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Coming off a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) on Sunday Night Football in Week 11, the Denver Broncos (9-1) will return to the prime time spot light in Week 12 for another AFC showdown with major playoff implications. Denver's opponent, New England Patriots (7-3), are coming off a controversial Monday Night Football loss to the Carolina Panthers (7-3).
If you are in the ORANGE, you will get the game on your local NBC stations. The game will be nationally televised and will be streamed live online at NBCSports.com (just follow their "Watch Live Now" link on game day).
Coming into the game, the Broncos are the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff race. The story of the game will be, of course, the classic Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady showdown—this will be the fourteenth time the two quarterbacks have faced off.
The Broncos are 2.5-point favorites, marking the first time since 2005 that New England has been an underdog at home.
#Patriots +2.5 home underdog next wk vs #Broncos. First hm dog for NE in 8+ years. #Rams hm dog 45 times during that span!
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) November 18, 2013
Being favored will mean little on Sunday evening, however, as the Broncos know all too well how hard it is to play in New England—of the last seven games between these two teams, five have been played in Foxborough. Meanwhile, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 36-18-1 all-time in games when his teams have been underdogs.
Of the last seven games between Manning and Brady, six have been decided by one score with an average margin of victory at 3.2 points. This game may come down to whoever has the last possession in regulation.
Get that right leg warmed up, Matt Prater.
Denver is 25-18-0 against the Patriots all-time. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT.