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Players to Watch: Patriots vs. Broncos
Patriots Football Weekly's Andy Hart gives you his players to watch during Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos.
The Patriots will need to throw the ball in Denver, and Tom Brady will need someone other than Julian Edelman to make plays. Dobson returned to practice this week from his foot injury, while Collie has been productive in limited chances.
The Patriots may have to get some pressure on Peyton Manning and make him somewhat uncomfortable. Jones and Ninkovich did a nice job of that last week against Andrew Luck. They may not sack Manning often, but getting to and hitting will be important.
Brady and the passing attack have been a complementary aspect of the New England offense in the last three games. The Broncos have a decent run defense and a banged up secondary, so No. 12 should and likely will be looking for ways to take advantage of the Denver weakness.
New England's big back has eight touchdowns in the last three games and has literally rolled into the AFC title game. He may not have to carry quite as much of the load as in recent weeks, but Blount and the running game will need to be productive in the Mile High City.
Everything that Denver does begins and ends with Manning. All the pressure is on him to prove he won't choke in yet another postseason game, yet another matchup with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Bailey is a Hall of Fame talent whose best days are behind him. But given injuries in the Denver secondary he'll have a bigger role this week as he tries to take another step toward his first Super Bowl title.
The Broncos have endless weapons, but there is little doubt this is a special game for Welker. The slot receiver would probably enjoy nothing more than to go through Bill Belichick's team on his way to what No. 83 hopes will be his first Super Bowl title.
Denver's top running back had 224 yards against New England in the regular season. It's unlikely he'll reach those heights again against an improved New England run defense. But the Broncos will likely try to remain balanced on offense.
The playmaking tight end didn't suit up in the regular season meeting between these clubs. He's an athletic challenge for any defense, but watching Thomas against Jamie Collins could be an intriguing one-on-one matchup in this battle that is full of them.
