It's On to Denver...

[PatsFan2003]

Well Denver AT New England to be more accurate.

We're going to need home field advantage since Denver is looking VERY good right now. Except for maybe Dallas, the best team in the league.

That said, the Patriot can beat them if the Oline can give time to throw and the offensive can keep clicking like it has been.

As for the D it won't be whether they can stop Manning and the Denver offense, but how much they can slow them down.

Gronk is back to playing like a future HOFer. I wonder if Talib is assigned to cover him.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Both teams have won four in a row and seem to be playing as well as they have all season. Always tough for road teams to win at Foxborough. Denver hasn't won there since '06 and has lost four straight there, including last year's OT loss that ended in fluky fashion after a Denver punt hit a Bronco, setting up the winning FG for NE.

I think that Denver has the best squad that we've had in quite sometime -- possibly ever -- so I'm hopeful that the streak end this Sunday. Figures to be tough, though.

 

[NEhomer]

Early line has the Broncs giving three.

 

[sharkymcwrath]

I'm guessing the Broncos gain a ton on the ground next week but not much through the air as Manning will take what BB gives him. The game plan will be to slow the air attack. In the end it will come down to a field goal and I'll go with the home team.

Here's hoping anyway.

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

Both teams have won four in a row and seem to be playing as well as they have all season. Always tough for road teams to win at Foxborough. Denver hasn't won there since '06 and has lost four straight there, including last year's OT loss that ended in fluky fashion after a Denver punt hit a Bronco, setting up the winning FG for NE.

I think that Denver has the best squad that we've had in quite sometime -- possibly ever -- so I'm hopeful that the streak end this Sunday. Figures to be tough, though.

umm,....not to mention that your team was up 24-0 [?]....?

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

don't listen to the ''media-heads'',.......this game is very important and it could determine seeding/home-field.....*down the road*.

 

[BigKen]

Honest Injun time........


Broncos have been outstanding this entire season. The football gods have been very good to them. No serious injuries to key players. Manning has not taken a serious hit and is smart enough to just eat grass rather than get whacked by a 350 lb defensive lineman or 275 lb crazed linebacker on a blitz. The gods will continue to give the Bronco mild weather, even in Foxboro this Sunday


The Patriots have lost three key players in Mayo, Ridley and Jones. They finally got the O-Line back together this past weekend. Brady has apparently found a new toy in Brandon LaFell. Ridley's replacement, Jonas Gray looks like the real thing.


On to Sunday. Weather is expected to be clear. Temps for the afternoon expected to be in the lower to mid 50s. Denver will have to decide to play man to man or zone. Most likely, they play zone. Patriots will have the two TE set for at least 40% of the offensive snaps. They'll put LaFell wide to the left and interchange Edelman, Amendola and Tyms on the right. They'll also have all three on a spread. The whole idea is keep the Broncos from blitzing linebackers. If they do, it could an open field for Edelman or Amendola. The Broncos will pay most of their attention to LaFell and Gronkowski. I believe Gray will make the defensive line work their asses off to contain him. If he gets beyond the line like he did a few times yesterday, it takes four guys to bring him down.


The Broncos will play their set offense. They don't try to disguise anything. They show what they have and just challenge you to stop it. The Patriots MUST find a way to pressure, that's pressure, not sack Manning. If he gets to stand around for 6-7 seconds, it'll be a long day for the Patriots defense. If they can make him pull the trigger within 4-5 seconds of the snap, Manning will have to be dead nuts accurate on every pass. The Pats will most likely start a zone to get a feel and then Revis will take Sanders and browner will take D. Thomas. They'll get over the top help from McCourty (Sanders) and Chung (D. Thomas). Arrington will be in as the fifth back to cover Welker underneath and Jamie Collins will get J. Thomas.


The Patriots will have to play this game exactly as they played against Chicago. Punch the receivers right in the mouth at the line and take them off their routes to mess up with Manning's incredible timing routes.


This game will be close......either way, a win by no more than 6 by either team.


This game is much more critical to Denver. A loss Sunday puts them behind the Pats for home field in the playoffs. The last thing Manning wants to do is go back to Foxboro on January 25th to play the Patriots for the AFC Championship in the freezing snow.

 

[cdumler7]

BigKen just to point out a couple of things...Broncos actually have 2 starters out at this time in Montee Ball (been injured really the whole year and just hasn't been quite right) and then the most critical is that of Danny Trevathan. Last year he was our defensive MVP for the season. He is the 3-down linebacker that has the green dot on his helmet making all the calls on the field. He also was our big play coverage linebacker that really helped against TE's (the Patriots strength). So I would say that is a pretty darn big injury for this team. You are right though in we have been pretty fortunate that we only have those 2 injuries then a few guys just dinged up.


