Pats @ Broncos

[BA Baracus]

This thread needs a week's worth of discussion. So, let's do this.

 

GO BRONCOS!

[Gourdeau]

They need to refer to the game plan from the 2014 AFC Title game cause that was a clinic !

[Patriots]

I think the winner of this game will lose to Carolina in the SB.

[Sunday Couch Potatoe]

Patriots win this pretty handily and lose to whoever wins from NFC in bowl.

[BA Baracus]

I love the fact that we are underdogs in this game. This is going to be another one that gets decided by the turnover battle and our D is going to be in an all out frenzy.

[theirish]

I have to believe after what we saw last week that Pats are going to win this game. Last week discussions were as follows: KC has a great chance againist Pats, all signs point to KC beating the Pats and Denver is going to kill Pitt, won't even be a game. Obviously, both games didn't finish that way (Pats game looked alot closer then it truly was). I think Patriots win this week and wins the super bowl and will be the greatest thing to see Goddell's face.

[kevinkris]

I love the fact that we are underdogs in this game. This is going to be another one that gets decided by the turnover battle and our D is going to be in an all out frenzy.

I actually don't understand why the Patriots are favoured, doesn't really make a lot of sense imo. Denver already beat them this season, and it's not like the Pats have been crushing teams the last half of the season.

 

I agree though, it will be a close game where near the end one big play will probably decide the outcome, just like in both of the steelers games, a late fumble changing all the momentum.

[Gourdeau]

Heard NFL network today breaking this down... Main argument seems to be Manning can't throw the ball down field. Well, neither does brady, he doesn't throw more than 5 god darn yards to edelman than maybe 10 to gronk. I can't understand why teams haven't figured out a way to stop this 5 yard in, 5 yard out to julian non sense. I don't claim to know how to but i'm no football coach by any stretch.

 

Vegas has this as pick em, 3 pt spread. They know what they are doing most of the time. I think the def is going to be fired up big time and will blotz early and often. I think this game can go either way

[BIGDAWGS2]

New England embarrasses Manning with 2 picks and a lost fumble. Final score. NE 34 Denver 17.

[BA Baracus]

Heard NFL network today breaking this down... Main argument seems to be Manning can't throw the ball down field. Well, neither does brady, he doesn't throw more than 5 god darn yards to edelman than maybe 10 to gronk. I can't understand why teams haven't figured out a way to stop this 5 yard in, 5 yard out to julian non sense. I don't claim to know how to but i'm no football coach by any stretch.

 

Vegas has this as pick em, 3 pt spread. They know what they are doing most of the time. I think the def is going to be fired up big time and will blotz early and often. I think this game can go either way

Agree on Brady having no more arm strength than Peyton.

 

Vegas has it P*ts -3. Home field is typically worth 3 points, which means Vegas says Pats by 6 on a neutral field.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

As always, Vegas lines are set to get as many people on both sides as possible (evenly) and win the juice.

 

The line doesn't mean that they think the Pats are 3 or 6 or any points better than the Broncos

[darin3]

I actually don't understand why the Patriots are favoured, doesn't really make a lot of sense imo. Denver already beat them this season, and it's not like the Pats have been crushing teams the last half of the season.

 

I agree though, it will be a close game where near the end one big play will probably decide the outcome, just like in both of the steelers games, a late fumble changing all the momentum.

 

That game, honestly, means nothing. Zero, zilch.

 

Broncos' D is stifling, but then again, the Chiefs' was supposed to be pretty darn good too.

 

It's Belichick. It's Brady. Their offense will move without too many hiccups if Brady gets time in the pocket. He'll wear them out with dinks and dunks to Edelman and White and Gronk across the middle.

 

And you know their defense is ready to handle the noodle arm. Savvy guys on that defense.

 

Still, I think the Broncos have a pretty good shot, especially at home. That place is going to be rockin. I'll say the final score is 27-24 but honestly think either team could be the winner.

[isleseeya]

Unless Broncos offense especially passing game really takes off and clicks I can't see Broncos winning. Steelers showed as good a Broncos defense is you can throw on them and pats / Brady will. I think pats win 27-17. I do want Broncos to win very badly however

[BA Baracus]

As always, Vegas lines are set to get as many people on both sides as possible (evenly) and win the juice.

 

The line doesn't mean that they think the Pats are 3 or 6 or any points better than the Broncos

 

That is true to a point, however it behooves Vegas to be as accurate as possible with the opening line. If they are off the mark and the line moves significantly after the open, they can loose big time.

