What To Watch For In Patriots-Broncos AFC Championship
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots are aiming to make some history on Sunday with an AFC Championship Game win, but the Denver Broncos are standing in their way.
The Patriots look to advance to their ninth Super Bowl in franchise history, which would set a new NFL record (New England is currently tied with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers with eight Super Bowl appearances).
The Patriots let a 14 points lead slip away in Denver in Week 12, a game in which they were without the services of Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Jamie Collins and lost Dont'a Hightower and Rob Gronkowski at different points in the defeat. That's not an excuse, since it was a costly Chris Harper fumble on special teams that let the Broncos back in it, but all five of those players will be making their presence felt on Sunday.
We've covered the 16 previous matchups between Brady-Manning, Manning's noodle arm when playing consecutive weeks and No. 12's struggles in Denver. Here's what else we'll be watching for Sunday afternoon:
Aqib Talib vs. Julian Edelman?
The thinking was that Chris Harris Jr. (injured or not) would be shadowing Julian Edelman on Sunday. But former Patriot and soundbite machine Aqib Talib may have given away a part of Denver's game plan earlier this week, telling reporters he's facing "Edelman and Brady" earlier this week.
Though he had a few drops, the return of Edelman to the field led to a smooth-moving New England offense Saturday against the Chiefs. Tom Brady had his security blanket back, and more importantly, the field was open for his other targets with Edelman running all over the place. His impact was much bigger than his 10 receptions for 100 yards, though all of that was pretty darn important too.
READ: Attacking Middle Of Field Key For Patriots Offense
Edelman wasn't around back in Week 12 when the Patriots lost in Denver, 30-24, and the Patriots went just 2-for-14 on third downs. It was gross. Brady went Edelman's way four times on third down last weekend against Kansas City in the Divisional Round, moving the chains on a pair of connections (matching their third down conversion success of two months ago). And just having Edelman on the field, even if he's blanketed by Talib, will open the field for Brady's other targets, guys not named Keshawn Martin this time around (though Martin may play a role in this one too). All of that will make it much more difficult for the Broncos' defense to key in on Rob Gronkowski.
Of course, Talib could find himself on Gronkowski rather than Edelman, likely leaving Harris and his bruised shoulder to cover New England's Minitron. But whoever is on Edelman he'll make an impact one way or another.
Low Blows & Gronk's Pushoffs
Harris caused a bit of a stir this week when he told ESPN the best way to bring Gronk down (only way?) is to hit him low at the knees. So for 60 minutes on Sunday, all of New England will be holding their breath whenever any Broncos defender goes for Gronk's knee (especially you, T.J. Ward).
Harris isn't wrong, because that really is the only way to bring Gronk down. Even he knows it, and said he'll have to protect himself more with the Broncos and their "low blows" (smiley face, football emoji).
That's not all we have to be concerned about with Gronkowski though. The week started with Denver linebacker Brandon Marshall saying Gronk always pushes off, and gets away with it 98 percent of the time. That's not just some trash talk, but working the refs as well. And Patriots fans will remember that Gronk was flagged for a costly OPI back in Week 12 that negated a Patriots a third-down conversion.
That doesn't mean Ed Hochuli and his crew will be tossing flags every time Gronk gives a Broncos defender a little shove or stiff arm, but it's something we'll have to keep an eye on.
Patriots Vs. A Broncos Stampede
The Broncos can run the ball, and with Manning's arm looking like a game of Duck Hunt, they pretty much rely on their ground attack from C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.
Look no further than last Sunday's win over Pittsburgh, when Denver ran the ball nine times on a 13-play drive after taking over in a 13-13 game in the fourth quarter. That tie-breaking drive was capped off with three straight rushes, ending in a two-yard go-ahead score.
Containing those two backs will be key for the Patriots on Sunday, making the presence of Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower all the more important. Collins was still battling an illness in Week 12, and Hightower was lost to a knee injury in the first half. With neither of them roaming the middle of the field, the Broncos ripped off 179 rushing yards for the game.
That number is a bit skewed thanks to a 48-yard game-winning touchdown run by Anderson in overtime, but the Broncos have had success on the ground over the last two months, rushing for 100+ yards in seven of their last eight games. If the goal this weekend is to keep Brady off the field and limit what Manning has to do with his arm, running the ball is going to be Denver's game plan. Slowing down both of their backs will be imperative for the New England D.
The Field Position Game
In their win over the Steelers, the Broncos got field goals on drives of 20 yards, eight yards, 62 yards and 30 yards before finally finding the end zone on a 65 yard drive (off a Pittsburgh fumble). They also added an insurance field goal on a three-yard drive after Pittsburgh turned it over on downs late in the game.
The Broncos made the most of a few terrible punts by Jordan Berry, set up by their defense keeping Pittsburgh from getting very far. When the Patriots punt on Sunday, it'll be important to pin Manning and Co. deep in their own zone, because it's a daunting task to for the 39-year-old Manning march 80+ yards down the field.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Broncos AFC Championship game on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5FM at noon with Patriots Preview, following by three hours of postgame coverage after the game. WBZ-TV's coverage begins at noon with a two-hour edition of Patriots GameDay, with Patriots 5th Quarter being simulcast on WBZ-TV and myTV38 following the game. You can also stream the game on CBSSports.com.
