New England Patriots: Eye on the Competition: the AFC Contenders in Week 14
By Hal Bent
DENVER BRONCOS:
Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Broncos lost to the Raiders on Sunday afternoon 15-12. A year or two ago, that would be big news but these are not the hapless Raiders of previous years. The Broncos’ defense is legitimate and remains remarkably healthy as the season heads into the final quarter of the regular season. T.J. Ward is out a few weeks (and the defense may actually be better without him) and linebacker Danny Trevathan is dealing with concussion symptoms but otherwise the top defensive unit in the NFL is intact.
Must-read: 6 reasons why the Patriots won in Week 14
On offense more is expected with impact receivers like Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. The offensive line fluctuates in quality of play week to week but his team should be much more consistent on offense. The inconsistent running game and growing pains of quarterback Brock Osweiler held back the Broncos last week.
Vernon Davis is an upgrade over tight end Owen Daniels, but his drop and Thomas’ drop on fourth down in the fourth quarter were inexcusable. Hard to believe, but the loss of Julius Thomas in free agency to Jacksonville seems to have been the biggest hit to the offense. Denver needs to get the offense straightened out for the playoffs.
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HOW IT IMPACTS THE PATRIOTS:
The Broncos needed everything to break right to beat the Patriots. They were at home. They were riding the momentum of the Brock Osweiler experience. They saw a key special teams mistake by New England swing the game back their way.
They needed an injury to Dont’a Hightower to open up their running game. An offense without Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola somehow managed to drive down the field and tie the game on their number one defense. New England was hamstrung by injuries and still almost went into Denver and pulled out the win.
Denver has a two game lead on Kansas City with three games to play in the West. However, the Broncos still have to play in Pittsburgh and then against Cincinnati. San Diego in week seventeen should be a cakewalk for them but they could conceivably be playing on Wild Card Weekend if they lose both games to the AFC North opponents. Not having home field and playing New England in Foxboro is a much better situation for the Patriots.
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