The Miami Dolphins will be in Denver this Sunday to face the mighty offensive juggernauts that are the Denver Broncos. Denver, coming off a surprising loss against the St Louis Rams, will be looking to go back to their winning ways behind the arm of veteran quarterback Peyton Manning. Very few analysts and odds makers however, are likely to expect yet another upset loss for the Broncos, but still the Dolphins will have to make their way to the mile high city for this week 12 showdown. Could Miami hand Denver its second loss in as many games? Not entirely improbable, because it is still another NFL football game, when on any given Sunday, any team could win or be beaten by any other team.

Denver is tied for first place in the tight competition in the AFC West, but the Broncos' only victory in the last three weeks was over the 0–10 Oakland Raiders. Denver is missing at least one leading receiver and their running game ranks 27th in the NFL. Things for the Broncos however, are hardly as gloomy as these numbers might suggest, Peyton Manning is their quarterback and that in it and itself is a challenge for any team to have to deal with. The Broncos can also boast excellent rankings in just about any other category on offense. Denver is in 2nd place in passing, 5th in scoring, 2nd in touchdowns and has the #1 ranked offensive line in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins sure have their work cut out for them and to add the challenges the visiting Dolphins will face on Sunday, they will also have to deal with playing at a much higher altitude. Compounding Miami's hurdles, is the loss Denver suffered last Sunday against the Rams, which is expected to light a fire under the Broncos and not look past the Dolphins. Denver has yet to lose back to back games this season.

Miami is coming off a morale boosting win over an intradivisional rival who appeared to have their number last season. Part of Miami's success can be attributed to the running game, spear headed by Lamar Miller and supported by rookie Damian Williams, who, in his limited role, has shown an ability to break tackles and catch the ball well coming out of the backfield. The Dolphins' defense has also been instrumental in Miami's improvement, ranking 2nd in passing yards allowed and 8th in rushing yards allowed. The Dolphins also rank tied for 3rd place for total sacks and are tied at 10th place with Denver in interceptions with 10 a piece. Miami's formidable defense will be facing the top ranked offensive line this Sunday against Denver, which promises to be a case of unstoppable force versus immovable obstacle.

The Broncos have been hit with injuries to some of their top play makers. Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and Virgil Green did not practice for the Broncos on Wednesday and are listed as day to day. The Dolphins are also somewhat hobbled by injuries with veteran corner Cortland Finnegan still not practicing and his status unknown. The Dolphins full injury report will not come out until later in the week but expect 2nd year corner Jamar Taylor to keep improving and man the position reasonably well opposite Brent Grimes, should he need to step in and substitute in place of Finnegan.

This game has all the elements of a classic battle with star veterans on one side facing emerging play makers on the other. The altitude may play tricks on Miami's defense and that could be a problem for Miami. The Dolphins will be better served if they can get to Denver earlier in the week in hopes of getting acclimated with the altitude, but they will also need to pace themselves for the length of the game. Blitzing Manning may not be in Miami's best interest except on select plays and they need to cover the Bronco receivers as tightly as possible. Denver needs to rely on their offensive line and give Manning the time for deeper plays to develop and at the same tire the Dolphins' pass rush. Expect for Denver to fall for the first time this year in back to back games by the final score of Miami 28, Denver 21.