New England Patriots Must Make Peyton Manning Beat Them
The New England Patriots must force Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning to make enough plays to beat them in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Despite quarterback Tom Brady being 2-6 at Denver in his career, including an AFC Championship Game loss in 2013, the New England Patriots head west as 3.5 point favorites over the Broncos on Sunday. Getting healthy at the right time, the Patriots appear primed to head into Denver and take care of business on Sunday. That being said, history tells us that will not be easy.
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There are many intriguing match-ups in this game that will have a massive impact on who represents the AFC in Super Bowl 50. Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman versus injured Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. stands out as one of the key head-to-head match-ups of the game. Edelman is such an important part of the Patriots’ offense, but Harris is an incredible player. Is he healthy enough to keep Edelman in check?
A majority of the intrigue will come when the Patriots have the ball, as Brady will lead his third ranked scoring offense against a Broncos’ defense that allowed the fewest yards per game in the NFL this season. It is certainly going to be extremely interesting to see how Brady and his full arsenal does against the elite Broncos’ defense, but there is plenty to watch when the roles are flipped as well.
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The Patriots’ defense is better this season than in most years. A talented front seven leads an overall impressive group that can stop a variety of attacks. Offensively, the Broncos are in an interesting place. Peyton Manning seems extremely limited with what he can do, so the Broncos are relying heavily on their rushing attack led by C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.
While they have not been perfect, the Patriots’ rush defense shined for most of the season, finished as the ninth-ranked run defense in the entire NFL. With Manning clearly not being able to sling the ball around like the old days, the Patriots are likely going to stack the box and do everything in their power to stop the run. The Broncos’ rushing attack is solid, but I think the Patriots should be able to hold them in check with the added attention.
The Broncos have rushed for over 100 yards in 10 games this season. They have won nine of those games. Make no mistake, the best way to keep the Broncos’ offense in check is to eliminate Anderson and Hillman in the running game.
I strongly believe that Bill Belichick is going to make Manning prove that he can beat them. The Patriots have aggressive cornerbacks who play tight coverage on the outside. Broncos wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders can undoubtedly make plays, but will Manning have the arm strength to consistently get them the ball?
Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, Devin McCourty and the rest of the Patriots’ secondary will likely be put in a difficult position to defend against the Broncos, but it will be up to Manning to make them pay. He has certainly done it in the past, and we would all be foolish to think he could not do it again, but Manning is clearly not the player he used to be.
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The best way to attack these Denver Broncos is to force Manning to make consistent plays down the field. Stop the run, and beat up their wide receivers on the line of scrimmage to help take away the short passing game. If Belichick and the Patriots’ defense can force Manning to try to make plays downfield and on the outside, they have a good chance of shutting them down.