Fasten your seatbelts people, because the Sunday Night NFL matchup in Week 8 is guaranteed to be thriller. This game marks only the fourth time in NFL history that teams 6-0 or better square off, and the first time since the Patriots beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in 2007. If my Sunday goes as planned, I’ll be throwing everything I have left in my account at this one.
The NFL will wrap up Sunday action when two undefeated teams, the Green Bay Packers (6-0, 2-0 Away) and Denver Broncos (6-0, 2-0 Home) are set to do battle at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. Their 6-0 records are not the only similarity; both are 4-0 within their conference, 2-4-0 O/U, are led by MVP quarterbacks and have questions surrounding major aspects of the game.
A major difference has been the quarterback play. While Packers QB Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been his usual stellar self, he has thrown for 15 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions while Broncos QB Peyton Manning has struggled mightily. Manning enters Sunday night’s affair having thrown for seven touchdowns while throwing ten interceptions, 7 of which have come in his last three games.
To further explain the similarities, while Green Bay hasn’t been totally horrendous running the ball, they are not as efficient as they were last year. Denver on the other hand has been downright brutal in regards to their rushing attack. They are second to only the Detroit Lions for last place in the league, rushing for only 85 yards per game.
Where Denver has made up for it is with their defensive play. They currently rank 1st overall in total team defense, giving up only 281 yards and 17 points per game. They also lead the league in defensive touchdowns, recording four in their last six games.
The Packers D is getting it done as well. Although they rank 15th in yards per game, they are actually giving up a league best 16.8 points per game and third in sacks with 23. Their defense looks to be better than it has in recent weeks, as they expect nose tackle B.J. Raji, safety Morgan Burnett and situational linebacker Nick Perry probable to return.
The Packers are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games and 6-1 ATS in their last seven overall. The Broncos are 1-2 ATS in their last 3, however they are 5-0 ATS in their last five following an ATS loss. Both teams are coming off their bye week, the Packers are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 following their bye while the Broncos are 14-6 ATS in their last twenty games following a bye.
This game might help determine who the real contender is when the smoke clears from the thin air of Mile High. Things won’t get easier for the Broncos as the aging Manning seemed to wear down towards the end of last season when the weather got cold. Although the Broncos have the edge on the defensive side, it will be the Packers edge on the offensive side that determines who gets the W. Take the Packers moneyline (-150) for the win.
