Broncos Must Bring A-Game to Take Down Patriots in Week 9

The Denver Broncos were able to take care of business in Week 8 with a 35-21 win over the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football. With Sunday off, they were certainly keeping a close eye on their next opponent—the New England Patriots.

Broncos head coach John Fox began thinking about the Patriots quickly after the win over the Chargers.

“I started thinking about New England right after we went in the locker room after the San Diego game. Guys will take a little time off. We gave the players off, they’ll get away from it mentally and physically. We jammed two games into a short period of time, and they earned it. We’ll form back up on Monday and kind of dust the rust off, so to speak, and then they’ll take Tuesday off.” Fox concluded, “With the coaches and even players—because of the type of players we have, with some of the video we can push out—they’re already looking at New England, so that process has started.”

The Patriots gave Fox, the Broncos and the rest of the league lots to think about with a 51-23 win over the Chicago Bears. After a rough start to the regular season, the Patriots are clicking on all cylinders. This big win certainly got the attention of everyone around the league.

"

This is New England's message to Chicago and Denver.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 26, 2014"

The Broncos are certainly going to have to bring their A-game in order to win on the road in Week 9.

Tom Brady

At the beginning of the season, something seemed off with the Patriots' superstar quarterback. The Patriots have won four games in a row after starting the season 2-2. What’s the reason for their turnaround? The improved play of Brady is a big part of why they look more like the team we’re used to.

Att	Comp	Yards	TDs	Int
144	100	1,298	14	0

NFL fans get treated to another Brady vs. Peyton Manning showdown in Week 9. Currently, the Broncos pass defense ranks 17th in the league with an average of 242.9 yards passing allowed per game. Brady will test the defense regularly, and he could push past that number early if not held in check.

Rob Gronkowski

After easing Gronkowski into the lineup over the first six weeks of the season, the Patriots have gone back to giving their star tight end a robust amount of playing time.

Weeks	Snap Percentage
1-2	41%
3-4	61%
5-6	78%
7-8	91%

Gronkowski hadn’t scored a touchdown over the last two games prior to Week 8. The Patriots made sure to feed him the rock early and often against the Bears. Gronkowski finished the game with a nine-catch, 149 yard, three-touchdown performance on Sunday.

Gronkowski is the key to the New England offense. Per ESPN Stats & Inc., the Patriots are 4-0 in 2014 when Gronkowski has at least five catches and 2-2 when he doesn't.

The Broncos have historically struggled to cover athletic move tight ends, and Gronkowski is one of the best in the game. They surrendered five catches, 54 yards and two receiving touchdowns in Week 8 to Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. Gronkowski could have a much better game if the Broncos don’t game plan to slow him down.

Look for the Broncos to fight fire with fire in Week 9.

Peyton Manning and Company

If there’s a quarterback who can go toe to toe with Brady, it’s Manning. Against the Chargers, Manning tossed the ball for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

This week, Manning will be going up against a Patriots defense that ranks second in the NFL with an average of only 210.9 yards passing allowed per game.

The Patriots defense will be a challenge for Denver, but Manning’s weapons might be too much for the secondary to handle.

Demaryius Thomas is back to making big plays regularly after struggling earlier this season. His size/speed combination will be tough for the Patriots defense to contend with. Thomas is now on a four-game streak of 100-yard receiving games. It’s logical to assume that he could have another 100-yard game against the Patriots.

Emmanuel Sanders is off to the best start of his career. He’s on track to set career-high marks in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Sanders' deep speed can take the top off the defense in the blink of an eye, and he’s proven himself by making difficult grabs over the middle of the field as well.

Do not forget about Wes Welker.

The veteran receiver returns to New England to play his old team for the third time with the Broncos. In two games last year (one regular season, one postseason), Welker had eight catches for 69 yards.

After the Chargers game, Welker had little to say when asked about the game against the Patriots.

“I think I’m going to take three days and really recover and really get ready and everything like that. That is what we’re going to focus on and get our bodies ready for the rest of the season.”

In addition to that trio of weapons at wide receiver, the Broncos also have one of the best tight ends in Julius Thomas. He’s been fairly quiet over the last two weeks, but Thomas could easily get back on track against the Patriots.

	Targets	Catches	Yards	TDs
First 5 Games	29	24	277	9
Last 2 Games	10	6	50	0

The passing game is dangerous, but it no longer is the only asset on the Broncos offense.

Ronnie Hillman

The Broncos have found their answer at running back. Montee Ball began the season as the starter, but he failed to impress. After Ball went down with a groin injury, the Broncos turned the ball over to Hillman as their starter. In three games as a starter, Hillman has two 100-yard games.

Since their Week 3 loss to the Seahawks, the Broncos have increased their yards per carry each week.

Week	Opponent	YPC
3	@ Seahawks	1.8
5	vs Cardinals	3.3
6	@ Jets	4.2
7	vs 49ers	4.3
8	vs Chargers	4.6

Hillman could be the X-factor for the Broncos in Week 9.

Von Miller

The biggest threat to the Patriots might not be the high-powered Broncos offense. Sure the Patriots will struggle to slow down Manning and company, but Von Miller and the revamped defense will be tough to contend with.

Miller is back and arguably better than ever after a disappointing 2013 season. He has nine sacks this year, a mark that is good for second in the league at this time.

Pressure is the key to making Brady look mortal.

	Comp	Att	Yards	TDs	Int
Season totals	181	281	2059	18	2
Under pressure	20	52	220	1	0

The Broncos have assembled arguably the best talent around Manning in his entire career—on both sides of the ball. The focus may be on Brady vs. Manning this week, but it will take a total team effort to deal the Patriots a loss at home in Week 9.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos, unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.