BRONCOS - SAINTS PREVIEW

      This sunday, the 2-0 Broncos will play host to the 1-1 Saints at Invesco Mile High. The Broncos came off a 39-38 thriller which was marred by several questionable calls by the referee, one of which came under 2 minutes to play when Quarterback Jay Cutlerfumbled the ball and was recovered by the Chargers. However, head referee Ed Houchilli had blown the whistle prematurely and allowed the Broncos to retain possession, which they converted to a touchdown by a pass to rookie standout Eddie Royal. The Broncos elected to go for two, and won the game by a gutsy pass from Cutler to Royals in tight coverage. The Broncos offense has certainly been explosive this season, combining for 80 points in its first two games. Third year WR Brandon Marshall caught 18 passes against San Diego last week, and rookie WR Eddie Royal performed well beyond his expectations.

     The Broncos defense was decimated last game by the Chargers by giving up 38 points to a squad missing RB Ladainian Thomlinson for the most of the game. Through 2 games, the Broncos have given up 52 points altogether, a 26.0 average. The team will get some good news back this week with the possible return of pass-rush specialists Elvis Dumervil and former first round pick Jarvis Moss. Dumervil has provided most of the Broncos sacks last year and hopes to have a positive impact on this game. Moss, whose season was cut short last year, will still have to prove his worth in the NFL.

     The Broncos special teams will have to be on its toes against the Saints on Sunday. Two games into the season, the Broncos have surrendered a couple of big plays on special teams against the Raiders, and was totally burned by Darran Sproles of the San Diego Chargers with a 103 yard kick-off return. On a good note, K Matt Prater has been perfect to date with field goals, but the Broncos will certainly have its hands full of Reggie Bush, who has the same kind of explosiveness and agility that Darran Sproles has.

        The Saint`s offense, with stand-out WR Marques Colston out, will have to rely heavily on free agent Jeremy Shockey to provide a spark in passing. The Saint`s came off a 24-29 loss to the Washington Redskins last week in which the Saints surrended a fourth quarter lead. The Saint`s offense revolves around QB Drew Brees and RB Reggie Bush. This week, RB Deuce McAlister will be eased slowly into the starting lineup after his injury. McAllister, when healthy, could provide the consistant running attack that Bush lacks.

        The Saints`defense will be heavily tested this week against the pass-heavy Broncos offense. Still missing star LB Scott Fujita, CB Aaron Glenn, CB Rudy Gay, and DT Antwan Lake, the Saints got a bit of a good news with the return of CB Mike McKenzie. However, as McKenzie just returned for a serious injury, Coach Payton will be cautious to over-use him. With a depleted Saint`s defense, especially in the secondary, they will be hard-pressed to stop the heavy passing attack of the Broncos.

        The Saints special teams have been on par for the saints this year. Veteran Kicker Martin Grammatica has been perfect on field goals, going two for two. Punter Steve Weatherford has already had a 61 yard punt, and the coverage team shouldn`t have too much trouble containing the Broncos returner, who has yet to make an impact.

BREAKDOWN:

PASSING:  Both the Broncos and the Saints have established impressive passing games during the past two games. However, with the injury to Colston, the Saints will have to work Shockey to his fullest potential to beat the Broncos. The Broncos, on the other hand, will have an injury-riddle secondary to work with. With the high-powering passing attack led by Cutler,  there`s no reason to believe that the Broncos will not put up the same offensive numbers that it has done to a better defensive secondary.

ADVANTAGE BRONCOS

RUSHING: The Broncos rushing, overshadowed by its potent passing attack, is currently 10th in the league with a 143.0 yard per game average. Leading the attack will be Selvin young, whose 7.4 yards per carry currently leads the league. On the other side, the Saints will still rely mostly on the duo of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas to provide the running game. McAllister will be limited in his role back from an injury. Thomas is a good running but is not the long term solution. Bush runs best in open-field, so look for him in screens and tosses.

ADVANTAGE: BRONCOS

DEFENSE: Even though the Saints have allowed 3 less points than the Broncos defense, it`s still giving up a 403.5 yards per game. Look for that number to rise as the high rolling Broncos play host. The Broncos defense isn`t much better, and if Drew Brees can expoit the Broncos secondary (look for Brees to pick on Karl Paymah), this game could be an offense shoot-out.

ADVANTAGE: BRONCOS (slightly)

SPECIAL TEAMS:  PR Reggie Bush could have a field day at the Broncos` expense if they play the same coverage as they did with the Chargers. Both kickers and punters look solid, but Reggie Bush way overshadows the Broncos returner (either Royal, Russell, or Hall).

ADVANTAGE: SAINTS

Overall: The biggest attack for the Broncos is its aerial attack, and that happens to be the Saint`s weakness. Even though Bush may even the scale slightly, there`s no way the Saints will win this game if they can`t stop the Broncos passing game. Final score: Broncos 38 Saints 21

ADVANTAGE: BRONCOS