Peyton Manning pulled one out of his hat last week. His Denver Broncos looked like they were dead in the water in Kansas City, and though the play that ultimately won the game was courtesy of the defense for the second straight week, had Manning not gotten his act together after a game and a half of looking like he needed to retire immediately, that game wouldn't have been close.
Now, the Broncos face another stern road test against a desperate Detroit Lions team on Sunday Night Football.
EXPECTATIONS LOW FOR MANNING
The Broncos have thrown the ball on around 65 percent of their plays thus far in 2015, but we suspect that number is going to come back to around 55 percent by the time the year is said and done with. Even with his 85 passes, Manning only has 431 yards, and he just doesn't have the ability to get the ball down the field. If he's throwing for more than six or seven yards per pass attempt, his receivers are making things happen after the catch.
That said, we expect to still see a little bit of bias holding over on Manning. Could we see a passing total as low as about 240 yards in this game? It's entirely possible, and we would be hard-pressed to see Manning getting beyond that number, knowing that he is going against the best set of safeties he has faced all season long and has had plenty of problems with arm strength.
THOMAS STRUGGLING WITH MANNING
Demaryius Thomas is used to racking up these huge numbers on a regular basis. He had 111 catches last season for 1,619 yards and 11 TDs, and that was his third straight season with double digits in touchdowns. This year, no scores yet, and he only has 176 yards even though his reception tally is right there with 15.
The fact of the matter is that Thomas' blazing speed really can't be shown in the new Gary Kubiak offense. Kubiak doesn't want to stretch the field all that often, and the fact of the matter is that we aren't sure Manning can throw the ball 40 yards on a rope at this point in his career. If he tries in this game, he's going to get picked off by incredibly fast safeties. The end result could again see more balls heading to Emmanuel Sanders instead of Thomas. Bet your props accordingly.
BANGED UP STAFFORD STILL A QUESTION MARK
The third key member of this game for prop betting purposes is Matt Stafford. There isn't much that doesn't hurt right now on the Lions' signal caller, as he has been beaten, battered and bruised in these first two games, taking some tremendous shots that other quarterbacks wouldn't have gotten up from.
If Stafford plays, he is going to be under siege once again in this game, and that's going to really be troublesome. Few quarterbacks work the short passing game as effectively as Stafford, and that's going to have to be his calling card in this game. He averaged 5.4 yards per pass attempt last week in Minnesota even though he completed a relatively healthy 60.4 percent of his passes, and we expect to see similar production in this one.
The Broncos though, have much better corners than Minnesota does, and that could provide more problems.
Add in the fact that this is a primetime game and the fact that bettors love betting overs for props, and you've got yourself a nice spot to bet the under on all of Stafford's props if he plays this Sunday.
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday soiree at -3 in favor of the Denver Broncos. The NFL odds total surfaced at 44.5. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions is scheduled for Sunday, September 27, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Ford Field. The game will be broadcast regionally on NBC.
