FanHouse Preview: Patriots at Broncos

It's not very often you'll find a 4-0 team as a home underdog against a non-undefeated team, but that's exactly the scenario that has played out. New England's only road game this season was in New York, where the Jet defense completely stifled the New England offense as the team handed the Patriots their only loss of the season. No defense has played better than that of the Denver Broncos, and the team has given up just 26 points combined over the first four games of the season. Sure, a couple of those games were against Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell-led teams, but you can only beat the teams you play, and Denver has done a great job of that this year.

---

---

Three Key Questions:

1. With starter Correll Buckhalter out with an ankle injury, is Knowshon Moreno ready to be the man?

2. Can the New England offensive line slow down the aggressive, big-play Denver pass rush?

3. Is Wes Welker finally healthy enough to return to excelling in the New England offense?

Player in the Spotlight: Champ Bailey. The grizzled veteran looked like his old self in last week's win over the Cowboys, completely taking over in the fourth quarter and swatting balls away from Dallas receivers at will. There's a big leap in talent from Roy Williams and the Dallas receiving corps to Randy Moss. The last time these two teams met, Moss caught two touchdown passes en route to a 41-7 shellacking of the Broncos. If Moss catches two touchdowns again this week, Bailey and the Denver secondary have failed. The key will be Denver's ability to put pressure on the quarterback, and Bailey's ability to continue his renaissance.

New England's Path to Victory: With Fred Taylor likely out for the season, the multi-talented New England rushing committee has gotten a bit smaller. Taylor led the team with 201 rushing yards and a 4.5 yards-per-carry average, and no other Patriot back has even 100 yards on the season. The Patriots will have to exploit the Broncos' aggressiveness with quick passes to Welker, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk, the latter two veteran running backs. I wouldn't be surprised to see the two of them in the backfield together much of the day, as both are good blockers and great receivers. Once the linebackers and safeties have to turn their attention to stopping the short running game, that's when Moss will look to break one.

Denver's Path to Victory: New England is third in the league in time-of-possession, holding the ball for over 35 minutes on average in a game. For Denver to win, they'll have to keep the ball away from that methodical New England offense. The Patriot defense has only managed one interception through the first four games, despite facing young QBs Trent Edwards, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. As long as Kyle Orton protects the football and doesn't try forcing bad passes, Denver should be able to win the ball-control game. From there, it's a matter of Moreno making would-be tacklers miss and the defense containing the short passing game of New England.

Prediction: In a Week 5 filled with uninteresting games, this battle stands head and shoulders above the rest. People proclaimed Dallas as the first real test for the Denver defense, and that test was passed with flying colors. Yet some remain unconvinced. I say that none know the intricacies of the New England offense better than Denver coach Josh McDaniels, and it will be up to New England coach Bill Belichick to stay one step ahead. Does he have the personnel to keep up, or will the student overtake the master? Snow is in the forecast, which favors the home team here. Denver 24, New England 14.