New England Patriots at Denver Broncos Preview

By J.E. | Saturday, October 15, 2005 | ( 0 )

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The New England Patriots (3-2) visit Invesco Field to take on the Denver Broncos (4-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15pm ET in Denver.

Despite being hit hard by injuries in the early going, the New England Patriots are still finding ways to win ballgames. Last week, their 31-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons had the same old storyline that has become so familiar to football fans across the country: Quarterback Tom Brady leads the offense on a last-minute drive down the field until they are within kicker Adam Vinatieri's range. Then Vinatieri boots the game-winner as the final seconds tick off the clock.

Brady completed 22 of 27 passes for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns to help the Patriots avoid back-to-back losses, which hasn't happened to them since 2002. He will lead the depleted offense again this week against Denver. Deion Branch, David Givens, and TE Daniel Graham are all effective receivers and provide Brady with plenty of options.

Running back Corey Dillon is listed as questionable after leaving last week's game with an injury. The Patriots elected not to tell the media about Dillon's injury, so what really happened is anyone's guess. He will likely play on Sunday, as coach Bill Belichick is notorious for listing players on the injury report whether there is something wrong with them or not. Dillon had his first 100-yard game of the season against Atlanta. He carried the ball 23 times for 106 yards.

The Denver Broncos are coming off a 21-19 win against the Redskins last week. The Broncos got a big play from LB Ian Gold to save the game. Gold knocked away the Redskins' two-point conversion attempt that would have tied it at 21 apiece.

Running back Tatum Bell had a breakout game last week and will be looking to keep up the momentum against the Patriots. Bell rushed for 127 yards and 2 TDs to lead the Denver offense. He now has 281 yards on 45 carries this season. Mike Anderson will also be in the mix for the Broncos. Anderson rushed for 301 yards and 1 TD this year.

Jake Plummer played another error-free game last week, a trend he is going to have to continue against the defending Super Bowl champions. Plummer threw the ball just 25 times against the Redskins, completing 10 of those passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.

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