Broncos vs. Patriots: 5 Thoughts for Saturday's NFL Divisional Round Matchup

It was just four weeks ago when the New England Patriots first met Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos—and it was a game that Denver wishes that had never happened. 

Tom Brady and the Patriots demolished the Broncos as they accumulated 451 yards of offense and escaped Mile High with a 41-23 victory. 

Now these two familiar foes are set to be reunited Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. 

In that spirit, let's take a look at my five thoughts for Saturday night's matchup.

Denver Cannot Match Up with New England's Offense

Back in Week 15, Denver attempted to take tight end Rob Gronkowski out of the game by double-covering him—but they failed miserably at it. Granted, Gronkowski did not have a monster day, but New England's other tight end, Aaron Hernandez, did. Hernandez reeled in a game-high nine receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown. 

I don't expect to see Denver come out with the same defensive game plan that they used four weeks ago, as it obviously did not work. 

So what does that mean? Denver will be forced to pick their poison as they cannot double-cover Gronkowski, Hernandez and Wes Welker. What New England needs to do is simply take whatever Denver gives them.

Josh McDaniels Will Have Little Impact on the Final Outcome

I am so sick of hearing how the Patriots "cheated" the system by acquiring Denver's former head coach, Josh McDaniels—it was not against league rules and McDaniels wasn't even Denver's head coach this season. He spent all of 2011 with the St. Louis Rams as their offensive coordinator.

Sure, McDaniels does know some things, but those are minimal. He understands how Tim Tebow plays, he knows some of Denver's personnel, but Denver's head coach, John Fox, clearly stated that McDaniels does not have any "inside info." 

Tim Tebow Can Throw the Deep Ball

Tim Tebow may not be the greatest passer as he's rather inaccurate in the intermediate passes, but when it comes to the deep ball, he can have pinpoint accuracy.

During last week's Wild Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver lived and died by the deep play—they ultimately thrived on making the big play.

Tebow finished the game with 316 passing yards but managed to only complete 10 of his 21 passes. 

Champ Bailey Does Not Match Up Well Against New England

Champ Bailey will go down as one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history, but his skill set does not match up well with New England's top receivers.

Bailey isn't as "shifty" and quick as Wes Welker and he is too small to cover New England's pair of tight ends.

I figure to see Denver using a lot of zone and if they go to man-coverage, then Bailey will likely be lined up on Deion Branch. 

New England's Easy Schedule Could Come Back and Hurt Them

The Patriots may have completed an impressive 13-3 schedule, but they failed to beat a single team with a winning record. 

Since 2004, a team that made the playoffs but failed to beat a team with a winning record did not win a playoff game.

Perhaps this trend could change Saturday night, but history does not look good for New England's chances of making a deep playoff run.

Final Prediction: New England 45, Denver 24

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