6 rings: 3 crucial clashes in Patriots vs. broncos on christmas eve
The Patriots sit at 3-11 through their first 14 games of the season, and they now head to Denver's Empower Field at Mile High Stadium to take on the 7-7 Broncos.
As we do every week, both here at WEEI.com and on the 6 Rings and Football Things podcast feed, let's take a look at three crucial clashes to watch this weekend at Mile High:
- Patriots pass catchers vs. Broncos secondary
The Patriots got their leading wide receiver on the season back from a concussion last week in Demario Douglas, but his three catches for 33 yards on five targets didn’t help out much in their 27-17 loss to the Chiefs.
Their top pass catcher in the game, tight end Hunter Henry, left early with a knee injury and did not return. He was then absent from Wednesday’s practice, putting his status for this weekend in doubt.
This leaves quarterback Bailey Zappe with limited weaponry against a stout Broncos defense, and more specifically a loaded secondary led by second-year cornerback Pat Surtain II.
“Obviously, [Justin] Simmons and Surtain are two of the better DBs in the league,” head coach Bill Belichick said in his weekly Wednesday monologue about their opponent. “You can see their improvement over the course of the year. Turnovers have been a big thing.”
While Surtain II has just one INT this year, he’s a blanket in pass coverage and has turned himself into one of the better cornerbacks in all of football over less than two full seasons. As for Simmons, the 30-year-old out of Boston College has notched two interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2023.
With Zappe working with DeVante Parker, Douglas, (maybe) JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mike Gesicki as his top options, getting open against these guys is going to be tough sledding.
“It’s really up to us to execute what we're trying to attack,” Zappe said when asked about Denver’s defense. “You know, just all on the same page. Communicate well and just try to go out there and play football.”
- Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy vs. Patriots cornerbacks
Wide receiver Cortland Sutton has been a touchdown machine this season for the Broncos, hauling in 10 so far through their first 14 games.
Prior to 2023, the former second-round pick out of SMU had found paydirt just 14 times, but a newfound connection with quarterback Russell Wilson (which we’ll get to) has proven to be paramount in his success this season:
“[Courtland] Sutton’s as good as there is,” Bill Belichick said of the pass-catcher this week. “Big guy, great hands, contested catches, a really hard guy to cover. He’s had tremendous production, especially down the field.” On the year, Sutton has tallied 58 catches for 770 yards to go with his his 10 scores.
Despite a down season, Denver’s No. 2 wide receiver in Jerry Jeudy can also be a problem. A former teammate of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones at Alabama, the pass catcher has 45 catches and 581 on 70 targets in 2023, but has hauled in just one touchdown.
Covering these two will be a hodge podge group of cornerbacks. With the Patriots currently having three of their top cornerbacks on reserves lists in Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, and J.C. Jackson, they enter Sunday’s game in Denver with Jonathan Jones, Shaun Wade, Myles Bryant, and Alex Austin manning the room.
Austin got his first start last Sunday against the Chiefs in Jackson’s place, and according to coverage stats gathered by MassLive’s Mark Daniels, didn’t allow a completion on two targets.
“It meant a lot,” Austin said this past weekend when asked what it meant to start his first NFL game. “Blessed with the opportunity and for the coaches being able to trust me.”
He’ll have his work cut out for him on Christmas Eve, no matter who he’s assigned to go up against.
- Russell Wilson vs. Bill Belichick & co.
After a disappointing 2022 in his first season in Denver, quarterback Russell Wilson looks to be inching closer to the caliber player he was when he signed a five-year, $245 million extension with the Broncos before even playing a down.
Following a 4-11 record in his first campaign, the team moved on from Nathaniel Hackett and brought on Sean Payton to steer the ship in 2023. As a result, Wilson has thrown for 24 touchdowns and just eight interceptions through 14 games this season and has Denver back in playoff contention with three games to go in the year.
“Wilson's definitely a problem,” Running, throwing, extended plays, similar to what we talked about last week with [Patrick] Mahomes, but runs more, runs more than probably any quarterback in the league other than [Lamar] Jackson.”
Not only has Wilson played much better football this season, but he’s also played incredibly well against the Patriots throughout his entire career. Since 2012, the now-Broncos quarterback is 3-1 against Bill Belichick’s defenses and has thrown 13 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He’s also never tallied a passer rating under 110.6.
Given the state of New England’s season and the current outlook on both Jerod Mayo and Belichick’s job statuses, a solid performance against Denver could go a long way for their future.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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