Early Thoughts on the Broncos-Patriots Week Five Matchup

By Sayre Bedinger
for BroncosZone.com

Published: October 6, 2009

The first quarter of the Denver Broncos’ season has been nothing short of magical.

A team that was expected to struggle mightily by many has vaulted itself into the NFL’s elite in only a short four weeks.

They won on the longest game-winning play in NFL history against the now 3-1 Cincinnati Bengals on the road in week one. They continued their storied dominance over the Cleveland Browns in week two with a crushing 27-6 win. In week three, they went on the road to Oakland and came away with a 23-3 win over their bitter rivals.

With doubt in full form, they erased a 10-point deficit at home to the Dallas Cowboys and won 17-10 in dramatic fashion.

All of that being said, can anyone explain why Denver continues to get a raw deal from the main stream media?

Mike Florio’s popular blog at Pro Football Talk has the Broncos rated as the 15th best team in his latest, yes latest power rankings. ESPN.com has the Broncos rated outside of the top five as well, ranking Denver eighth in their latest list.

And really, these writers and so called “analysts” have no reason to put Denver outside of the top five. The Broncos are one of five remaining teams in the NFL who are unbeaten along with Indianapolis, New York Giants, New Orleans, and Minnesota.

They also boast the NFL’s top defense, allowing only 6.5 points per game, yet they continue to garner no respect.

Some say that the media is “angry” that Denver is undefeated. The Broncos were not supposed to be this good. They were not supposed to start 4-0, and now that they have, the analysts and “experts” are questioning their competition.

While this is quite pathetic and unfair, the Broncos and their fans should continue to not care. Winning is the cure-all for lack of respect, and the Broncos have proven through the first quarter of this season that they are, in fact, for real.

Heading into week five, the Broncos will host their rookie head coaches former team in the New England Patriots, who appear after four games to also be among the NFL’s elite.

New England, though not staggering on offense or defense, is an extremely well-coached team. They have a ton of weapons on offense, and though their defense is missing a lot of key pieces, they rank in the top ten in three of the four major categories.

Coming off of a serious knee injury, quarterback Tom Brady has helped his team to two straight victories over undefeated teams, though he has not been his usual dominant self. Through the first four games, Brady has thrown for 1,129 yards, four touchdowns, two picks, and a QB rating of 83.7.

His main weapons on offense are leading receiver Randy Moss, slot machine Wes Welker, tight end Ben Watson, and veteran running back Fred Taylor.

If the Broncos are going to win this game, they will likely have to do it without the help of running back Correll Buckhalter, who leads the NFL among starting running backs with 7.2 yards per carry. His absence likely means rookie Knowshon Moreno, who has steadily improved over the last three games will get the bulk of the work on Sunday.

It could also mean that Peyton Hillis, who has been virtually absent this season could see some time as well. Either way, it will be interesting to see how Denver attacks this versatile defense.

Moreno is averaging only 15 attempts rushing per game, and this team could rely on him to touch the ball a total of 25-35 times on Sunday against the Patriots. The Broncos could look to off-set New England’s fast, aggressive defense with a series of screen passes.

When the Broncos take the field on Sunday, they will be wearing their yellow and brown 50th anniversary uniforms for the first time this season. They look to improve to 5-0 on the season and head into their battle with division rival San Diego on a high note.

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Early Thoughts on the Broncos-Patriots Week Five Matchup

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