Patriots vs Broncos: New England Game Plan

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For a team that prides itself on week-to-week versatility, the New England Patriots aren’t accustomed to this level of inflexibility. Injuries have hampered how creative Bill Belichick can really be on both sides of the ball, an ominous development ahead of their most challenging game of the year at the Denver Broncos.

Granted, the Broncos are hardly a Goliath themselves, having clawed their way past the wreckage of Peyton Manning’s twilight days to post an 8-2 record. With injuries shelving Manning, first-time starter Brock Osweiler has actually allowed Gary Kubiak to run more of his preferred under-center movement-based schemes. As unfathomable as it may be, the Patriots may have preferred to see their long-time nemesis in this matchup.

The Broncos snapped a two-game losing streak and picked up a win in Brock Osweiler’s first career start last week, edging the Chicago Bears 17-15 on the road. The Broncos failed to cover the spread as a 2.5-point favorite, falling to 0-3 ATS over their last three games after starting the season off on a 7-0 SU and 5-1-1 ATS run.

Denver is 3-4 SU and ATS in its last seven games as a home underdog, but did beat Green Bay 29-10 as a home underdog this season.

Sunday’s total is set at 43.5 points. The OVER is 4-1 in New England’s last five road games.

Just as the Detroit Pistons of the late 80s and early 90s constructed the “Jordan Rules” to stave off Michael Jordan’s ascent, it appears NFL defensive coordinators are now forming bylines for the “Gronk Rules.” It’s rare to see Gronkowski get a free release off the line anymore, and when he does, he’ll almost universally see bracket coverage from an underneath defender and a safety who cheats towards his side over the top.

Every week in this space, we’ll list two offensive and two defensive players critical to the game plan who haven’t necessarily received much attention in the sections above. Not all of these selections will necessarily be the most obvious choices, but each figures to play a key factor in New England’s chances of victory.

Scott Chandler: Is this the week Chandler finally breaks out? Patriots fans have been asking that question for weeks, and if the free-agent signing can’t distinguish himself amid a group of wide receivers from the cast of The Replacements, it might be time to deem Chandler a lost cause.

However, he did play a season-high 50.7 percent of the snaps against Buffalo, per PFF, though he caught just one pass for three yards. New England will almost certainly lean on two- and three-tight end sets for the majority of Sunday night’s contest, giving Chandler and his receiving skill set another shot at extended playing time. For the first time this season, he might get a real chance to show what he can do in a featured role.