Denver Broncos at New York Giants Preview

By J.E. | Saturday, October 22, 2005 | ( 0 )

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The Denver Broncos (5-1) visit East Rutherford to take on the New York Giants (3-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15pm ET at Giants Stadium.

The Denver Broncos have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this season. With last week's 28-20 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the Broncos proved that they belong near the top of the NFL Power Ranks, just behind Indianapolis. They'll be looking to run their winning streak to 6 in a row this week against the Giants.

Jake Plummer has been a big reason for Denver's success in the early going this season. Plummer has played consistently and hasn't made the mistakes that have characterized his career in the past. He has thrown for 1,141 yards and 7 TDs this season, and has been picked off just 3 times. Those 3 interceptions came in Denver's first two games of the season. Since that time, Plummer has thrown 93 passes without a pick.

The Denver running game has come alive this year, too. Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell share the bulk of the carries, while Ron Dayne gets in there every once in a while. Bell has really come on in the last two weeks. He rushed for 127 yards and 2 TDs against the Washington Redskins in Week 5, and then backed that performance up with 114 yards and another score against the Patriots in Week 6. Bell is averaging 6.8 yards per carry, which is making it tough for coach Mike Shanahan to continue giving Anderson an equal amount of touches. Anderson has rushed for 358 yards and 2 TDs on the year, but is averaging 2.7 fewer yards per carry than Bell. Anderson will have to start picking up his game if he wants to remain a significant part of Denver's offense.

The New York Giants are coming off a sloppy 16-13 loss to the Cowboys. In that game, the offense was able to muster just 270 total yards while turning the ball over four times. They can't make those mistakes against Denver and expect to come away with the win.

New York has a lot of different weapons on offense. They are led by running back Tiki Barber, who has rushed for 397 yards and 3 TDs this year. Look for Barber to get a lot of carries this week in order to try to take some of the pressure off the passing game.

Quarterback Eli Manning has been impressive so far in his first full season as the Giants' starter. Manning has thrown for 1,200 yards and 10 TDs through 5 games, and has been picked off just 3 times in that period. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress, whose career has been resurrected this season after coming over from the Steelers, has emerged as Manning's favorite target. The two have connected 30 times for 451 yards and 4 TDs.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey is yet another option for Manning. Shockey has caught 22 passes for 380 yards and 3 TDs this season. Look for Denver safeties John Lynch and Nick Ferguson to key on Shockey on Sunday in order to limit his effectiveness.

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