As for the game I just do not know what to expect. A couple of weeks ago people were saying the Pats were done. Amazing how quickly all that can change. I still don't know what to expect from them though with the blowout loss to the Chiefs and only close wins against the Jets and Raiders (both home games). At the same time the offense seems to finally be clicking and Tom Brady is looking the best that he has looked in a long time.


Right now I would say this game comes down to whose defense shows up best. We know the offenses can put up points so which defense can limit the other side the most. BigKen I will disagree in the style of defense the Broncos will play. They have played more man coverage with every passing week as the Corners get healthy and more acclimated to our defensive scheme. My guess right now is they will stick Harris on Edelman, Talib on LaFell, then bracket against Gronk. Not sure what they will do to the other TE. They also might play a mix of Zone and Man doing more Man on the outside with the corners then zone up the middle. I could also see them stick Roby on one of the TE's as he has been a sure tackler and probably our biggest hitter in the secondary. Make those TE's pay for trying to catch the football.


I would also say if you are giving Manning 4-5 seconds as you suggested BigKen he is going to burn you in that time frame. Right now Manning gets rid of the ball faster than any other quarterback in the league at around 2 seconds from snap to throw. So if you give him double that time he will tear that secondary apart. Same with Brady though. They say 3 seconds is the cut off for great quarterbacks. If you can get to them in 3 or less seconds then most likely you are going to find success. Longer than 3 seconds though and it is going to be a long day.


Right now the temperature of the game means jack squat. Peyton plays just fine in cold weather (stupidest idea yet against Manning). His issue is more when the cold also brings the wind. Because he doesn't throw the perfect spiral windy conditions are where he struggles most. Just like last year the cold wasn't the issue as they played in colder weather throughout the year than the game last year in Foxboro. The wind limited the ability though for Manning to throw.

 

[NEhomer]

It will be close to a toss up but -3 for the Broncs is about right. I'm sure Broncs fans wished this match-up happened week 2 or 3!

My early gut tells me that we haven't yet got both sides working and that we'll in lose a close one.

 

[TP76]

The forecast is a bit chilly and windy - should help the Pats. I think we're gonna need it - this Bronco team is the most complete team in the league IMO.

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

supposed to be cold and rainy/snow-showery/windy this weekend.

 

[Southieinnc]

Did somebody say "snow"?????

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

Did somebody say "snow"?????

sat.-nite might have snow-showers/rainy/windy.,....Sunday's supposed to be sunny , in the 40's/~blustery~.

 

[NEhomer]

We don't need snow, we just need a real solid game. I think too that we'll need a little help from the Broncos, ala last year.

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

We don't need snow, we just need a real solid game. I think too that we'll need a little help from the Broncos, ala last year.

hey,.....the ~wind~ might be our 12th man......AGAIN.....?!

 

[NEhomer]

Can I say this? Thank goodness Pats fans don't fucking carry twelfth man signs into the stadium. Thank goodness we don't do shit like tomahawk chops. Thank goodness we don't wave a silly little towel around. I saw Cowboys fans tonight all waving their white towels around 'cause the fems in Pittsburgh laid claim to yellow. Terrible towel? Really? The only towel to be feared just sopped up vomit from an ebola patient.

Cripes.

 

[TxHeat]

Now that the Pats start a string of games against some of the league's best QB's we'll see what the defense really is. We know the defense is good enough against the bottom feeding QB's but I don't think right now they have enough to stop the top ones. I hope BB can pull a rabbit out of his ass.

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

the only game I'm more worried about is this sunday vs. Denver [@ Gillette..!]......then they go on a ~bye~ week-10,.........so this game should be played ''ALL-OUT'' like a champ.-gm.,.....nuff' said...!

 

[TDs3nOut]

umm,....not to mention that your team was up 24-0 [?]....?

Yeah, that was an epic second half collapse, though I begrudgingly credit NE for that. Half a game probably won't be enough to end the streak this time, either.

 

[grim rpr]

Can I say this? Thank goodness Pats fans don't fucking carry twelfth man signs into the stadium. Thank goodness we don't do shit like tomahawk chops. Thank goodness we don't wave a silly little towel around. I saw Cowboys fans tonight all waving their white towels around 'cause the fems in Pittsburgh laid claim to yellow. Terrible towel? Really? The only towel to be feared just sopped up vomit from an ebola patient.

Cripes.

Could not say it more perfectly !!