NFL: Patriots-Broncos AFC Title Game Rematch On The Horizon?
Is a AFC Championship Game Rematch in store between the Broncos and Patriots?
As we stand thru Week 14, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are clearly once again the two best teams in the AFC during the regular season and both are definitely the two teams I expect to see going at it in the AFC Championship Game come January.
And honestly, what NFL fan wouldn’t want to see these two squads face-off in another AFC Title Game again – like last year.
Ever since Peyton Manning signed as a free agent with the Broncos in 2012, Denver and New England have been by far the two superior teams in the AFC. The last two years we’ve seen both teams finish with the top two records in the AFC. In 2012, Denver finished 13-3 and clinched the No.1 seed, while New England went 12-4 and nailed the No.2 seed. Both teams failed to make the Super Bowl that year, with each falling prey to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. In 2013, Denver went 13-3 and secured the No.1 seed, as New England went 12-4 and finished as the No.2 seed. They battled in the conference title game with Denver prevailing 26-16 at home.
Both Super Bowl contenders find themselves in the same position again this season and for the third year in a row it’s looking more and more likely that Denver and New England will be locked in as the top two seeds once the AFC playoffs start.
Two-time MVP Tom Brady has the Patriots rolling at 10-3 and his old rival in five-time MVP Peyton Manning has Denver at 10-3 as well – both teams tied for the AFC’s best mark and league’s best mark. However, the Patriots hold the tiebreaker if they finish with identical records because of the 43-21 beatdown they gave the Broncos in Foxboro in Week 9.
Ever since the Patriots started the season slow at 2-2 and critics believed that Brady, Belichick, & Co were finished, they got super-hot and reeled off seven straight wins – including clobbering four division leaders (Indianapolis 42-20, Cincinnati 43-17, Denver 43-21, Detroit 34-9) during that stretch until they lost probably the “Biggest Game of the Regular Season” last week to Green Bay 26-21 at Lambeau Field.
One weakness coming into the season that plenty are able to point out about the Patriots was their low productive and deficient receiving corp, but so far this season, they have been exceptional. Having tight end Rob Gronkowski (in my opinion the NFL’s best tight end) fully healthy makes a huge difference in this offense and gives Brady one of the toughest guys to cover (offensively and defensively) in NFL history to throw to.
Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell have been consistent all year. On the year, Brady has spread the wealth throwing a touchdown pass to seven different players and it seems like whomever Belichick plugs in at running back always produces at a notable rate. Since that Week 4 loss to Kansas City on Monday Night Football, the Pats offense has been just drenching teams, averaging 35.6 points per game, beating opponents by 16.5 ppg, and has went 8-1. The main reason I feel that the Pats look Super Bowl ready is because of their stick-glue, cover-tight secondary of Darrelle Revis, Devin McCourty, and Brandon Browner. The Patriots seem to have all the ingredients to make another run at a title.
The Broncos on the other hand, have the most complete team in the NFL – to me. They will presumably have 10 to 12 players make the Pro Bowl and what a surprise…they have Peyton Manning on their side. They have the best receiving group in the league with Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders. Although their running game hasn’t been as good this year as it was last year when Knowshon Moreno and Ronnie Hillman was carrying it, they can still establish it and make their presence be felt with C.J. Anderson running well.
The Broncos loaded up defensively in the offseason and have proved to be one of the best teams against the run (giving up 72.8 rushing yards per game which ranks second in the NFL). The stars for this team on the defensive side of the ball are Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Nate Irving, Aqib Talib, Rahim Moore, Brandon Marshall, and Chris Harris. The Broncos have pretty much an All-Star team and anything less than a title would be disappointing.
So yes, the Patriots and Broncos are heading for a rematch in the AFC Title Game in 2014 and they should be. Both teams are superior to the other contenders like the Colts, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Chargers, and Chiefs. They just have to get the job done. Whether it’s in New England or Denver, it’s gonna be a doozy.
I’m rooting for a Patriots-Broncos/ Brady vs Manning showdown on Championship Sunday that’s for sure. And so should you be.