 

It is common knowledge that home field is worth about 3 points in the spread.

[BA Baracus]

Unless Broncos offense especially passing game really takes off and clicks I can't see Broncos winning. Steelers showed as good a Broncos defense is you can throw on them and pats / Brady will. I think pats win 27-17. I do want Broncos to win very badly however

 

I have been seeing/hearing a lot of this sentiment. Here's the thing though, the Broncos played zone coverage the entire game vs the Steelers, something they haven't done all year. Wade did this to deal with the explosiveness of the PIT WR's, probably because they torched us in man coverage in week 15. We had a lot of miscommunication on Sunday that resulted in guys being wide open. Zone coverage requires a lot of practice and game reps to get it right - when to follow a guy, when to switch - it's a lot like how an offensive line works together. The secondary was clearly playing outside of its comfort zone, but on the whole, still managed to do a decent job. We gave up several long passes, but none went for touchdowns.

 

I don't see us playing any zone against the P*ts. We would be insane to do so as that plays right into exactly what they want to do on offense. They absolutely thrive on quick passes into coverage gaps. I think that we will go right back to pressing the outside WR's in man coverage and bringing some creative blitzes, particularly up the middle. This is the scheme that this defense specializes in, and if we can execute it consistently, we will be able to control the game. The key is going to be getting a good jam on the receivers to disrupt the timing on the play. That disruption is what will cause Brady to have to hold the ball for one more second, which can allow the pressure to get there.

 

The CHJ injury is pretty worrisome because it is going to thrust some other guys into man coverage on Edleman and Amendola. We are going to need Roby and Webster to step up big time against these guys. As always, Gronk is the guy that there is almost no answer for. Like the WR's, we will need to hit him at the line to slow him down and probably bracket him with a linebacker underneath and a safety over the top. I think that Gronk containment duties will largely fall on Stewart and Ward with Marshall and Trevathan helping out.

 

I think we will see a good bit of bend-don't-break yet again from this defense. Once Brady gets down to the redzone, the secondary doesn't have to cover over the top anymore and we have the speed to jump routes and break up passes. The one thing that can really hurt us is the Gronk jump ball. It wouldn't surprise me to see Talib switch over to covering Gronk in redzone situations as he is the only guy with the athleticism and ball skills to compete with Gronk on 50/50 balls.

 

Anyways, it should be an interesting chess match between our D and their O. I just thought it should be pointed out that we were running a defense last week that we haven't run all season, so drawing conclusions from last week is somewhat dubious.

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

Heard NFL network today breaking this down... Main argument seems to be Manning can't throw the ball down field. Well, neither does brady, he doesn't throw more than 5 god darn yards to edelman than maybe 10 to gronk. I can't understand why teams haven't figured out a way to stop this 5 yard in, 5 yard out to julian non sense. I don't claim to know how to but i'm no football coach by any stretch.

 

Vegas has this as pick em, 3 pt spread. They know what they are doing most of the time. I think the def is going to be fired up big time and will blotz early and often. I think this game can go either way

ive heard many people say that about brady when they try to knock him down a peg..."all he does is throw the ball 5 yards"....yet youd think every team in the league would be able to do it and win 12 games all of the time if it were that easy...its not....brady is good at it...hes good at recognizing coverages....

 

if yer in man coverage you still need to figure out where Edelman is going or wants to go before he does it....its not easy...there are variations of routes too....if you go zone on them they will find a way to find a spot in it......and you add in the fact that you must account for every elgible receiver...its just not easy....not to mention bradys pocket presence allows him to buy extra time many times and in general the pats do an ok job of protecting him most weeks.....

 

both guys put in a lot of work to get on the same page...coverages change from pre snap to post snap.....so the route your qb wants you to run can change based on coverage during the play...these guys are really in sync with each other most of the time

 

its the same with a sport like basketball.....everybody knows steph curry can shoot...and most nights hes prob the best guy on the court.....but hell still manages to get off 12 3 pt shots and light you up most of the time

Edited January 19, 2016 by forever in debt to mo lewis

[AX2RUN]

 

That game, honestly, means nothing. Zero, zilch.

 

 

As much as I love to hang that game over my Pats friends heads, I agree.

 

NE was a shell of itself on offense and DEN lost 3 key defensive starters in the first half, was operating without Demarcus ware, plus it was Ozzys 2nd start (even though I loved the way he played). I can't imagine this game resembles that one at all. I think this one goes down to the wire with NE on top and Manning has to go out and win it.... Which I think he will..... Because he must............ Because his movie deal with Disney depends on it.....

