Broncos should win high-scoring game

San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary talks a good game. His team rarely plays one, however.

As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell talks about expansion and putting a full-time franchise in London, the 49ers and Denver Broncos are set to display the league's bad side today.

The Broncos, 2-5 straight up and against the spread, are coming off a 45-point loss to Oakland. The 49ers (1-6, 3-4 ATS) just fell to previously winless Carolina.

"What a nice exhibition of football England gets to witness as the two teams in this goodwill match are a combined 3-11," said Micah Roberts of VegasInsider.com. "It's not exactly the type of gift a friendly country should give to an ally. But this could turn out to be a pretty entertaining game."

San Francisco, a 2½-point favorite, is going with Troy Smith at quarterback. The former Ohio State star, replacing Alex Smith, has not started since his rookie season of 2007. The 49ers will rely a lot on Frank Gore, who has 573 yards rushing.

"Gore should be licking his chops after seeing what Darren McFadden did to Denver's defense last week," said Roberts, a former sports book director.

"But the Broncos' defensive meltdown can be attributed to not having two of their starters playing in the secondary, most notably defensive leader Brian Dawkins. Both players will be back this week, which should plug some of the gaping holes."

Roberts expects Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, who has passed for 2,140 yards and 11 touchdowns, to move the ball.

"Orton has been able to do his thing against the best defenses in the league, such as Baltimore and the New York Jets, and he should be able to do the same against the 49ers," he said.

"I lean to the Broncos to win the game outright, and I like it over the total of 41½ even more. This should be a pick-em game, and getting plus-120 on the money line due to the spread move this week presents good value."

Roberts breaks down the rest of today's Week 8 schedule:

■ Jacksonville at Dallas (-6½): The Cowboys might get the spark they needed this week by not having Tony Romo run the offense. Firing coach Wade Phillips might have been the best option, but a new quarterback is a good shake-up. Jon Kitna surely lacks Romo's talent, but he could help the Cowboys be more balanced offensively. I like the Cowboys by 14 over the Jaguars and their 30th-ranked defense.

■ Washington at Detroit (-2½): Only two teams are worse defensively than Jacksonville, and the Redskins are one of them. Matt Stafford returns to quarterback the Lions, and all appears to be well for the home team, but I like the Redskins to expose the Lions through the air as the deciding factor.

■ Green Bay at New York Jets (-6): The Jets are off a bye, and the Packers come off the emotional high of finally beating Brett Favre. It could be a dead spot for the Packers, but I think of it more as a building block for them to get on a roll and take control of their division. I see Green Bay playing well enough to win outright.

■ Carolina at St. Louis (-2½): At some point, I'm going to get on board with the Rams and acknowledge they are for real. St. Louis has been one of the best ATS teams at 5-2, and rookie quarterback Sam Bradford has been a good leader while minimizing turnovers. There are few positives going for the Panthers, even though they won their first game last week. Carolina is without running back DeAngelo Williams, and that helps me side with the Rams.

■ Miami at Cincinnati (-1½): The Dolphins are a few plays from being 5-1. The reality show-driven Bengals are a few plays from 0-6. Cincinnati runs too loose of a ship and relies on emotion from game to game. Right now, that emotion is on the downswing. Miami is a well-coached team, and being 3-0 on the road is a perfect example of that. I'll take the Dolphins to win.

■ Buffalo at Kansas City (-7): I've been impressed by the play of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills, but I love what the Chiefs are doing. They have the luxury of always having their ground game as the foundation of their offense. The two-headed monster of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones is working, with each on his way to a 1,000-yard season. In the past four games, no quarterback in the NFL has a better rating than Kansas City's Matt Cassel. I see the Chiefs winning by 14 or more.

■ Tennessee at San Diego (-4): At what point do we say the Chargers just aren't very good? We see they have the league's top-rated offense and defense statistically, but they are also 2-5. Their Jekyll and Hyde routine home and away was disproved last week when the Patriots beat them in San Diego. However, the Chargers will make a run at some point and probably go on a lengthy winning streak. If it's to begin this week, it will be close. I'll go with the Titans.

■ Tampa Bay at Arizona (-3): Who would have thought this would be one of only three games this week where neither team has a losing record. Each team has played with a lot of heart and maximized their minimal talents. I'll side with the better quarterback, the Buccaneers' Josh Freeman, in what should be a low-scoring game.

■ Seattle at Oakland (-2): I like the direction both teams are headed. The Raiders are beaming with confidence, and the Seahawks are playing with a college football-type enthusiasm inspired by their rah-rah coach, Pete Carroll. It could be a letdown spot for the Raiders, but I don't think their fans will let it happen. I could see Seattle reverting to its road woes from Weeks 2 and 4. I'll lay less than a field goal with Oakland.

■ Minnesota at New England (-6): Whether it's Brett Favre or Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback, the Vikings' game plan is sure to feature Adrian Peterson. If Minnesota had gone that way in its first six games, it could have limited Favre's turnovers. I like the Peterson-led Vikings better, allowing their solid defense not to be put in tough positions caused by Favre's mistakes. I'll take the underdog.

■ Pittsburgh at New Orleans (-1½): Just when we thought it safe to count on the Saints after they beat Tampa Bay with big plays two weeks ago, they follow it up by returning to their 2010 norm by losing at home to the Browns. Who are these guys? It appears they are experiencing the same Super Bowl hangover that has afflicted many of the champs of the past decade. Laying less than a field goal at home with New Orleans seems like a deal, but I'm not buying. The Steelers' defense will lead the way to a win against a team whose confidence has been shattered.

Compiled by Review-Journal sports writer Matt Youmans.