FanPost

New England's AFCCG Offensive Game Plan

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With a solid defensive line and a speedy set of linebackers, the Denver Broncos feature what is quite possibly the best pass rushing unit in the league. In Chris Harris Jr. (currently nursing a shoulder injury) and former Patriot Aqib Talib, the Broncos also have a pair of shutdown corners to keep the passing game in check. This allows the likes of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback with reckless abandon, which led to a league leading 52 sacks during the regular season. Add some solid contributors up the middle like hard hitting safety T.J. Ward and linebackers Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan and you've got a seriously talented unit.

One might think that teams could simply run the ball against Denver's undersized linebackers, but what they lack in size they make up for in speed. An offensive line can sometimes get a good push against them up front, but any kind of slow developing play (including screen passes) will be swarmed and quickly overrun. Their talented cornerbacks are also used for a lot of one-on-one coverage, which allows their safeties creep up toward the line of scrimmage to fill the gaps against run heavy offenses.

Though the Broncos defense seems imposing on paper, they can be beaten. Their one-on-one coverage often leaves a lot of short and intermediate routes open, and the occasional deep man will even get free due to their willingness to gamble on some sideline passes. In general they are counting on the pass rush to get there, and hoping that their solid coverage linebackers can prevent enough plays between the numbers. Even before the injury to Harris though, there were some areas of the defense that could be exploited.

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The most important player in this game could very well be Patriots receiver Julian Edelman. In their late regular season matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Broncos had some serious difficulty slowing down the dynamic Antonio Brown. Edelman could serve a similar role for the Patriots, breaking free from tight coverage to keep the chains moving and creating opportunities for others with the attention he draws. The Broncos defense thrives on third-and-long situations, so completing a steady stream of quick passes similar to last year's Super Bowl is likely New England's best chance to move the ball down the field on a regular basis. When healthy, Edelman is one of the best players in the league in this kind of offense, and having a healthy Danny Amendola and a more experienced Keshawn Martin this time around will give the Patriots that many more options.

Against an opportunistic Denver defense, avoiding poor plays can be just as important as creating successful ones. This could cause tight end Rob Gronkowski to be relegated to blocking duty more than usual in the passing game. The Broncos rely heavily on their speed rush, so Gronk may be used to chip block more often than not, leaving him to catch short outlet passes when Brady's first read is not there. When the Patriots want to go deep though, sending Gronk down the seam will likely be much more effective than low percentage go routes. Tight end Scott Chandler managed to put up some solid numbers overall against the Broncos the last time these two teams met, but he was also the target on numerous drive killing deep balls along the edge as the Patriots futilely attempted to go over the top. A bit more disguise, such as a double move or Brandon Bolden's nice wheel route is probably necessary if the Pats want to try for a big play down the sidelines.

In this game, the Patriots may want to switch back and forth at times between 2-3 tight end sets and formations with multiple quick receivers depending on what Denver shows them. If Denver starts to overplay the short passing game, then getting the tight ends in there and mixing in a few quick hitting runs now and then could be fairly effective, especially if the pass rushers start to tire from an up tempo offense. The flexibility of New England's skill position players could be key, as both tight ends along with running back James White can move around formations as needed to find exploitable matchups even in "heavy" sets.

The Patriots will have to be very selective when it comes to running plays, passes caught near the line of scrimmage, and deep shots down the field against a speedy and aggressive Denver defense. But this is a team that is built for the short passing game, and they have the tools in place to find a strong rhythm if their offensive line can hold up reasonably well. Successfully executing their game plan could lead to some serious points even against the league's top ranked defense. Now it's up to Brady and the New England coaching staff to make it happen.

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