Before the season started, this game looked like it would be yet another battle in the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning rivalry, but since then Manning has been essentially benched indefinitely for his lack of production, making QB Brock Osweiler the starter for Denver.
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The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Ponder is a fifth-year player who started 36 of 38 games during his first four NFL seasons with Minnesota after being selected by the Vikings in the first round (12th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Florida State.
Brady is having another MVP season, but the Broncos present possibly his toughest test this season.
The Broncos offense showed mild improvement in Osweiler’s first start last week against Chicago, although the 25-year-old was sacked five times. Coupled with the Broncos’ strong defensive effort in the past few games, the Patriots will be in for a rough Sunday night. Osweiler won AFC offensive player of the week.
Rule No. 1 for reaching the Super Bowl: It’s never a good idea to play at New England in a playoff game.
Here’s what we’ll be watching for when the Patriots and Broncos square off Sunday night. Osweiler just needs to manage the game, while Denver’s top-ranked defense takes over. Denver is far less unsafe with injured DeMarcus Ware (61⁄2 sacks) out with a bad back, but Von Miller (6 sacks) can also ruin a quarterback’s day.
Fact check: The Bears give up 343.1 yards per game. We have three active guys each and every week.
Let’s just say the Broncos could not have asked for a better opportunity in this game.
This is a big time National Football League game this week as the Patriots come into the game undefeated but with a ton of injuries on offense. By using short passes to running backs James White and LeGarrette Blount, the Patriots have found success despite a rushing game that is 28th in the league.
“I mean, Denver’s got a very solid defence, their front line all the way to their secondary”, said Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s favourite target. He might be on the sidelines or up in a coaches box, but it won’t be the same. Maybe Brock Osweiler is the answer for what ails Vernon.
Buffalo’s LeSean McCoy did rush for 82 yards and a touchdown on Monday, though the Patriots limited the Bills to 3 for 15 on third downs to hold on for a 20-13 victory and move to 10-0. One thing he didn’t do was turn over the football, which Peyton was doing at an alarming pace until he went down with that pesky “foot injury”.
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If the Bronco defense can pick up where Buffalo left off, and the Denver offense can consistently connect similar to the New York Giants, the Broncos may be able to hand New England their first loss. Brady leads the league in passing with 3,320 yards through the air while boasting the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of any quarterback this season. Sunday night they’ll have to deal with Demaryius Thomas and the return of Emmanuel Sanders in Osweiler’s receiving corps. The game will also be on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The SportsHub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call. “Whether that’s on the field, press box, I don’t know”, Kubiak said. “I was like, ‘Coach, you want me to go in?'” And we’ll never forget Wes Welker taking out Talib in the 2013 AFC Championship, which led to some rare soundbites from Belichick.
