The Denver Broncos are two touchdown underdogs against the New England Patriots, which means the fall will be hard for the Patriots should they lose. And it is not just the odds makers believing that the Patriots are easy winners in this game. Over at ESPN, the panel of 10 selectors favors the Patriots across the board, except for Eric Allen. Allen is the brave soul to take the Broncos against the Patriots.
Of course, that's slightly better than the panel's unanimous selection of the Baltimore Ravens over the Houston Texans. Apparently no one is buying into rookie quarterback T.J. Yates be able to penetrate the Ravens' defense for enough points to win the game.
As for the other two games on tap for the weekend, the Green Bay Packers are favored over the New York Giants and the New Orleans Saints are taken over the San Francisco 49ers, both a 6-4 margin. The 49ers game seems to be the closest game to having an upset, as the Saints are three-point road favorites. However, the 49ers offense might be able to do just enough to come out ahead of the Saints, who lack a solid defense.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on this game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report and Patriots blog Pats Pulpit. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more coverage of the 2012 NFL Playoffs.