A powerhouse matchup in the AFC highlights the Sunday slate when the Ravens visit Denver. An early playoff exit and un-Peyton Manning like numbers last season have some believing the Broncos are trending downward. Don’t be fooled. A 38-10 SU record over the last three regular seasons is a sign they shouldn’t be written off just yet.
ODDS
The Broncos have been a dominant home team and opened as a 4-point favorite. Denver is 21-1 SU and 14-8 ATS over its last 22 games at Sports Authority Field taking the spread to -4.5. The total surfaced at 52 and has seen plenty of movement down to its current 48.5.
KEY INJURIES
Breshad Perriman – Expected to be the deep threat after Torrey Smith bolted in free agency, the Raven’s top pick missed all of the preseason with a sprained right knee and will not play.
Lorenzo Taliaferro – Continues to be held out of practice due to a sprained MCL and is questionable for Sunday. The injury puts Buck Allen on track to back up starter Justin Forsett in the Ravens’ backfield.
Kenny Anunike – The backup defensive end was held out of practice early this week while recovering from a knee injury. He is questionable for the opener.
KEY MISMATCH
While Gary Kubiak tried to make the Houston Texans a run-dominated team during his tenure as coach there, he has all the weapons for a potent aerial game in his first year with the Broncos. A former quarterback himself as a backup to John Elway in Denver, Kubiak knows the position and has the best to ever play it in Peyton Manning at his disposal. The Broncos will use C.J. Anderson in Kubiak’s zone-running scheme to take pressure off the aging signal-caller. But Manning will have his moments with two 100-catch, 1,000-yard receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, who will spoil Baltimore’s plan to use more man coverage.
KEY STAT
17 – The number of sacks allowed by the Broncos in 2014. If Denver’s offensive line can continue to protect Manning, he can tear a defense apart with receivers Thomas and Sanders. Manning was limited during the preseason in order to preserve his aging body. He is, however, healed from the quad strain that sapped his strength last season.
BETTING ANGLE
Kubiak was calling plays for Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens as recently as eight months ago. So, if there is anyone who understands the tendencies of Flacco and the inner workings of the Ravens offense, it’s going to be Kubiak, right? Kubiak was credited with turning around the Baltimore offense in 2014, when the Ravens set franchise records for points and yards in a season. Flacco was also at his best, with career-highs in passing yards and touchdowns. Marc Trestman is the new offensive coordinator but the Ravens say they’ve kept many of the same principles of last season’s offense, especially in the run game. Ravens coach John Harbaugh is 5-1 in games against Kubiak, including a 2011 playoff victory.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
A pair of AFC heavyweights will want to make a statement in the opener and we could very easily see these teams hook up again in the postseason. There are questions surrounding the 39-year-old Manning after some poor numbers at the end of last season and an early playoff exit. But Manning says he feels great after limited reps during the preseason to keep him fresh. On paper the teams are evenly matched, but we have to go with the Broncos and the home field advantage, which is hard to overlook. We see a close competitive game between these two and, with that in mind, the smart play is on the Ravens and the 4.5 points.
Denver 26, Baltimore 24
BookMaker sent out the NFL spread for this Sunday game at Denver -4 with a total of 52. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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