Week 14: Titans-Broncos
By Andrew Dill
November 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos interim head coach Jack Del Rio (right) instructs defensive tackle Mitch Unrein (96) and defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (94) during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos (10-2) will host the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos are coming off of a 35-28 road victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Titans on the other hand lost to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, 22-14.
When: Sunday, December 8th.
Where: Sports Authority Field, Denver, Colorado.
Time: 4:05 PM ET, 2:05 PM MT.
TV: CBS
The Denver Broncos will get head-coach John Fox back on the sideline Sunday afternoon just four weeks after open-heart surgery, having a chance to clinch a playoff spot. The Broncos would go 3-1 under interim head-coach Jack Del Rio, as he will go back to his duties as defensive coordinator. He would end up leading the team to two big-wins over the division rival Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos are 3-1 against the Tennessee Titans head-to-head, dating back to 2001. The Broncos would lose the most recent game on September 25th, 2011 to Tennessee, 17-14. Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball have taken pressure off of Peyton Manning as they have both been running the ball well of late. Last Sunday against Kansas City, Ball ran for 117 yards on just 13 carries. Knowshon Moreno would rush for a career-high 224 yards against the New England Patriots a week before on 37 carries, adding a touchdown.
Good news for the Denver Broncos as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Demaryius Thomas were both participants at the last Broncos practice, while defensive-end Derek Wolfe will still be sidelined after suffering seizure-like symptoms. Also, Trindon Holliday is questionable.
The Tennessee Titans might provide a test for Peyton Manning on Sunday afternoon. Tennessee is ranked seventh in the National Football League at just allowing 212.6 pass yards per game. But their will always be the talk of Peyton Manning playing in the cold weather. Here is a stat from ESPN:
"Manning has a 7-6 regular-season record when the gametime temperature is below 40 degrees, the most recent such contest being a 34-31 loss to New England on Nov. 24 in which he threw for a season-low 150 yards and went 19 of 36."
Peyton Manning is playing lights-out for the Denver Broncos this season, drawing MVP debates since the opening game of the season against the Baltimore Ravens. Manning has completed 327-of-480 passes this season, 68.1% for 4,125 yards, adding 41 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Last outing against the Kansas City Chiefs, Manning passed for 403 yards, throwing 5 touchdowns while getting picked off twice. Eric Decker was big part of that game after only catching one pass for four yards in the loss to New England. He would be targeted twelve times, catching eight passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns.
If the Tennessee Titans want to win Sunday afternoon, they will need to establish a solid running game, keeping Peyton Manning off the field, but I don’t see that happening.
Final Score Prediction:
Denver 31 – Tennessee 20.