Patriots look to end Tebow’s magical season
The New England Patriots look to win their first playoff game since 2007 on Saturday night against Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. From a Patriot fans perspective, you’re feeling pretty confident in the matchup against the Broncos, and thankful to avoid another game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots handled the Broncos back in week 15, beating them in Denver, 41-23, but will this rematch be just as lopsided? Vegas think’s so with the early line showing the Patriots as 14 point favorites at home. The truth of the matter is, this game is going to be close.
Back in week 15, the Patriots found themselves in a 16-7 hole early in the second quarter. The Broncos played uncharacteristically the rest of the quarter, turning the ball over on three fumbles, one from Tebow, one from Lance Ball, and another from returner Quan Cosby (who has since been released) which all led to scores by the Patriots. Brady took these turnovers and made the Broncos pay with a touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez and a touchdown run of his own. Tom Brady could easily win this game on his own for the Patriots. He is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, and he especially knows how to play when the pressure is on. There are a just few things that concern me about this game, and it all includes the Patriots last three playoff games they have played.
Last year, the Patriots season ended in shock and disappointment. Coming off a first round bye and a 45-3 beating in the last meeting of the two teams, the Patriots lost at Gillette Stadium to Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets, 28-21. The Jets played physical, and got to Tom Brady with the pass rush and blitz scheme which has proved to be the downfall of the Patriots in the playoffs in recent years. The Jets got to Brady for 5 sacks, and forced one interception, and that is the Patriot’s offenses one major flaw. Denver has the tools to put the pressure on Brady again this week. Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil were a non-factor in the game back in week 15, but they were all over the field last week against the Steelers. For the Patriots to succeed offensively, they will need to protect Tom Brady and give him time in the pocket. We all saw what happened when he was given time a few weeks ago, and he picked apart the Denver secondary.
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The second thing the Patriots will need to do to win is force turnovers on defense. The Patriots won’t let Tim Tebow beat them, but they will allow the Broncos to run the football, as they did for over 200 yards in week 15. However, if the Patriots can force turnovers again, they will have no problem advancing to the AFC Championship. This is by far the worst Patriots defense we have seen in a long time, and definitely the worst under Bill Belichick. The strange thing is, at some points during games they look really good. They can give up 21 points in a quarter and then give up none the rest of the game and force a turnover nearly every possession as we saw in week 17 against the Bills. The Broncos use one or two wide receiver sets for the most part, so the Patriots will probably play man up front with zone help over the top to eliminate the deep plays that Tim Tebow had all day against the Steelers. Tebow struggles hitting the underneath passes, and consistently hitting 5-10 yard plays to sustain a drive. If the Patriots can limit this offense to one or two big plays, then this game will not be close.
Former Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels is back with the Patriots and will be on the sidelines for this game on Saturday. I am not sure how much of an advantage this gives the Patriots, because John Fox installed an entirely new offense to revolve around Tebow this season. I feel really bad for McDaniels. He was given so much criticism for moving up to draft Tim Tebow in the first round, and was also criticized for drafting Demaryius Thomas over Dez Bryant. He was chased out of Denver, and now it looks like his moves weren’t so bad after all. He was the only one in the NFL draft room who believed in Tim Tebow back then, and now he can finally say “I told you so”, even though he will be rooting against Tebow on the Patriots sideline. Will the Patriots get back to their winning ways in the playoffs, or will it be another shocking ending to the season? Gillette should be rocking on Saturday night and the Patriots could find themselves heading to the AFC Championship.
By: Mike Thibault
ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent