NFL Football Betting Preview
New York Giants (6-4) at Denver Broncos (6-4)
Thursday November 26th, 8:20PM Eastern

Betus.com betting line – New York -6.5, 42 O/U

The New York Giants ended their 4 game losing skid last week in a close battle with the Falcons as they pulled out a 34-31 overtime victory. QB Eli Manning threw for 384 yards with 3 touchdowns in the victory as the Giants passing offense came to life again this season. However, the defensive concerns over the past few weeks still loom as the Giants have now gave up 32 points per game on average over the past 5 contests. The Giants now take the climb to Mile High Stadium to battle with the 6-4 Denver Broncos in a classic Thanksgiving Day night battle in a game that is equally important for both teams.

Denver was blown out by San Diego 32-3 last week and has their own 4 game slid under their belt. The Broncos have experienced a ton of offensive woes over the past few games averaging just 9.25 points over the last 4 games. After having such a promising start with an undefeated 6-0 start, the Broncos have now fell behind San Diego in the division and if they do not get back on track soon they will be falling outside the wildcard playoff picture. Expect to see two desperate teams fighting and clawing their way back into their division race this Thursday night as the two collide in a primetime Thursday night battle.

Despite only giving up an NFL 2nd best 282 yards per game, the Giants have also relinquished just less than 24 points per game ranking all the way down at number 23 in the league. So why has the defense played rather well, but given up so many points? Well one reason is the Giants have been losing the turnover war over the past few weeks and another is the 3rd down defense. Over the past 3 games, the Giants have allowed 48% of 3rd down conversions which is of huge concern. Of course when you are losing the turnover battle there is not as many yards needed for scoring points as well. If New York can improve in those 2 categories, they will see a vast improvement.

However, the defense may not be a big as concern heading into this weekend as the Denver offense has not been to threatening. The Giants offense will be tested against a stout Broncos defense as they put the ball in Eli Manning’s hand and ask him to deliver another big performance. WR Mario Manningham had a big game last week catching 6 passes for 126 yards while WR Steve Smith added with 4 catches for 79 yards to lead the Giants in the victory. These young guys can really give the Broncos secondary a tough time this Thursday night and they will need these guys to play big against Denver’s tough pass defense.

Of course, there are major concerns on the Bronco’s offensive side of the ball. After all if they continue to fail to score points, the Giants will have an easy route to victory. QB Kyle Orton who is battling an ankle injury attempted to sit out last week against San Diego, but had to relieve Chris Simms deep into the 2nd quarter after the offense failed to move the football. Having Orton healthy means a lot to the pass offense, as they are responsible for getting the ball in the hands of WR Brandon Marshall who has 628 yards and 6 scores on the season after a slow start.

Running back Knowshon Moreno has proved he can move the ball on the ground this season, but still may not be far along yet in his rookie campaign to carry the team on his back. The Broncos will need for Orton to tough it out and complete a few passes while getting help from the defense. If defensive end Elvis Dumervil who leads the NFL with 12 sacks can help stay in Manning’s face all day, the Broncos strong pass defense could keep the Giants offense to a low scoring affair and that is something they really need to pull of the home win.

Pick – Under 42