Sunday Night Football Week 12: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Patriots vs. Broncos

Those who craft the NFL schedule had Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning in mind for the Week 12 edition of Sunday Night Football when the New England Patriots visit the Denver Broncos.

Instead of this era's greatest quarterback rivalry, fans get Tom Brady vs. Brock Osweiler.

But who says a battle of old vs. new cannot entertain? The Patriots sit at 10-0 despite a rash of injuries in recent weeks, and the Broncos aren't much worse for the wear at 8-2, Manning or not.

Below, let's take a look at everything to know about the huge encounter, other than what could have been.

Game Details

When: Sunday, November 29, 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver

Television: NBC

Live Stream: NFL Game Pass

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Over/Under: 43

Spread: New England (-2.5)

Team Injury Reports

Player	Position	Status
Danny Amendola	WR	Out
Keshawn Martin	WR	Questionable
Jamie Collins	LB	Out

Player	Position	Status
Owen Daniels	TE	Probable
DeMarcus Ware	DE	Out
Emmanuel Sanders	WR	Probable
Peyton Manning	QB	Out

Next Man Up

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

Manning steals the injury spotlight, for lack of a better term, but the Patriots have serious hurdles of their own to overcome.

It's easy to forget the team lost wideout Julian Edelman (692 yards, seven touchdowns), and lead back Dion Lewis won't suit up again this season. Don't think it ends there, either, as the team will also go without Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson and linebacker Jamie Collins.

Despite the silly amount of issues, Brady doesn't sound too deterred.

"Yeah, we've lost a lot of guys, and we've lost quite a few guys over the last three weeks," Brady said, according to ESPN.com. "So I think we'll just keep fighting and figuring out a way to win, and it's good to win against a good defense. Any way you can get these wins, I think it's a positive."

Injuries or not, he's completed 66.3 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns to four interceptions this year. Bulldozing back LeGarrette Blount lines up behind him, and Rob Gronkowski still has his health.

Brady has help from his defense, too, which ranks third with just 88.8 rushing yards allowed per game on average. That helps pave the way for a superb 18.2 points allowed per game. 

In theory, the Patriots should be able to hold a backup quarterback in check, road contest or not, while Brady does just enough to keep the team undefeated. Theories, though, require execution to cement.

Staying Afloat

Truth be told, it's never really been about the offense in Denver this year.

The Broncos have eight wins, but more credit goes to a defense that has held opponents to 20 or fewer points six times at an average of 18.3 points per game. This defense also has picked off 10 passes and forced 34 sacks as opposed to Manning's 59.9 completion percentage with nine touchdowns to 17 interceptions.

Last week, Osweiler stepped in against the hapless Chicago Bears in a 17-15 victory and managed the game on his way to a 20-of-27 effort for 250 yards and two scores.

"I don't know if anybody believed me, but I really was telling the truth—I have not wasted a single day sitting behind Peyton," Osweiler said, according to ESPN.com. "I fully recognize that he might be the greatest quarterback to ever play, if not one of the greatest."

Of course, the understudy will need to do more than he did in his debut last week if the defense struggles to contain Brady and the Patriots. If he's asked to take on a game-managing role against a strong defense, the national audience will get an up-close look at just how much Osweiler has learned in his time behind Manning—and so, too, will a front office that has to consider the future.

Though a small sample size, it doesn't seem much is different with a quarterback change in Denver. That might be offensive to some, but when a defense plays this well, why change what works?

Prediction

Nobody has shut down Brady this year.

Denver won't be the first. For every good game the Broncos defense seems to have, such as holding Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers to 77 passing yards, it seems there's a head-scratching moment such as allowing a Cleveland Browns team led by Josh McCown to force overtime.

Brady knows his way around the Broncos. Gronkowski's going to have a big game, and other weapons—household names or not—will use a quick-hitting attack to serve as the ground game instead of running into the brick wall that is the Denver defense.

Look for Brady to lead a late drive to steal this one. Denver receivers can do plenty of damage after the catch. But when it comes to a late-game deciding factor, it's all about Brady, no matter who Denver has under center.

Prediction: Patriots 28, Broncos 24

Statistics and injury information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.