Bovada NFL Divisional Betting Odds: Broncos Visit Patriots
Saturday, January 14, 2012
by Bovada Sportsbook
America loves Tim Tebow: Last Sunday’s Tebow-led Denver Broncos home upset of Pittsburgh Steelers was the highest-rated wild-card ever and the highest-rated game this season. And those numbers – betting included – should only increase for Saturday night’s prime-time game in New England, with the Pats as 14-point favorites, easily the biggest spread on the board this weekend. There will be live play-by-play betting at Bovada Sportsbook for this and every playoff game.
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The Patriots (13-3) were on a bye last week and are the AFC’s top seed for the second year in a row. But in each of the past two seasons, the Pats lost at home in their first playoff game. In fact, they haven’t won a postseason game since the 2007 club was unbeaten heading into the Super Bowl with the New York Giants. New England made the unusual choice to hire former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels as an offensive assistant this week – no doubt he will have plenty of insight into his former team.
Fired 12 games into the 2010 season, McDaniels, who was the Rams’ offensive coordinator this year, was widely criticized in Denver for drafting Tebow and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in the first round of the 2010 draft. Tebow's 80-yard touchdown strike to Thomas gave Denver a 29-23 overtime victory over Pittsburgh last week. McDaniels will again become the Pats’ offensive coordinator after the season with Bill O’Brien headed to Penn State.
New England should know Denver (9-8) well enough considering the Pats thumped the Broncos 41-23 in the Mile High City in Week 15. Tom Brady threw for 320 yards and two scores. The Patriots bounced back from an early 16-7 deficit and an awful first quarter in which they were outgained on the ground 167 yards to 4. In the pivotal second quarter, two fumbles and a muffed punt led to 13 New England points. Only the Lions had more points off takeaways this season than the Patriots (119)
Tebow threw for 194 yards and ran for 93 yards and two scores but was sacked four times in the first meeting. The Broncos' 167 yards rushing in the first quarter represented the biggest output in any quarter of the Bill Belichick era in New England. Brandon Spikes, one of the Patriots' best run-stuffing linebackers, did not play that day because of a knee injury and neither did top safety Patrick Chung.
The Broncos are 6-1 ATS in past seven as a dog. The Pats are 0-5 ATS in past five home playoff games. New England has scored fewer than 30 points just once in its past eight games this season.
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bill belichick - bill o’brien - brandon spikes - demaryius thomas - denver broncos - josh mcdaniels - pittsburgh steelers - tim tebow - tom brady
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