Sunday the Patriots will take a trip across the country to take on their good friends, the Denver Broncos with a trip to Superbowl 50 on the line. And, in case you didn’t hear, it will represent the 17th matchup between the two great quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The two teams met in late november with Denver prevailing in overtime, but much has changed since then. In that game, New England was without Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Jamie Collins and lost Dont’a Hightower and Rob Gronkowski during the game. All those key players will be on the field this sunday, but theres one other minor difference, in that the Broncos were led by Brock Osweiler, not Peyton Manning. While New England is as healthy as they’ve been since October, Denver’s star CB Chris Harris will be battling with what looks like a very serious shoulder injury this Sunday. Harris is typically a physical corner who excels when he can get his hands on the opposing receiver, so that will be something to keep an eye on. At the end of the day, both defenses will have to do the following:
- New England must limit the Denver running game as best they can. Peyton Manning is not the same quarterback as he was years ago, so if New England can force Manning to throw the ball, it could be beneficiary for the Patriots.
- Denver’s pass rush with Von Miller and Demarcus Ware will have to take over and get to Brady. Brady is so dominant in getting the ball out quick, so the Denver pass rushers will have to be on top of their game Sunday.
Final Prediction:
New England 31 Denver 23- While I believe Denver’s defense will do a great job in keeping the game close, Peyton Manning is a mere game manager at this point in his career, and if Denver falls behind, I believe it will be very difficult for Peyton to keep Denver in this game.
Marty & Marty's Crazy Sports Blog 