DENVER - If the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints put on as compelling a show on the field as they do off of it, tonight's game should be a blockbuster.
The two teams that have captured the bulk of the NFL headlines for the past nine months - Denver by chasing, then landing, Peyton Manning, New Orleans for its bounty scandal - meet in what's being plugged as an entertaining, high-scoring shootout.
The Broncos (3-3) have Manning, who is on pace for a 4,800-yard season and, in Denver's last game, became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, three touchdowns and complete 70 percent of his passes in three straight games.
Trying to keep pace with Manning is Drew Brees, who has grown used to trying to match teams point for point this season.
New Orleans (2-4) leads the league in passing yards but is last in rushing. On the other side of the ball, the Saints not only have the league's last-ranked defense, but they've given up more yards (2,793) than any team over the first six games since 1950, which is as far back as STATS LLC can search its NFL database.
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"I feel like, in a lot of ways, those numbers don't tell the story," Brees said.
Indeed, you must look beyond the numbers to figure out the Saints this year. Almost every part of their 2012 resume so far - the pass-happy offense, the woeful defense, games decided by an average score of 30-29 - has been shaped by the uncertainty and turmoil that's surrounded them since the NFL penalized them for running a money-for-hits bounty pool.
Have the Saints been getting a raw deal this year?
"I think that's kind of obvious at this point, isn't it?" said Brees who has thrown at least one touchdown pass in a record 49 straight games. "But for us, we're midway through the season here and we're focused on winning football games."
The matchup
• What: Saints at Broncos, 5:20 p.m., Ch 4
• The line: Broncos by 6
• Record vs. spread: New Orleans 3-3; Denver 3-3
• Series: Broncos lead 7-2
• Notable: Broncos QB Peyton Manning is first player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, three touchdowns and complete 70 percent of his passes in three straight games. … Saints QB Drew Brees is looking to extend his record to 50 straight games with a TD pass. … Saints WR Marques Colston has five touchdowns in the past three games.
