After a torrid start in the standings and as a wagering proposition, the Broncos have lost four in a row, both outright and against the spread.

In one of those planets-aligning scenarios, Denver found itself playing ascending San Diego yesterday. The Chargers, after stumbling out of the gate, had won four in a row before the meeting with Denver - and had beaten the spread in three of those victories.

The uncertain playing status of Denver starting quarterback Kyle Orton, who was nursing a sore ankle, had some bookmakers keeping the game off the board until late in the week.

When the game was finally posted, the Chargers were about a 4-point favorite, and the public immediately pushed the line upward to 51/2 and 6 points.

"Obviously, the Chargers didn't have any problem with that," said Jay Rood, director of the race and sports book for MGM Mirage, which owns several Las Vegas casinos including the Mirage, Bellagio, and MGM Grand.

As Rood pointed out, the public enthusiasm was justified as San Diego stomped the reeling Broncos, 32-3.

The two best teams in the NFC, New Orleans (10-0) and Minnesota (9-1), rewarded their bettors by easily covering yesterday. The Saints broke a three-game losing streak against the spread in brushing aside Tampa Bay and an 11-point line, 38-7. And the Vikings crushed a 101/2-point spread against Seattle, 35-9.

The public loves betting favorites, and especially high-scoring favorites. Not coincidentally, New Orleans and Minnesota are also the top two scoring teams in the NFL.

The combined Saints-Vikings record against the spread is 13-6-1. If a point-total over bet on the two teams' 20 combined games were tossed in, the record would be 25-14-1, even though neither game made the over yesterday.

Moral of the story?

The obvious public sentiment isn't always the best bet, but this year it is - so far.

One game yesterday indicated that the public occasionally can be absolutely dead wrong.

The dog game of the day was obviously Cleveland at Detroit - two teams that were both 1-8, and had scored an average of fewer than 16 points combined over their last four games.

That glaring statistic made the under bet on the point total, set at 381/2, perhaps the most popular wager of the day.

Look it up - the Lions outscored the Browns, 38-37, smashing over the over-under to the up side and leaving bettors mumbling to themselves.