the Denver Broncos at Noon (EST) on CBS. The Patriots are heavy 10.5-point favorites in the affair, with an over/under situated at 44.5 total points according to NFL oddsmakers at 5dimes as of this posting.
NE
The New England Patriots fell 10-26 to the K.C. Chiefs the last outing, but perhaps a return to its home field is just what is needed. New England is 2-0 at home this season, with its two losses both having come at tough venues.
Cam Newton has been more than adequate as a Tom Brady replacement, though, which bodes well for New England. The former Carolina Panther has thrown 68.1 percent for completion with two touchdowns (though he also has two picks). Averaging 287.7 passing yards per game though is still quite strong and Newton can cut down on those costly picks to become elite in a short fashion with his dual-threat nature taking care of the rest.
Newton ranks No. 2 in rushing yards with 149 on his 35 attempts, including four TD-rushes. Sony Mitchel has also been dominant as the lead-back with 173 yards and a touchdown, but also an outstanding 6.7 yards-per-carry. Newton has the team-lead in first down rushes (15). Beyond that, the Pats also have Rex Burkhead and Damien Harris both over 100 total yards this season, as well. Credit the OL for some outstanding blocking to facilitate this, as well as the time Newton has had to make his (mostly accurate) decisions.
Julian Edelman is the top receiver by a decent margin. He leads in total yardage (294), and he has had 16 first downs this season. Stunningly, Edelman has yet to rack up his first touchdown, with N’Keal Harry, Burkhead, and Jakob Johnson having scored the three passing touchdowns.
Kicker Nick Folk has missed two field goals this season, but he missed both from 40+ yards (one being beyond 50),. Overall, New England has a lot boding right for it this season, but its tough schedule and some costly mistakes on the road render it just 2-2 as it faces Week 6.
DEN
The Denver Broncos won its first game last outing against the New York Jets. It lost its first three versus Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This week brings little relief as the Broncos face big underdog odds against the Patriots. Denver’s offense has been pitiful, with its defense “merely bad.” The Broncos rank No. 27 in passing yardage and No. 29 in rushing yardage, to help the offense manage to generate just 20.5 points per game. With Denver surrendering 4-plus points more, this has meant taking on losses. The Broncos must improve massively on both ends of the football.
The Broncos have had a revolving door at Quarterback, with Drew Lock expected to start if his rotator cuff is up for the task.
Lock has been the most consistently mistake-free, despite Brett Rypien leading in completion ratio (also leading in interceptions with four on just 40 throws). Overall, the Broncos are still searching for some production and stability in the pocket, and meanwhile, none of its backfield options are really performing well either. Melvin Gordon III leads the team with 281 yards on 65 attempts, and he has scored all three rushing touchdowns. Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, and Tim Patrick all have topped 200-yards on the season and the trio has five of the team’s six touchdowns collectively. While the WR production has been fine, ironically the QBs launching those passes need a lot of work, to say it bluntly.
