Howe: Attacking Middle Of The Field Key For Patriots Offense Vs. Broncos
BOSTON (CBS) -- It should be another classic showdown when the Patriots and Broncos square off in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
The Patriots actually head to Denver as the favorites in this one, with their very talented offense led by Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski going against a strong Denver defense.
While the Broncos had one of the best defenses in the league throughout the regular season, they are beatable. The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Tuesday to break down the matchup, and said the key for New England will be attacking the middle of the field. It's something they weren't able to do as easily in their previous trip to Denver given the injury absence of Edelman.
"I want to look at the cornerbacks more, but their linebackers and safeties have a tough time covering so you really want to attack the middle of the field. That's why they had a tough time moving the ball throughout the second half [in Week 12]," said Howe. "You want to throw at Brandon Marshall. You want to expose T.J. Ward. You don't want your stars anywhere near T.J. Ward, but when he's in coverage you want to expose him."
With Edelman back and Gronkowski looking healthy again after hauling in a pair of touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round, Howe said Brady should be able to dictate the matchups he wants against the Broncos secondary.
"When you have Edelman, Gronkowski and [Danny] Amendola on the field at the same time, it gives you a huge advantage in manipulating the matchups. Ideally, you could win all three of those matchups if you're the Patriots," said Howe, noting Denver corner Chris Harris is dealing with some shoulder issues.
"Aqib Talib is still playing at an elite level, but he gives quite a bit of space off the line. He is a guy you can beat with underneath routes," he added. "The Pats are very good sending those guys on crossing routes to test the depth of the linebackers, who aren't terrific in coverage. There are a lot of different areas where the Patriots can win these matchups.
"The Broncos' strength is their cornerbacks, and they played like junk against the Steelers," Howe said of Denver's 23-16 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. "If they play like they did again on Sunday, the Broncos have no chance at stopping the Patriots' offense. But again, if they play better you still want to attack the middle of the field."
Howe also touched on Denver's running game, which has had success against the Patriots, and Broncos receivers struggling to hold on to the ball in the Divisional Round: