NFL Playoff Predictions: Patriots Will Send Tim Tebow and Broncos Crashing Down

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos really don't stand much of a chance this weekend when they take Tom Brady and the New England Patriots Saturday night.

I know everyone was saying the same thing last week with regards to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Broncos, but this matchup is different in so many ways.

Those same strategies the Broncos uses to knock off the defending AFC champion Steelers aren't going to work against a team built like the Patriots.

The Patriots have the experience, the personnel and the more favorable matchups against the Broncos, and they're going to use all of these to their advantage.

Here's five reasons why the Broncos are in for a rude awakening against the Patriots.

Patriots Have Too Many Mismatches

To those who say that Tom Brady doesn't have any targets to throw to, they might have a valid argument. However, what the Patriots receivers do bring to the table are matchup problems for the opposing defenses all over the field.

Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are some of the more athletic players at their position. They are both extremely versatile and can line up anywhere on the field.

Lining both of these tight ends out wide at times will neutralize the strengths of Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller. Both are known for their pass-rushing abilities and less for their ability to cover. Look for the Patriots to motion Hernandez and Gronkowski out of the box and bring the Broncos linebackers with them in order to exploit the mismatches.

The other glaring mismatch is with the Patriots slot receiver, Wes Welker. He caught 122 passes for 1,569 yards this year, which was the second most in the NFL. He's a matchup problem for any defense every time he's on the field due to his speed and shiftiness.

These receivers will pose as a problem for the Broncos because the Patriots led the league in yards after the catch this season. Welker had 732 yards after the catch—most in the NFL, while Gronkowski had 656 yards after the catch—fourth most in the NFL—and Hernandez had 519—ninth most in the league.

There are mismatches all over the field for the Patriots, and Brady won't have a problem exploiting them.

Just Look Back to Week 15

You won't have to look back very far to find out when the last time these two teams went at it.

It was Week 15 in the regular season when the Patriots annihilated the Broncos, 41-23.

The Broncos were on top early with a 16-7 lead early in the second quarter, but it was nothing that a few adjustments couldn't fix. The Patriots then reeled off 27 unanswered points and that was all she wrote.

That game took place in Denver as well, but the AFC divisional round game will be played in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Patriots were 7-1 during the regular season while playing in the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium and averaged over 30 points per game. 

3rd Down Percentage Favors Patriots

It's the same strategy that all defenses would like to employ when facing an elite quarterback: keep him off of the field.

This will undoubtedly be the strategy that the Broncos will attempt, but the statistics don't bode well for them.

On offense, the Patriots have the fifth-best third-down conversion rate in the NFL—46 percent. On the other hand, the Broncos have the 30th-worst third-down offense in the NFL by only converting 31 percent of the time.

When the Broncos played the Patriots in Week 15, they were 4-for-10 on third down, which was a little better than average. But they were also 0-for-2 on fourth down. Both were part of the reason why the Patriots won the time of possession battle that game.

In order to win this game, the Broncos are going to need to keep Brady and company on the sidelines. But to do that, they're going to need to improve their third-down efficiency on offense.

Brady Will Beat the Blitz

The Broncos did a good job putting pressure on Tom Brady during the regular season game. They disguised their blitzes well and were even able to get to Brady untouched at times. 

Elvis Dumervil was able to sneak around the left side and put the hurt on Brady early in the fourth quarter.

This strategy was effective in the beginning of the game, but then the Patriots made adjustments. They were able to combat it with short and quick passes to the open receivers, which ended up gashing the Broncos defense when they brought the heat.

When defenses bring the blitz, it leaves the secondary susceptible to the pass. This could come back to haunt teams who want to blitz the Patriots offense because it is built to counter it.

The Patriots offensive line does an excellent job keeping Brady clean in the pocket and have plenty of time to throw. He was only sacked 32 times this year.

If and when the Patriots offensive line picks up the blitz, it gives Brady time to deliver passes to his receivers, who excel at turning the ball upfield after the catch.

Teams live and die by the blitz, and that will hold especially true for the Broncos. If they bring the heat, they must get to Brady or else he's going to make them pay.

Patriots Defense Has the Formula for Success

The Patriots game plan on defense to stop Tim Tebow last game was discipline. They wanted to keep him inside the pocket and not let him escape outside where he's most dangerous.

In order to do that, they switched to a 3-4 defense and had the linebackers and defensive lineman contain Tebow by bringing pressure right up the middle.

But most importantly, the defensive backs stayed in front of the Broncos receivers and didn't let them get downfield. They forced Tebow to sustain long and methodical drives down field, which is something that the Broncos offense struggles with.

This is the main reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers were not able to stop Tebow. The Broncos receivers had a step on their defenders every time there was a big passing play.

If the Patriots secondary stays in front of the Broncos receivers and eliminate the big passing plays, Tebow and the offense will struggle to put points on the board.