 Division Preview: Patriots & Broncos
By Chris Pokorny, PFCritics Writer January 12, 2006
This Saturday in the night game, the New England Patriots will take on the Denver Broncos for the second game of the 2005-2006 NFL divisional playoffs. Both teams met each other earlier this season, in a game that the Broncos won 28-20. Jake Plummer was able to manage the game very well, while Brady and the Patriots offense had to play without running backs Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk. The Broncos are coming in as the second seed in the AFC and are 8-0 at home, but many are picking the defending Super Bowl Champions to come away with the victory due to their recent roll. The Patriots are almost at full healthy, and their defense appears to be as dominant as ever. Now that these two teams meet in the second round of the playoffs, who will come out on top?
Don't forget to bookmark PFCritics and discuss this post at PurelyWrestling.Com by joining the forums their! Also, sign up for our newsletter on the left to get FREE! content like the preview your viewing now right in your mailbox!
| AFC Divisional Playoff Game - Team Stats |
|
New England Patriots - #4 |
vs. |
#2 - Denver Broncos |
 |
Overall Record: 10-6
Road Record: 5-3
Offense: 7th overall
(24th rush, 2nd pass)
Defense: 26th overall
(8th rush, 31st pass) |
|
 |
Overall Record: 13-3
Home Record: 8-0
Offense: 5th overall
(2nd rush, 18th pass)
Defense: 15th overall
(2nd rush, 29th pass) |
| Last Meeting - October 16th, 2005 |
| Quarterback |
vs. |
Quarterback |
Tom Brady: 24 of
46 for 299 yards, 1 touchdown.
Note: Brady did a fair job against the Broncos earlier this year,
especially considering the fact that he did not have either of his top
two running backs on the active roster at the time. Nobody can beat
Brady in the playoffs, and Denver's pass defense is not the greatest.
Brady should have more success than he did when he faced them earlier
this year, even with being on the road. |
|
Jake Plummer:
17 of
24 for
262 yards, 2 touchdowns. 5 carries, 6 yards.
Note: Plummer seemed to elevate the Broncos to a new level when
he beat the Patriots because he managed the game effectively yet again.
With all of the hype that the Patriots have been getting lately, it
seems to have gotten lost that Plummer is definitely a candidate for
"most improved" player of the year. This time around though, he is
facing a much more intense Patriots' defense. |
| Running Backs |
vs. |
Running Backs |
Corey Dillon:
Did not play (injury).
Kevin Faulk: Did not play (injury).
Note: The Broncos have the 2nd best run defense in the league, so it
didn't help the Patriots that Patrick Pass was their featured back
against them. Although Pass didn't do too bad, having Dillon pound the
ball hard and utilizing Faulk as a dump off receiver adds another
dimension to the offense. The running game will really help the passing
game as well, allowing for some more single coverage on certain
receivers. |
|
Tatum Bell:
13 carries, 114
yards, 8.8 avg, 1 touchdown. 1 catch, 4 yards. 3 catches, 20 yards.
Mike Anderson: 15 carries, 57 yards, 1 touchdown.
Note: The Broncos came up just shy of having two 1,000 yards
runners with Anderson and Bell, and both of them can run effectively
against a lot of teams. Ever since everyone on New England's defense has
gotten healthy though, they have been able to completely shut down the
opposition's running game. |
| Receivers |
vs. |
Receivers |
Deion Branch:
7 catches, 87 yards.
David Givens: 7 catches, 58 yards, 1 touchdown.
Ben Watson/Daniel Graham: 2 catches, 11 yards.
Note: I said the same thing last week, and the Patriots did exactly
what I thought they would against the Jaguars: spread the ball around.
The Broncos were able to shut down New England's tight ends due to their
lack of running backs earlier this year, so expect Graham and Watson to
see a lot more looks this time around. |
|
Rod Smith:
6 catches,
123 yards, 1 touchdown.
Ashley Lelie: 3 catches, 81 yards.
Jeb Putzier: 3 catches, 32 yards.
