Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE This week's Denver-Baltimore game offers plenty of intrigue. Firstly, can the Broncos remain undefeated; secondly, is Baltimore the dominant squad that started 3-0 or the fraud that's dropped three straight? Both teams are coming out of bye weeks and will be anxious to hit the field. The present write-up provides few basic tips in relation to free NFL picks.

The Ravens looked like Super Bowl contenders three weeks into the season. That's quickly fallen apart and most of the blame belongs to the defense. Once the heart and soul of Baltimore, the "D" has simply lost too many bodies via free agency and coaching defections. This unit prided itself on limiting backs to fewer than 100 yards and had done a brilliant job of that for years, but Baltimore has allowed a 100-yard rusher in two consecutive games. The pass defense has been equally as horrendous and upgrades are sorely needed at corner.

If Baltimore is going to win this season, it will be by the hand of the offense. Joe Flacco has made some nice strides in his second season and, while he's not an elite passer yet, he's kept Baltimore in just about every game this year. In fact, he nearly guided the Ravens to a huge come-back win over the Vikings a few weeks ago, but a missed field goal ruined things.

Maybe Denver has caught whatever defensive mojo Baltimore used to have. The Broncos "D" looks dominant, and much thanks belongs to Elvis Dumervil. The linebacker recorded 25.5 sacks in his first three Northbet.com betting seasons, a nice total, but he's exploded in 2009 with 10 sacks already. He's a major reason Denver is 7-0.

Of course, so is Josh McDaniels. The head coach was somehow on the hot seat before he'd even coached a game with Denver, but now he's close to getting the key to the city. His work with Kyle Orton has been particularly impressive. Orton, a serviceable player in Chicago who seemed destined for a back-up role, will be joining the MVP discussion if he keeps up this pace. He has nine touchdowns to just one interception this season.

Look for Denver's win streak to finally come to an end this week. Orton, while efficient, doesn't have the big arm to challenge Baltimore's secondary downfield. The Broncos have largely relied on a powerful running game to move the ball but, with a bye week to sort things out, the Ravens will get their run defense sorted out (at least in the short term). With a balanced attack led by Flacco and emerging running back Ray Rice, Denver has just enough to knock off Denver and stay in the playoff hunt.