2006 SUPER BOWL FAVORITE

Indy loss makes Denver new Super Bowl favorites

Associated Press - Sun, Jan 15, 2006

DENVER -- Meet the new favorites to win the Super Bowl: the Denver Broncos.

After putting in an impressive performance to knock out New England, the Broncos sat home Sunday and watched Pittsburgh upset Indianapolis, the previous odds-on favorite to win it all.

Now, the Broncos get a home game next Sunday against the Steelers in the AFC title game.

MySportsbook.com has the Broncos listed as early 3 ½-point favorites.

And on Sunday afternoon, Vegas oddsmakers said Denver would be favored in the Super Bowl against any of the NFC teams - Seattle, Carolina or Chicago - still in the hunt.

"The Broncos have been flying under the radar the whole season, with the likes of the Colts out there, but now, they`re looking better," said Jay Kornegay, who runs the sports book at the Las Vegas Hilton.

The numbers: Denver is now the 3-to-2 favorite to win the Super Bowl. Seattle and Pittsburgh were both 5-to-2 and Carolina was 6-to-1, with Chicago at 10-to-1.

Kornegay said if the Broncos win next week and play the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, they`d probably start as a 3 1/2- or 4-point favorite. If they played the Panthers, they`d be favored by about 5 1/2 points and if they played the Bears, the number would be 9 or 10.

"The NFC is definitely, I believe, a couple notches below the AFC," Kornegay said.

As ticket-buying fans lined up outside Invesco Field on Sunday, suddenly Denver`s season could be seen in a completely new light.

Sure, the 13-3 record, the first division title, first home playoff game and even the first playoff win in seven seasons were turning the 2005 season into something special.

But with Indianapolis looming - the team that had beaten Denver by a combined score of 90-34 in the last two postseasons - there was a sense the season was destined to end a week short of the ultimate destination.

Now, the Broncos have more reason to believe they could go all the way, win their third championship since 1997 and - yes - match the New England ``dynasty`` for the most titles over the past decade.

The Broncos weren`t available for interviews Sunday, although after their 27-13 victory over the Patriots, a few were very candid about who they wanted to play next.

"I`ve got to get the Terrible Towels out to root for the Steelers so we can play at home," receiver Rod Smith said. "Nothing against the Colts, but I just want to play at home."

It made a difference all night Saturday, as the Patriots got flagged for four false-start penalties and Tom Brady had trouble changing plays at the line of scrimmage. The result: five New England turnovers that resulted in 17 Denver points. The biggest was Champ Bailey`s 100-yard interception return that took the Patriots out of scoring range and set up a touchdown to make it 17-6 in the third quarter.

Through it all, Invesco Field rocked like it hadn`t in the five years since it opened.

Many around Denver, including none other than John Elway, complained that the new stadium was too comfortable and too full of cushy creature comforts to be as noisy as it needed to be.

Now, however, none of the Broncos are complaining about playing there.

They`ll be back home next weekend, as the favorite to win the Super Bowl.

"To be honest, I was a little upset last year" with the crowd, safety John Lynch said. "It was kind of a downer. But I think we just changed the course of Invesco Field being a wine-and-cheese crowd. That was something special, a lot of fun."

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2006 Super Bowl Favorite By: Q. Smyth
Sunday January 15th, 2006 - Page Updated at 9:45pm
Senior Editor For WagerOnFootball.com Handicapping.