The Denver Broncos rebounded from their Week 9 drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots by exacting a beating of their own in a 41-17 blowout of the Oakland Raiders. The Broncos turn their attention next toward NFC West’s St. Louis Rams in an inter-conference showdown.
For some primetime football action, check out our previews for the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts games, and read on for more on this early-Sunday matchup.
[sc:Football ]Denver Broncos vs. St. Louis Rams Preview
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
When: Sunday, November 16, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Denver Broncos (-9.5) at St. Louis Rams (+9.5); total: 51.0 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos had a rare shaky start in Week 10 with Peyton Manning throwing a pair of interceptions early in the game to lead the Broncos to a 10-6 deficit in the first half against the Oakland Raiders. That’s as far as the Raiders would get, however, as Manning threw for touchdowns in next five consecutive possessions. Manning finished with 340 yards, his fifth game with 300 or more yards this season.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Manning has now been picked off twice in back-to-back games, but St. Louis’ secondary may not continue that streak. The Rams have made just four interceptions so far this season, tied for 27th in the league.
Furthermore, the Broncos’ talented playmakers should be a handful for the Rams’ coverage team. Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas each had two touchdowns from Manning against Oakland, while Demaryius Thomas was efficient in moving the chains catching 11 passes for 108 yards.
Cornerback Aqib Talib has been a solid addition to their secondary. He has defended 10 passes thrown his way in the season. Talib should keep the Rams’ depleted receiving corps in check. However, the Broncos may struggle to contain Rams tight end Jared Cook. They failed to limit another physical tight end in New England’s Rob Gronkowski, who torched them for 105 yards and a score.
The Broncos are 4-1 ATS in their last five games. The score has also gone over the total in Denver’s last five games.
Betting on the St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams led 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter of their NFC West showdown against the Arizona Cardinals. That’s when starting quarterback Austin Davis started committing costly turnovers. The Cardinals came back to win 31-14.
Davis was intercepted twice by Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson, one of which was returned for a 30-yard touchdown. He also lost a fumble which Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie picked up and returned for a 14-yard touchdown. The Rams quarterback was also banged up in the game, suffering six sacks for a combined loss of 42 yards.
Davis will have another very tough task in dealing with a Denver defense that has pass rushers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller (17 combined sacks) and cornerback Aqib Talib (one interception return touchdown) ready to pounce on any mistakes.
St. Louis’ issues are not all wrapepd up in their quarterback’s failings. The offense as a whole has been anemic with leading receiver Brian Quick out on season-ending injured reserve. Without their leading receiver, the Rams have managed 392 passing yards and 31 points over the last three weeks. However, Davis may have found a pillar to lean on in tight end Jared Cook, who caught two passes for 84 yards and a score against Arizona on Sunday.
On the ground, rookie running back Tre Mason has seen the most work in the Rams’ backfield with 14 or more touches in the past four weeks, rushing for 230 yards and a score during the time span. He also moonlighted as a receiver, running pass patterns against Arizona and setting career highs in receptions (four), targets (six) and receiving yards (33).
While the Rams’ offense has struggled, their defense has given them plenty of chances to get themselves on the scoreboard. The Rams defense has caused four turnovers in the past three games, one of which was a fumble recovery by linebacker James Laurinaitis in Week 9 to rob San Francisco of a win on a goal line stand.
The Rams are 1-3 ATS in home games this season. Meanwhile, the total has gone over in five of the Rams’ last seven games.
Writer’s Prediction
An excellent performance on both sides of the ball gives the Broncos (-9.5) a comfortable win while covering the spread. Create a betting account now and cash in on an exciting second half of the NFL season.
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