Broncos vs. Patriots: 3 Things Denver Must Do To Pull Massive Upset

Much like they did last week against the Steelers, the Broncos have a great opportunity to pull a massive upset in the AFC playoffs. This week, Sportsbook lists the Patriots as 13.5-point underdogs. But the possibility of an upset is great, as long as they follow this game plan...

Attack Tom Brady

They can score with the Patriots if they put pressure on Tom Brady. In Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, the Broncos have the rushers to do that. 

In Super Bowl XLII, the Giants gave the key to stopping Brady and the Patriots. Get men in his face. Force early passes. Don't let Brady get comfortable in the pocket. The Jets followed the same model last year, and the Steelers did the same early in the 2011 season.

Yes, Brady will get his yards, there's no way around that. But you have to make him uncomfortable. That goes for any quarterback. When the Broncos rushed four against Ben Roethlisberger, he couldn't do anything right. When they dropped a man back and rushed three, the Steelers got back in the game. Denver can't make that mistake with Brady.

Challenge the Secondary

If Tim Tebow can pass for 316 yards against the Steelers, he can do that against the Patriots. New England was 31st out of 32 teams in passing yards, the Steelers were first. Pittsburgh led the league in points allowed, the Patriots were 15th. 

Any defense is dangerous if they're facing a predictable offense. So, even though Tim Tebow doesn't have the classic throwing motion, they need to turn him loose. If they do that, the Broncos can score points, even with the Patriots, but under one condition...

Score Early

This is a result of the first two things, but it's no less important. If the Broncos fall behind, the Patriots are not going to lose. 

New England's offense is too good to come back against. Yes, you can score some points, but they will match you. When you're starting from behind, matching scores is a losing proposition. 

So, the Broncos need to get an early lead. That also makes the Patriots' offense more one-dimensional, as playing from behind forces throws. Even when you have Tom Brady, being one dimensional makes winning quite difficult. 

The ideas that got Denver ahead in the second quarter against Pittsburgh were aggressive, and led directly to a win. Outside of the second quarter, they were outscored 23-3. Those ideas need to be applied for all four quarters against the Patriots.

Follow @mdixon1985