Patriots – Broncos Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?

The Patriots can clinch a postseason spot if…they win and Kansas City loses (or ties) or Pittsburgh and Cincinnati loses.

Over the first six games of the season, Denver’s tight end corps averaged a mere three catches for 20 yards.

Tom Brady versus Brock Osweiler just doesn’t have the same NFL Hall of Fame ring to it.

Don’t jump on that train of thought too quickly.

Redskins (+2.5) over Giants: The Redskins are 4-1 at home, 0-5 on the road.

We here at PatsFans.com are continuing our “Razor’s Edge” column in 2015 to give a quick break down on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out. Go by the numbers, not the logo on the side of the helmet. With Marshawn Lynch out last weekend, Rawls rushed for 209 yards against the San Francisco 49ers, the second-best game in franchise history. But it’s very far from elite.

Brock Osweiler won at Chicago last weekend in his first start after serving as Manning’s backup for the first 62 games of his National Football League career. It was a solid win for the young QB, in which he threw two touchdowns and no interceptions. He’ll be destroyed by the Patriots. Matchups and injuries throughout the National Football League make many games toss-ups. But that defense is still just as rugged.

Manning will not be active, play or even wear his uniform for Sunday’s showdown between the Broncos and Patriots due to injury.

But the Denver Broncos aren’t exactly spring chickens as they brace for the grind of their schedule that has advanced past Thanksgiving. Osweiler is still unproven, however, and will face the toughest test of his life against Bill Belichick’s top-ranked defense. The Patriots must stop the run to put more pressure on Osweiler.

On one hand, it’s the old immovable object and unstoppable force. And he’s never faced a Broncos defense this talented.

But this isn’t the same Patriots offense that compiled many of those statistics. When those two clash, historically, the defense wins.

“This defense that we’re playing is the best defense in the NFL”, Brady said. It’s another rough break for the second-year pro, whose rookie season last year ended in the preseason when he sustained an elbow injury. Davis hasn’t caught a pass from Manning in three games with his new team.

If Manning does return in Week 15, that mean’s he’ll have had over a month off to heal.

Without Julian Edelman, the Patriots have done a remarkable job of creating points on special teams over the past two weeks. Without a true threat at quarterback, the -3 favored Patriots can focus on stopping running backs Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, who combined for a 161 yards rushing last week. Wide receiver Danny Amendola is a game-time decision at Mile High.

The Patriots still have Rob Gronkowski, and James White played well in place of Lewis against the Bills.

But will he play again this season?

But the Pats only beat the Bills 13-20. “They didn’t all the time”.

In order to make room for Ponder, the Broncos placed defensive end Kenny Anunike on season-ending Injured Reserve on Wednesday. Osweiler’s ability to run coach Gary Kubiak’s trademark bootlegs and rollouts, the addition of bruising blocker Richard Gordon, and the increasingly bigger role played by the tight ends, have given the Broncos a more diversified offense than just two weeks ago.