The New England Patriots are back in the AFC Championship Game, and unlike the Denver Broncos are in relatively good shape. While they will be without starting outside linebacker Harold Landry, their questions pale in comparison to a top seed that placed its starting quarterback on injured reserve on Saturday and did not activate its best running back for the game.
Nonetheless, the Broncos are a team more than capable of ending the Patriots’ season. While Jarrett Stidham projects as a downgrade to
Bo Nix, the team as a whole is full of talent from top to bottom.
This means that the Patriots will need to be on top of their game from the first to the 47th player on their game day roster (because, ideally, backup QB Joshua Dobbs won’t be needed to make the difference). The following six in particular, however, are who we will keep an eye on for various reasons.
QB Drake Maye
Obviously, Drake Maye is the player to watch for the Patriots every single week. However, going against a third stellar defense in a row, he will be in the spotlight quite a bit: the first two games, against the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans, after all, were a struggle for the Pro Bowl quarterback. While still making top-notch plays and leading the Patriots to victory, his ball security was lacking at times.
Through two postseason contests, Maye has fumbled the ball six times, losing three, and also thrown a pair of interceptions (although one of those was a Hail Mary). The fumbles especially have been an issue, and something the sophomore QB knows he needs to improve heading into this week.
“Be mindful back there and just know that my job is to protect the football, and that’s every game,” he said. “I think one of the biggest things with the guys up front is it’s my job to have a timer in my head, and those guys have done a great job all year. So, I haven’t lost trust in those guys up front, and I know that we faced some pretty good edge rushers in the past couple weeks. I know we’ve got another good set of edge rushers coming up this week. So just know, have a feel for it and just protect football because that’s my job.”
WR Mack Hollins
After missing the last four games because of an abdomen injury, starting wide receiver Mack Hollins will be back in the lineup this week. On paper, his presence should help improve the Patriots’ receiving corps especially against a secondary lacking his size: at 6-foot-4, 221 pounds he is bigger than any cornerbacks the Broncos have available.
Obviously, size alone does not make a good NFL receiver. However, Hollins could be actively involved from the get go, even though it remains to be seen how big his workload will be after not playing in a game since December and only practicing twice this week.
LT Will Campbell and LG Jared Wilson
The Patriots’ offensive line has faced its challenges this season, and especially since entering the playoffs. The left side in particular has been an Achilles heel of sorts: left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson have had a rough go in both contests, contributing to the negative plays involving Drake Maye mentioned above.
Unfortunately for the two rookies, their job will not be getting any easier anytime soon. Denver’s defense is legitimate, and led by the most productive pass rush in the NFL this season. Led by Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen, who will see their fair share of snaps against the two youngsters, the Broncos have disrupted opposing quarterbacks at one of the highest rates in football.
The ability to hold and sustain blocks will be crucial, but so will be the communication between Campbell and Wilson in particular. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is not afraid to throw blitzes at the offense, or to call upon his linemen to execute stunts and other line games. If the Patriots’ young blockers are unable to react accordingly and play with sloppy technique it could be a long day at the office for them, and by extension the rest of their unit.
LB Christian Elliss
While going up against his brother, Denver linebacker and special teamer Jonah Elliss, is one of the neat sub-plots of this week’s game, Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss will still be a player who could have an impact on the game. The 27-year-old, after all, has played some very good football this postseason both when it comes to attacking downhill versus the run and being involved as a blitzer.
How the Patriots will use their linebackers against Jarrett Stidham will be seen. If Zak Kuhr decides to keep his aggressive approach going with an inexperienced quarterback on the other side, Elliss could become a major actor on Sunday.
CB Christian Gonzalez
The Broncos may not have Bo Nix available, but they will have a full complement of receivers around Jarrett Stidham. The big name among those is Courtland Sutton, a Pro Bowler just like the player who he might be seeing the most in man coverage on Sunday: Christian Gonzalez.
The third-year Patriots cornerback has been excellent all year, and still managed to elevate his game since the Patriots entered the tournament. While targeted a league-high 21 times by the Chargers and Texans, he surrendered just seven catches for 58 yards and an average of 2.8 yards per target. If he keeps that pace against Sutton, which would effectively eliminate him from the game, Stidham will have a tougher time filling in for Denver’s regular QB.
