5-0. Yes, the Pats WERE 5-0 at this point of the season last year.

But after the injury to franchise quarterback Tom Brady, not to mention all sorts of stuff happening with New England’s running backs these days, the Patriots are no longer the team to beat in the NFL. What they are this 2008-09 NFL football season is a 3-2 team struggling to keep up with the rest of the AFC East, falling behind to… get this… the Bills.

Yes, the New England Patriots went from dominant to dominated as teams like the Miami Dolphins (for crying out loud…) and the San Diego Chargers beat this Patriots team in two of the last three weeks.

The Pats have the Denver Broncos next this Monday. The Broncos are off to one of their best starts in franchise history, thanks to their young quarterback Jay Cutler, who is quickly becoming one of the better quarterbacks in the game already. Are the Patriots ready for this?

It’s ON and these two teams will lock horns in what could be another interesting face-off on Monday Night Football.

For what it’s worth, the rest of the Patriots KNOW Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler will go to the air. We all saw how that Patriots secondary can be taken advantage of when San Diego’s Philip Rivers took that pass defense apart en route to a convincing 30-10 win last week.

It would be naïve of the Pats to think Cutler won’t be doing the same come Monday night.

”Why wouldn’t he? [San Diego] obviously shows that you can do it,” Patriots corner Ellis Hobbs said of Cutler. ”I think Jay Cutler is a great passer, an accurate passer, and has the ability to go downfield with the range and strength of his arm, not just down the field, but really all over the field from sideline to sideline. I would if I was him.”

Can Jay Cutler help the Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

Denver Broncos +3 (1.87)

New England Patriots -3 (1.95)

Want more odds? Visit Bodog sportsbook for more football betting odds. Want to watch the NFL live? Get NFL tickets online now.

Denver Broncos New England Patriots