Yes, I was at the game Sunday and was as thrilled as everybody about slowing down Rodgers, but Manning is as good as Rodgers if not better and has a higher football intelligience. He is so competitive and brings out the best in all his players. He takes advice and information from others. I think he has that edge on Rodgers. That said, I agree with you on cold weather. Manning is winless in playoff games less than 40 degrees. Some good Denver snow and cold would be very welcome if the two teams eventually play.

 

Manning definitely is the best regular season QB ever. However if the Bengals can stop a Green Bay Rodgers led offense in perfect conditions. Then the Bengals should be one of the biggest threats to the Broncos in the playoffs, since Manning has a history of not playing as good in the playoffs and it most likely will be in that cold weather. Now the real question is if the Bengals can get to the point to where they play the Broncos so we can find out.

I am not drinking the Bengals punch yet, but I am eating the cookies!

I am not drinking the Bengals punch yet, but I am eating the cookies!

 

I have to wait until December to order the Happy Meal

Mr. Brady in two weeks will be a good measuring stick. Really good teams have to put big multiple wins together. I would think the Patriots game would be more important since it is AFC.

I think Houston is probably the biggest threat because they can play ball control and keep Peyton off the field. Their defense should get a boost once Ed Reed returns and gets back to full health as well.

 

Houston and Cincinnati are certainly teams that are both capable of beating Denver. I think Indianapolis has an outside shot as well once Richardson gets integrated into the offense and things start clicking.

 

As of today though, Denver is the best team in the NFL for my money.

I'd go with Seattle, but Denver is #2 in my book.

The Bengals defense will have them in every game this season. It will be up to Dalton to win/not lose it.

If the Bengals and Broncos meet, which would have to be in the playoffs, I'd worry more about the Broncos jumping out and making the Bengals play from behind if I'm a Bengals fan.

 

Even in a back and forth game, I don't really see Cincinnati's defense stopping Denver's offense enough to allow Cincinnati to have more than a puncher's chance to keep pace offensively. Lots of things can change between now and then, but I don't really know of any teams that would be able to contain all of the Broncos weapons for 4 quarters, especially considering the emergence of Julius Thomas. Because of the frequency with which their offense can score, Denver's defense can afford to gamble and go for big plays because they know that their offense can get the points back, which makes them even more dangerous.

 

I think Houston and Seattle are the most likely teams to beat the Broncos because they can play a "ground and pound" style that will keep the Broncos offense off the field and shorten the game, but I don't really know if Cincinnati is equipped to play that same style. With that said, I think the Bengals will be a more consistent team than the Texans over the course of the year, but at the end of the day, I think Schaub is a better quarterback than Dalton, and the 1-2 punch of Foster and Tate is stronger than Green-Ellis and Bernard.

 

Once their squad is back to full strength (i.e., the return of Steven Jackson and Roddy White's high ankle sprain not limiting him to the role of a "decoy"), I think the Falcons are a team that could match the Broncos if in a shoot-out. Another team that could match the Broncos in a shoot-out is the New Orleans Saints. They haven't really gotten as much press as the other squads, but are undefeated, and probably still adjusting to having Payton back at the helm.

 

I'd even give the Chicago Bears as good or better chance than the Bengals if they were to meet the Broncos in a head-to-head game. Not saying I necessarily think the Bears are better than the Bengals (though they did beat them head-to-head in Week 1), just that I could see them having the personnel to match up with the Broncos. Also, call me crazy, but the combination of Stafford's arm when he's playing well and a fierce pass rush anchored by Suh and Ansah could make for an interesting game if the Lion's defense had an opportunity to tee off on Manning.

 

Finally, I think another 1-2 team that might be getting undersold right now is the Carolina Panthers. They lost 12-7 to the Seahawks in Week 1, and followed up with another loss to a surprisingly good Buffalo team on the road the next week by a point. They're in a brutal division, and while I don't think they are on the same level as the Bengals, they are a team I'll be keeping an eye on to see how they progress.

 

I think we'll have a really good idea how good the Bengals are after Week 9. In Weeks 5-9, they play: New England at home (W5), @Buffalo (W6), @Detroit (W7), the New York Jets at home (W8), and @Miami coming off a Sunday-Thursday turnaround (W9). At that point, I think we'll have a much better idea of where Cincinnati stands. Honestly, given the schedule, it wouldn't shock me to see them come away with 2-3 losses, but I think 1-2 losses is more realistic. If they go through that stretch with 1 loss or come out undefeated, they'll definitely have much more of my attention.