Patriots vs. Broncos: 5 Keys to a New England Win in Week 15 AFC Showdown

When the New England Patriots travel to Sports Authority Field and take on the Denver Broncos, they will enter the Mountain time zone, a place they haven't been so successful under Bill Belichick.

But they will also enter the Tim Tebow time zone, a place most teams haven't been successful this season.

A lot has seemed majestic about the Broncos' six-game winning streak and 7-1 record in 2011 with Tebow as their starting quarterback. It's because it's just so hard to explain. But there are some measures the Patriots can take to avoid Tebow time.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter.

Give Tom Brady Time in the Pocket

We know what kind of pocket passer Brady is, and against the Broncos, he has a great opportunity to utilize that talent. Although Denver boasts Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins in the defensive backfield, they're about as deep as a kiddie pool otherwise.

The Broncos have only grabbed nine interceptions and allow a very mediocre average of 6.3 yards per attempt. If Brady has time to read the defense, he should be able to pick them apart.

It will be very important for the Patriots offensive line to slow down Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller off the edges, because the two pass rushers could negatively affect the pace of the game for the Patriots.

Nate Solder has performed well for the Patriots as a fill-in at right tackle, and has done so against some solid competition. It will be just as important this week as it's been any other week since Solder stepped in, and it will be just as great of a challenge.

Gap Discipline and the Read-and-React Defense

The option offense is based primarily on numbers games across the board and opening up holes in the running game.

There are two things the defense must do to contain Tim Tebow when he tucks the ball to run with it. The first is to maintain gap discipline. Bill Belichick's defensive philosophy centers around gap discipline, and it will continue to be a major point of emphasis this week. The easiest way to give up a big play is to get out of your lane and allow Tebow to go untouched.

The second thing they must do is keep their hips toward the line of scrimmage. It's when the defenders' backs are to the play that they allow Tebow to tuck it and run. For this reason, it seems less likely that the Patriots will play man coverage. They are mainly a zone team anyway, but man coverage will open up the opportunities for Tebow to run with it.

This leads into another point...

Make Tim Tebow Beat Them from the Pocket

Gap discipline, containment and a zone defense will all mean one thing: Tebow will have to beat the Patriots from the pocket.

While Tebow has beaten teams by throwing this season, going 10-of-15 for 202 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings, it remains to be seen whether he can get it done from the pocket on a consistent basis. His 48.5 completion percentage is all the evidence you need of his unrefined pocket skills.

Of course, he has one thing going for him, and it should be a point of emphasis for the Patriots this week.

Don't Give Up the Deep Ball

The Patriots have been vulnerable to big plays through the air all season long, giving up an average of 12.7 yards per completion to opposing quarterbacks.

At the same time, Tim Tebow has thrown some great deep balls this year, averaging 13.4 yards per completion. There could be opportunities for Tebow to complete some deep passes, especially considering the Patriots continue to trot out their wide receivers as starters in the secondary.

While the Patriots may be better off forcing Tebow to beat them from the pocket, the safeties must avoid being beaten deep. It's those one or two big plays that the Broncos thrive on to keep it close and get in position to win it in the end.

But there's something they can do to even avoid it getting to that point.

Jump out to an Early Lead

This could be a key to victory every week, but it rings true perhaps more this week than most others.

The Patriots have gotten off to some slow starts this season, averaging 5.8 points in the first quarter, and have three games with no points in the first quarter, according to Christopher Price of WEEI.com.

The Broncos defense has looked pretty good, giving up an average of just over 20 points per game in the past eight games, but they haven't faced many great offenses along the way—and the one time the Broncos did face a good offense, they gave up 45 points to the Detroit Lions.

What's more, the Broncos offense is about as run-heavy as they come, with the second-most rush attempts of any team in the league this year. A team that is built as heavily on the run as the Broncos are is bound to struggle when they're playing from behind.

And let's face it: The Patriots want to do whatever possible to avoid Tebow Time.