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Patriots vs Broncos: Will the Broncos stay in the playoff picture?
The Denver Broncos will host the New England Patriots in Week 16 at Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos need this one to stay in the playoff race, while the Patriots will try to avoid having the worst record since Bill Belichick is in charge.
A season to forget for the Pats
The New England Patriots are at the bottom of the AFC East with a 3-11 record, with only the Carolina Panthers having fewer wins. Bill Belichick has never had a 12-loss season and is hoping to avoid that when his team visits Denver. The Patriots were on a five-game losing streak before beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. Last week, the Patriots lost 27-17 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos can make things happen
The Denver Broncos are going into this game with a 7-7 record that puts them second in the AFC West with chances to advance to the postseason. That sounds pretty impressive, knowing that the Broncos lost 5 of the first 6 games of the season. A five-game winning streak turned things around for them, and the game against the Patriots can prove to be the decisive one. The Broncos lost 42-17 last week to the Detroit Lions, with Russell Wilson passing for 223 yards and only one touchdown.
Betting Trends
The total has stayed under in 9 of the Patriots’ last 13 games and in 7 of the last 9 Broncos games. New England has played under in 4 of their last 6 road games, while the Broncos have done so in 4 of 7 home games this season.
What’s on the line for Belichick?
In 29 seasons coaching in the NHL, Bill Belichick hasn’t had a losing record against any team in the league. He has a 50% record against three teams, with the Broncos being one of them. If the Patriots lose this one, the Broncos will be 11-10 against Belichick.
Injury Reports
Hunter Henry and Connor McDermott are out for the Patriots while Nick Bonitto and Greg Dulcich are sidelined for the Broncos.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Patriots are having a season to forget and are 6.5-point underdogs against the Broncos. The total line for this game is set at 35.5, the lowest of all games scheduled for Christmas. Denver still has a chance to advance to the playoffs, even though they have the 29th-worst defense in the league, slowing 25.1 points per game. That should not be a problem in this one since the Patriots have the worst offense in the NFL, averaging only 13.3 points per game. Looking at the trends, both teams have played under for most of the season, and this game should not be any different.
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