Broncos vs. Patriots: What a Loss for the Patriots Would Mean Going Forward

If the New England Patriots lose to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft will have to evaluate whether some of his coaches and players are right for the team going forward.

There is absolutely no excuse for the Patriots not to beat the Broncos on Saturday. New England beat them 41-23 in Denver in Week 15, and the Broncos are dealing with injuries to key players for this matchup.

A loss for the Patriots would be their fourth straight postseason loss, and their second straight in the divisional round at home as the AFC's top seed.

Another heartbreaking defeat would force Kraft to reevaluate how his team drafts and makes player decisions. Yes, that means evaluating Bill Belichick's role in deciding who he drafts, who he signs as free agents and who he trades for.

Belichick's free-agent signings this season were atrocious. Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was a disaster and was cut, and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco had only 15 catches this season after eight straight seasons of at least 53 receptions with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Belichick's real failure since the Super Bowl XLII loss to the New York Giants has been rebuilding the defense.

He's in year four of that project and very little progress has been made. The Patriots were ranked last in passing defense this season and looked awful at times against average teams and quarterbacks.

Starting with the 2007 NFL draft, Belichick has tried to rebuild the secondary after the retirement of safety Rodney Harrison and the free-agent departure of cornerback Asante Samuel.

Take a look at his defensive back selections in recent drafts. (Players from rounds 1-4 only)

Draft	Player	Round	Position	Still with team?
2011	Ras-I Dowling	2nd	CB	Yes
2010	Devin McCourty	1st	CB	Yes
2009	Darius Butler	2nd	CB	No
2009	Patrick Chung	2nd	S	Yes
2008	Terrence Wheatley	2nd	CB	No
2008	Jonathan Wilhite	4th	CB	No
2007	Brandon Meriweather	1st	S	No

As you can see from the table, four of the seven players that Belichick has taken in the draft to rebuild his secondary since 2007 aren't even with the Patriots anymore. His best pick, Devin McCourty, was a Pro Bowler last season, but his performance inexplicably regressed this year.

If the Patriots lose to the Broncos, whether the defense is the primary reason or not, the team's drafting strategy has to be changed. Kraft will need to bring in another expert(s) that can aid the team in scouting the best players to improve the severe weaknesses of the defense.

The Patriots window for another championship hasn't begun to close, but it isn't going to get any wider. The team needs to upgrade the defense, and being more aggressive in free agency would help.

They should have signed defensive end Julius Peppers when he was a free agent before last season, but the Chicago Bears signed him instead. They refused to re-sign Asante Samuel a few years ago, and now they have no reliable corners.

Losing to the Broncos would make the Patriots really think about what changes must be made to the defense to make it championship-caliber.

There is no excuse for an offense as good as Tom Brady's not to make the Super Bowl. If the defense holds them back for another year, Kraft much make drastic changes.

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