[jkraft896]

Agree on Brady having no more arm strength than Peyton.

 

Vegas has it P*ts -3. Home field is typically worth 3 points, which means Vegas says Pats by 6 on a neutral field.

 

Brady has no more arm strength than Peyton? What a mockery of a statement. The reason that Brady doesn't throw the ball down the field is because their offense is built in a 10 yard window, it has nothing to do with his inability to throw the ball down the field. Did you see that 40 yard dime he dropped to KeShawn Martin against the Chiefs. If he has to, he will push the ball down the field, but when Julian Edelman can get open in 1 second for 10 yards on a regular basis why would you risk pushing the ball down the field. In the game against the Steelers the announcers went back to look at like a 15 yard out pass by Peyton to see if had been tipped at the line. THAT is how much the ball fluttered, on a 15 yard out pattern. 15 yards man! There is such a difference between the arm strength of Tom and Peyton. Not even close.

 

I don't see any way the Denver wins this game barring an injury to Brady or Edelman. I even think the Pats could sustain an injury to Gronk because he really gets involved in the red zone and I think the Pats could still find ways to score without him, but Edelman is the key to the Pats moving the ball between the 20s. The true strength of the Broncos defense is their pass rush (Von Miller and Demarcus Ware). That being said, it seems like Tom runs through 3 reads in 3 seconds and no one negates a pass rush more than him. The Bronco secondary is pretty good as well, but I just don't see them being able to take away all the options on a consistent basis. Above all else though, the Pats defense is really underrated and I expect them to cause the Broncos a lot of problems. They will stop the run, they will get after Peyton, and tackle well. The Broncos just beat the Steelers with a bunch of field goals, I believe 3 of which came when they started at their own 40 yard line or better. I just don't see the Broncos scoring enough or stopping the Patriots enough to win this game.

 

Give me that Pats and the points 24-13

[isleseeya]

 

I have been seeing/hearing a lot of this sentiment. Here's the thing though, the Broncos played zone coverage the entire game vs the Steelers, something they haven't done all year. Wade did this to deal with the explosiveness of the PIT WR's, probably because they torched us in man coverage in week 15. We had a lot of miscommunication on Sunday that resulted in guys being wide open. Zone coverage requires a lot of practice and game reps to get it right - when to follow a guy, when to switch - it's a lot like how an offensive line works together. The secondary was clearly playing outside of its comfort zone, but on the whole, still managed to do a decent job. We gave up several long passes, but none went for touchdowns.

 

I don't see us playing any zone against the P*ts. We would be insane to do so as that plays right into exactly what they want to do on offense. They absolutely thrive on quick passes into coverage gaps. I think that we will go right back to pressing the outside WR's in man coverage and bringing some creative blitzes, particularly up the middle. This is the scheme that this defense specializes in, and if we can execute it consistently, we will be able to control the game. The key is going to be getting a good jam on the receivers to disrupt the timing on the play. That disruption is what will cause Brady to have to hold the ball for one more second, which can allow the pressure to get there.

 

The CHJ injury is pretty worrisome because it is going to thrust some other guys into man coverage on Edleman and Amendola. We are going to need Roby and Webster to step up big time against these guys. As always, Gronk is the guy that there is almost no answer for. Like the WR's, we will need to hit him at the line to slow him down and probably bracket him with a linebacker underneath and a safety over the top. I think that Gronk containment duties will largely fall on Stewart and Ward with Marshall and Trevathan helping out.

 

I think we will see a good bit of bend-don't-break yet again from this defense. Once Brady gets down to the redzone, the secondary doesn't have to cover over the top anymore and we have the speed to jump routes and break up passes. The one thing that can really hurt us is the Gronk jump ball. It wouldn't surprise me to see Talib switch over to covering Gronk in redzone situations as he is the only guy with the athleticism and ball skills to compete with Gronk on 50/50 balls.

 

Anyways, it should be an interesting chess match between our D and their O. I just thought it should be pointed out that we were running a defense last week that we haven't run all season, so drawing conclusions from last week is somewhat dubious.

I hear you but Big Ben lit them up a few weeks back as well . I think it will be hard for Pats to stop Brady now that he has all his weapons back healthy . I hope i am wroing as i want the Broncos to win badly

[stevegrab]

 

I have been seeing/hearing a lot of this sentiment. Here's the thing though, the Broncos played zone coverage the entire game vs the Steelers, something they haven't done all year. Wade did this to deal with the explosiveness of the PIT WR's, probably because they torched us in man coverage in week 15. We had a lot of miscommunication on Sunday that resulted in guys being wide open. Zone coverage requires a lot of practice and game reps to get it right - when to follow a guy, when to switch - it's a lot like how an offensive line works together. The secondary was clearly playing outside of its comfort zone, but on the whole, still managed to do a decent job. We gave up several long passes, but none went for touchdowns.

