The undefeated New England Patriots travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to face the Denver Broncos in huge AFC matchup. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will look for his offense to continue to play well, as they are currently ranked third in the NFL in terms of yards per game. The Patriots face arguably their toughest challenge yet, as the Broncos are the top ranked defense in the NFL in terms of yards per game, making this a very interesting matchup.
The Patriots will be without wide receiver Danny Amendola on Sunday night, and Belichick will continue to search his roster for players to step up. Quarterback Tom Brady is having another incredible season as the Patriots franchise quarterback and has thrown for 3,320 yards with 25 touchdowns to four interceptions.
Brady will look to target tight end Rob Gronkowski as he presents a matchup nightmare for any defense. The Patriots' 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight end is too quick for linebackers and too big for corners to take down by themselves. Gronkowski leads the team with 843 receiving yards and has scored eight touchdowns this year.
The Broncos defense has likely spent this past week watching game film on Gronkowski and will try to limit the Patriots star tight end Sunday night. Linebackers Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan lead Denver's defense and will look to contain Brady and the Patriots offense on Sunday. Marshall is the team's leading tackler this season with 78 total tackles. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware has been ruled out, and the Broncos will need other pass rushers to step up in his absence.
Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler will make his second start Sunday against the Patriots and is coming off a strong performance in a win over the Chicago Bears last week. Osweiler threw for 250 yards with two touchdowns and had a 74.1 completion percentage. Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak will try to establish a strong ground game against the Patriots, as that will alleviate pressure on their young quarterback.
Denver running back Ronnie Hillman is coming off a great game against the Bears in which he averaged 4.9 yards per carry. The Broncos running back leads the team in rushing with 528 yards and has scored five touchdowns this season. Hillman will likely need to have an impact on this game if the Broncos want to hand New England their first loss of the year.
It's looks to be a very interesting matchup between the Broncos' stingy defense and New England's explosive offense. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Broncos' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Patriots' radio broadcast, go here.
