Tim Tebow: Why New England Patriots Will Put An End To His Winning Streak

There can't be many weeks in the NFL where the media coverage on Tom Brady is completely overshadowed by the hype surrounding his opposing quarterback.

But this is no ordinary week, and no ordinary quarterback.

We could only be talking about Tim Tebow, he of option offense fame, whose legend grows with each win—each sporting "miracle", even—and with it, the media frenzy that accompanies his every move.

With Tebow under center, the Denver Broncos are transformed. So much so, they have won seven of their past eight games and own the inside track on an AFC West title. Not bad for a team that started the season 1-4.

However, their next opponent at Mile High—the New England Patriots—is also their toughest of the season. Tim Tebow might be a winner, but against Tom Brady and friends, he'll be anything but.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be delighted that his team are flying in under the radar this week. For all the attention on Tebow, Belichick is acutely aware that football remains a team sport, and he will have ensured that his players treat this game no differently to any other.

Having said that, preparing for the Denver offense is a unique challenge in today's NFL. 

New England's last experience of a college-influenced offense came in 2008—and it was torched 38-13 by the Miami Dolphins, who unveiled the Wildcat on an unsuspecting audience for the first time.

Belichick took his medicine after that defeat, and will have applied some of the lessons learned to the Denver preparation this week.

Let's look at the keys to the game, and walk through the reasons why New England will walk out of Denver with the win, and an "AFC East Champions" hat and t-shirt to boot.

Broncos pass-rush vs. Patriots offensive line

The Patriots have allowed 22 sacks this season, tied for fifth fewest in the league. 

Consistency remains the biggest problem for the line; the New York Jets' visit in Week 4 sparked a four-game stretch, where Brady was sacked 12 times, and hit 20 more.

In the last three weeks, however, the line has held firm—allowing just one sack per game, despite facing strong pass-rushing teams in the Eagles and Redskins.

Up next are Elvis Dumervil and the favorite for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Von Miller, who have combined for 13 sacks over their six-game winning streak.

It's not a case of if they'll get to Brady, but when, and how often. At right tackle, rookie Nate Solder has been overpowered at times this season, but has looked impressive overall in relief duty for the injured Sebastian Vollmer. 

With Miller and Dumervil alternating which edge they rush off, expect Rob Gronkowski to perform more in-line blocking duties than usual this week. Kevin Faulk could see more of the Sports Authority Field too, as the running back with the best blitz pickup skills on the roster.

Brady's weakness this season is the interior blitz, which gave him fits in the Week 6 visit of the Dallas Cowboys. With Denver generating most of its pressure off the edges, Brady should feel confident in sliding up into the pocket to avoid the sack.

Give Brady time to read the coverage, and he will slice you open.

Can Denver control the clock?

The only way for the Broncos to remain competitive is by keeping Brady off the field for long periods of the game.

New England has scored an average of 34.8 points over the last five games, whereas the Broncos have managed just 19.6 over the same period. The message is clear—Tebow will need to orchestrate a series of long, slow, scoring drives.

The slowest route to the end zone is along the ground, and Denver rush the ball better than the rest of the league through Tebow and Willis McGahee.

Negating the success of the option offense is an exercise in discipline. The Patriots' base defense will look to set the edge on Tebow, forcing him to run between the tackles, or hand the ball off to McGahee. 

Containing Tebow works for two reasons. First, plays through the middle of the formation will be stopped in their tracks by New England's tackle machine, Jerod Mayo. Second, it will force Tebow to make more plays with his arm.

For all Tebow's fourth-quarter heroics, he has been a miserable passer in the first three quarters of games, completing just 38.7 percent of his attempts.

More passes early equals more three-and-outs for Denver. If it hands control of the clock over to New England, Tebow Time will have to make up for a bigger deficit than ever before.

My colleague Erik Frenz covers the Patriots' slow start to games in more detail, but they have made up for this by targeting the end of the second quarter, and the start of the third, to kill off the game.

By deferring on the coin toss, and managing the clock at the end of the second quarter, Brady has enjoyed back-to-back possessions, yielding an average of 10 points per game for the past four weeks.

Wes Welker vs. Broncos secondary

With Rob Gronkowski grabbing all the Patriots' headlines in his record-setting season, the NFL receiving yards leader has quietly continued to produce, with 311 yards and three touchdowns in the past three weeks.

If the Broncos try to limit "Gronk" with bracket coverage, holes will open up in the secondary for Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch to exploit.

Denver ranks a middling 17th in defensive pass coverage, but having played an array of backup or rookie quarterbacks through its winning streak, its statistics are inflated.

The last two pocket passers of any note to play the Broncos have been Philip Rivers and Matthew Stafford. The former is experiencing his first genuine slump in five seasons, and the latter put up 45 points on the Denver secondary.

Tom Brady represents the toughest challenge by far for Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins and company this season, and with only nine team interceptions, the secondary will struggle to disrupt the two most productive connections in the NFL: Brady to Welker and Brady to Gronkowski.

With a large fourth-quarter lead and the smartest head coach in football, the Patriots can shut down Tebow Time by not allowing it to begin in the first place.

The spread is set at six-and-a-half points in favor of New England. Lay them with confidence. Tebow-mania will continue for a while yet, but the winning streak ends here.

Patriots roll, 38-17.

Follow Nick on Twitter @nickbutterworth