We continue our playoff coverage this week with the New England Patriots, the AFC’s top seeded team. Led by Tom Brady, the Patriots compiled an impressive, but ever so familiar, 13-3 record as they made their way to home field advantage yet again. On Saturday night, the Patriots will face off against the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow in a game that will likely carry more hype than any other game this weekend.
We asked Ricky Keeler of FoxboroBlog.com some questions about the Patriots, and here’s what he had to say:
TGS: All the talk this week has centered around Tim Tebow and the Broncos. The Steelers weren’t able to contain Tebow in the passing game. How will the Patriots try to stop Tebow in both the running and passing game?
Keeler: The first thing that has to be talked about with Tebow is that this young Patriots’ defense has to be disciplined. What I mean by that is they have to actually respect Tebow’s passing abilities, which I don’t think the Steelers did last week.
The Patriots were able to keep Tebow in check the first game in terms of the running when they got back into that 3-4 formation. When they were in the 4-3 for most of the 1st half, Denver had a ton of holes to run through for not just Tebow, but for their solid duo of running backs in Willis McGahee and Lance Ball. When Belichick switched the formations around, they were able to put the outside linebackers on the edge of the line of scrimmage to prevent the option attack and force Tebow to make quick decisions.
They did not defend the pass well in the first game, but they did not allow Tebow the big play ’til garbage time with the arm. The Patriots have to keep everything in front of them and prevent Demaryius Thomas from going deep because with Denver probably not having Decker, New England should put most of its pass defense attention on Thomas and Eddie Royal.
TGS: The Patriots have seemingly gone under the radar despite being the AFC’s top team. Should the Patriots be a favorite to win the Super Bowl?
Keeler: I think the Patriots are under the radar because they are being dismissed, because everyone tends to look at the 31st ranked defense and write them off. However, this defense has taken some strides throughout the season. Over the past month, they have put the offense in a ton of early holes. However, ever since that first Broncos meeting, the defense has always found a way to pick up their play in the second half and force some very essential turnovers.
With Patrick Chung back in the secondary, it adds another piece that can hit over the middle of the field. Plus, Tebow’s college teammate Brandon Spikes is back after missing over a month. The offense is still clicking and when you have Tom Brady, you always have a chance. The problem is people have a sour taste in their mouth on Brady because of the last two playoff losses.
I think they get back to the Super Bowl because of the bad taste in Brady’s mouth after that Jets loss, which he said was his worst ever. Look for Tom and the offense to come out and make a statement to the rest of the league.
TGS: The Broncos are known for a great pass rush, and they demonstrated that against the Steelers. What do the Patriots need to do offensively to be successful against the Broncos’ defense?
Keeler: For the Patriots to be successful on offense, they have to find some balance. In the first meeting, they had 36 run plays to 34 pass plays. The 2nd half was about finding a balance running the football so Brady can go downfield to his tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Tebow’s college teammate Aaron Hernandez.
The guy to watch in the running attack is Stevan Ridley. With BenJarvus Green-Ellis not being the same running back that he was in 2010, the Patriots needed a running back who can provide some yards after contact as well as some speed. Belichick drafted him in the third round and he has become a back who has averaged five yards a carry this year.
Plus, keep an eye on a play that has been used in Belichick’s arsenal the last couple of week. He loves to call the end around play to Aaron Hernandez to pick up 15-20 yards. If the Broncos do put more attention on Hernandez this week, you either use Gronkowski over the middle against their rookie safeties (Chris Harris and Quinton Carter) or try to attack the one-on-one matchup between Wes Welker and Andre Goodwin.
TGS: Is there any facet of the Broncos that scares the Patriots?
Keeler: Well, I am a Tim Tebow supporter admittedly, so Tebow does scare me particularly if the game remains close. All the guy does is win games. I know that’s the cliche that is used that everyone is tired of, but he is that big of a leader. He won’t let the team get too far down in this game.
The running attack is a concern from Denver because its tough to ignore that they ran for 167 yards in the 1st quarter before the turnovers showed up. Denver got after Brady at times in the 2nd half with Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, so with New England just getting some guys back like Logan Mankins and Sebastian Vollmer on the offensive line, that can be a concern.
By the way, I did pick the Broncos last week on my show and on Twitter, so when you are in the divisional playoffs, you have a chance. If the Patriots get down 14-0 or 17-0 again, it might be tough for them to come back this time around.
TGS: How do you see the game playing out between the Broncos and Patriots on Saturday night?
Keeler: I see this game being close for the first two or three quarters. The Broncos will be able to create some balance running the football and Tebow will have a similar game stats wise to what he had in the first meeting in Denver.
The difference will be Tom Brady. In the first meeting, Brady threw for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns. I can see him putting up the same numbers again this time around, especially since the Broncos will not have Brian Dawkins in the lineup to cover the tight ends down the field. Brady pulls it out in the 4th as the defense forces a huge turnover with a Mark Anderson forced fumble. Patriots 31, Broncos 20.
Again, our thanks to Ricky over at FoxboroBlog.com. You can also follow him and his great coverage of the Patriots on Twitter @Rickinator555.