Note: Contrary to the Patriots, Plummer tends to throw to Smith
and Lelie for the majority of the game. When he runs the bootleg, the
tight end is usually a favorite target for him, especially if he gets
the entire defense to bite on the run. Plummer will find it difficult to
run the ball himself in this game though, meaning that he may have to
resort to a pocket passer more than he would like to. |
| Defense |
vs. |
Defense |
Defense: 1
sack, 28 points allowed.
Note: Towards the end of the season, the Patriots were able to
take advantage of facing weaker-oriented offenses, including against the
Jaguars last week. The defense that Denver sees in this game will not
even be comparable to what they saw earlier this year though, which may
affect their gameplan early on. |
|
Defense: 20 points allowed.
Note: The one negative on Denver's defense: no pass rush. They
rarely sack the quarterback, and that can turn into a nightmare if you
give Brady all day to dissect a secondary. Even if the Broncos stuff the
run most of the time, New England will keep pounding it until they break
one, even if it's only for ten yards. |
| Special Teams |
vs. |
Special Teams |
Adam Vinatieri:
As one of the best kickers in the game, there's no one the Patriots
would rather have on the road if they need a clutch kick.
Note: The Patriots are not too explosive in the return game, but
their clutch kicking gives them a slight advantage. |
|
Jason Elam: Elam isn't so
far off compared to Vinatieri, with the exception of the fact that he
isn't known as a "clutch" kicker as well as Vinatieri.
Note: The Broncos can also rely on Elam at all times to get it
done. |
| Final Analysis |
|
New England Patriots |
vs. |
Denver Broncos |
Until someone can
beat the champions, how can you bet against them? The Patriots have that
intimidation factor back and are physically dominating games all around.
Brady should have no problems in the passing game, especially since he
has built better chemistry with both of his tight ends through the
course of the year.
Having Dillon and Faulk both make their returns has completed the
Patriots offense. When both of them were out, Brady carried his team
without a doubt. However, he did have a game or two in which he was
really off, and could have definitely used the run game. Although he
didn't play bad against Denver earlier this season, utilizing the
running game more effectively could have allowed him to get that one
extra "big play" that results in a touchdown.
Defensively, the Patriots could be the best in the playoffs, despite
their overall season ranking. The players definitely have the most
experience of the postseason, and have the capability of preventing Bell
and Anderson from ever getting started. Plummer should be able to throw
the ball well enough to prevent interceptions, but even the Patriots
"filler" players are hitting hard, which can make it tough on the
Broncos receivers. |
|
Out of all the
teams in the playoffs, the Broncos may be the most "forgotten" of them
all. Unless you're a New England "hater", a lot of people believe the
Patriots will defeat the Broncos due to their recent success. It's not
often that the Broncos have been dominated in a game, so as long as
Plummer does not turn the ball over, the Broncos will be in it until the
end.
The combination of Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson has worked to perfection
for the Broncos, and even Ron Dayne hasn't done too bad in cleanup duty.
This allows the Broncos to have more of a selective playbook, and the
ability to substitute one for the other if one is struggling. Bell broke
a big run against New England last time, which could very well have been
the difference between winning and losing.
The Broncos receiving most of the Browns' defensive line in the
offseason was a highly criticized decision at first, but it didn't pan
out too bad. Granted, some people may be giving them too much credit,
but they have worked well in allowing the Broncos run defense to shut
teams down. However, with how well New England schemes their plays, the
Broncos have to be worried what will happen if their defense gets "lost"
early in the game. |
| AFC Divisional Prediction |
|
Winner - New England Patriots |
| The Broncos have
yet to lose at home yet, but I still show a lot of "respect" for what
the Broncos have done this season. When it comes to the postseason
though, I would much rather put the faith of my pick in the hands of the
Patriots rather than the Broncos, not only because of experience. No one
will dominate this game, and if they do, it'll mean that they could
actually be "the team to beat" when it comes down to next week's AFC
Championship game. The Patriots will kick a Vinatieri field goal late to
pick up the victory. Final Score:
Patriots 24, Broncos 21. |
|
|
|
|
| Meet Doc's Advisory Board for: |
|
|
|
|