 

I don't see us playing any zone against the P*ts. We would be insane to do so as that plays right into exactly what they want to do on offense. They absolutely thrive on quick passes into coverage gaps. I think that we will go right back to pressing the outside WR's in man coverage and bringing some creative blitzes, particularly up the middle. This is the scheme that this defense specializes in, and if we can execute it consistently, we will be able to control the game. The key is going to be getting a good jam on the receivers to disrupt the timing on the play. That disruption is what will cause Brady to have to hold the ball for one more second, which can allow the pressure to get there.

 

The CHJ injury is pretty worrisome because it is going to thrust some other guys into man coverage on Edleman and Amendola. We are going to need Roby and Webster to step up big time against these guys. As always, Gronk is the guy that there is almost no answer for. Like the WR's, we will need to hit him at the line to slow him down and probably bracket him with a linebacker underneath and a safety over the top. I think that Gronk containment duties will largely fall on Stewart and Ward with Marshall and Trevathan helping out.

 

I think we will see a good bit of bend-don't-break yet again from this defense. Once Brady gets down to the redzone, the secondary doesn't have to cover over the top anymore and we have the speed to jump routes and break up passes. The one thing that can really hurt us is the Gronk jump ball. It wouldn't surprise me to see Talib switch over to covering Gronk in redzone situations as he is the only guy with the athleticism and ball skills to compete with Gronk on 50/50 balls.

 

Anyways, it should be an interesting chess match between our D and their O. I just thought it should be pointed out that we were running a defense last week that we haven't run all season, so drawing conclusions from last week is somewhat dubious.

 

This is the kind of in depth analysis I come here for

 

My take, Broncos by 3-7, total points under 50. Broncos get enough pressure on Brady to rattle him while Peyton plays his best game in a few years.

 

 

[BA Baracus]

I hear you but Big Ben lit them up a few weeks back as well . I think it will be hard for Pats to stop Brady now that he has all his weapons back healthy . I hope i am wroing as i want the Broncos to win badly

Ben definitely lit us up, but the Steelers WR corps is built to win one-on-one matchups and generate big plays. Our secondary is good, but not good enough to win that slug fest. Hence the scheme change.

 

I am definitely not saying it will be easy. Our secondary has to play lights out and the pass rush has to bring it on every snap. I am saying that the players are capable of doing it and I think Wade can hang with Skippy on scheming. The million dollar question is whether or not we can execute consistently for all 4 quarters.

[Wpob]

This could possibly be the last time Manning and Brady meet. I think beating Manning means more to Brady than vice versa. I think Brady goes in full embarrassment mode and really tries to run up the score. I think while Manning has no feelings either way for Brady, Brady has a bitterness towards Manning. Just my opinion. This game and this win means more to Brady and we all know that when Brady is in full FU mode, bad things usually happen for the other team.

 

Patriots 42

Broncos 17

[Patriots]

Denvers O-line is the key to the game. They need to let the Pats sack Manning early and often. This will lead to his exit from the game and then the real QB will be in. I have a lot of respect for Manning but his career is over. Nothing worse than watching someone hold on for too long. Denver gets embarrassed on Sunday and its Manning fault.

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

This could possibly be the last time Manning and Brady meet. I think beating Manning means more to Brady than vice versa. I think Brady goes in full embarrassment mode and really tries to run up the score. I think while Manning has no feelings either way for Brady, Brady has a bitterness towards Manning. Just my opinion. This game and this win means more to Brady and we all know that when Brady is in full FU mode, bad things usually happen for the other team.

 

Patriots 42

Broncos 17

I really don't think brady has any bitterness towards manning.....at all.....all in all I think tom brady is completely satisfied with his lot in life(aside from his thirst for more championships)....when all is said and done I think most pundits will always lean brady over manning.....I don't think brady is jealous of or bitter towards manning in any way

[BA Baracus]

Denvers O-line is the key to the game. They need to let the Pats sack Manning early and often. This will lead to his exit from the game and then the real QB will be in. I have a lot of respect for Manning but his career is over. Nothing worse than watching someone hold on for too long. Denver gets embarrassed on Sunday and its Manning fault.