Broncos vs. Patriots: Breaking Down Why Tim Tebow Must Attack New England LBs

The New England Patriots' biggest weakness on defense is the zone between the linebackers and the safeties.

Wouldn't you know, that's also the zone Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos attack most often in the passing game.

That was on display on Sunday night in Denver when Demaryius Thomas took a 10-yard in-route 80 yards for the game-winner against the Steelers.

The Patriots already got a taste of it in their last meeting with the Broncos. Here's what happened.

Broncos offensive formation: The Broncos line up with two tight ends on the right, two receivers flanking the formation and Lance Ball lined up next to Tim Tebow in the shotgun.

Patriots defensive formation: With a 4-3 front, Ninkovich lines up on the left side of the defense near the line of scrimmage. Safety James Ihedigbo lines up in the box, and Sergio Brown is the single high safety.

The Patriots have all the gaps accounted for in their defensive front pre-snap.

It's easy to see why the Patriots would guess run on this play. The two tight ends on the right side in front of the running back sets up the convoy look.

Although the Patriots had just stopped the Broncos for a one-yard loss prior to this play, the run was clearly still at the forefront of their mind after being gashed for 109 rushing yards on 11 carries to that point.

Even after the play action, the Patriots continue to respect the run from Tebow by keeping their eyes on the quarterback. 

The respect for the run sets up a weakness in the defense, which happens to play right into the hands of the Broncos. The open gap between the left tackle and left guard gives Tebow the option to run, but there's an even larger gap in coverage.

Demaryius Thomas splits Ihedigbo, still playing near the line, and cornerback Kyle Arrington.

Arrington stays over the top on Thomas, not allowing him to break down the field once he makes the catch. Because of this, he's able to make the tackle before Thomas runs it all the way down field for the score.

That sort of technique might have helped the Steelers when defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau called an all-out blitz on the first play of overtime. Because there was no help over the top, Thomas simply had one man to beat on his way to the touchdown, and that one man didn't have much of a chance from the start.

This doesn't excuse giving up a 32-yard catch-and-run, but it does provide some perspective.

As Phil Simms pointed out during the broadcast of the game, the Patriots see at least a few pass plays that look just like this one in just about every game. It's because teams know that they are susceptible to those plays due to their lack of talent at safety and linebacker.

The Patriots linebackers are already susceptible in coverage, but will be even more so if the Broncos are able to run effectively. That will leave the linebackers exposed on plays like this one, where they will be more tempted to stay close to the line, leaving that intermediate zone even more vulnerable.

The Broncos kept going to that throughout the game, typically involving a play action. The Patriots cornerbacks continued to play outside technique, leaving the middle of the field vulnerable.

What can the Patriots do differently?

If the Patriots can crowd the middle of the field a bit more effectively and force Tebow to make accurate throws to the sideline, the Patriots will have less to worry about in the passing game and will be just as prepared to defend the run by default.

Interestingly enough, the Patriots were giving the Broncos opportunities to complete passes to the outside before the end of the first half. With one minute remaining, Tebow had a tall order to drive down the field, but they could have realistically made it happen with three timeouts.

Instead, the Patriots made Tebow throw it to the sidelines. Two inaccurate throws resulted in a 3rd-and-10, and the Broncos were forced to punt.

By the numbers, that strategy should work. With help from Pro Football Focus, we get a look at Tebow's numbers outside the numbers as opposed to between them.

The numbers don't lie here. Tebow completes a higher percentage of his passes for more YPA between the numbers than outside them. The difference in passer rating speaks for itself.

There's less of a chance for Denver's receivers to make an adjustment on the ball to make the catch when the window is smaller for the throw.

We've all seen Tebow throw the ball into the stands, and better coverage inside will force Tebow to fit it into tight windows. If the Patriots can force more throws outside the numbers, they'll force Tebow out of his comfort zone in the passing game and better equip themselves to defend the run in the process.

It's a win-win.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.