Before the plane lifts off and carries the New England Patriots to Mile High for a Christmas Eve showdown with the Denver Broncos, Patriots Wire sat down with Broncos Wire editor Jon Heath to preview the game.
The Patriots are coming into this matchup as a dead in the water team with a 3-11 record, while the Broncos are barely clinging to life in the AFC,
New England fought valiantly but ultimately came up short in their last outing against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Broncos are coming off a shocking blowout loss to the Detroit Lions.
What better way to bring in Christmas than a battle between two Hall of Fame coaches, Bill Belichick and Sean Payton, in a game that should be more exciting than it looks on paper.
Here’s our Q&A with Broncos Wire’s Jon Heath:
Before the season, there were talks of the Patriots possibly being interested in Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy. Do you see Jeudy being on the trade block in 2024, or has he done enough to warrant a long-term deal?
I definitely think the Broncos would be willing to trade him in 2024, maybe around the NFL draft. His fifth-year option next year is worth $12.987 million, which isn’t outrageous for a still-young receiver with a lot of potential.
Unfortunately for Denver, a lot of that potential hasn’t been realized. Jeudy is an excellent route runner but he is not heavily featured in Sean Payton’s offense and it’s clear that he lacks confidence this season. A fresh start could be good for all parties involved.
Who has been a surprise standout for the Broncos this season?
Jonathon Cooper was expected to be a backup behind Randy Gregory, Frank Clark and Baron Browning this season. Browning began the year injured and Gregory (trade) and Clark (cut) are no longer on the team.
Even before the Broncos moved on from those ineffective pass rushers, Cooper was a Day 1 starter in Vance Joseph’s defense. He has stepped up in 2023, ranking second on the team with 6.5 sacks while also defending the run well. In an ideal world, Cooper is probably better-suited as a rotational pass rusher, but he has done a great job as a fill-in starter this year.
Win or lose, the Broncos have been in a lot of close games this season. Do you see them as playing to the level of the opposition, and if not, what do you view as their biggest problem?
The biggest weakness on defense is defending the run, so they get in trouble when they get in a hole and have to try to climb out of it. Russell Wilson has shown a lot of improvement under Sean Payton, but he has only topped 300 passing yards in two games this year, and both of those games were early-season losses.
More so than playing to the level of the opposition, the offense hasn’t proven it can win a game on its own when the defense struggles.
The Patriots have been a walking disaster offensively, but they have played well in the first half of the last two games. What's your biggest concern right now for the Broncos' defense?
Definitely New England’s run game. Even if Rhamondre Stevenson is sidelined again, Ezekiel Elliott has proven to be a capable fill-in starter, and defending the run has been Denver’s biggest weakness on defense all year. The Broncos are allowing 146.9 rushing yards per game, dead last in the NFL.
Granted, that number is slightly skewed from the blowout in Miami earlier this year, but last week’s loss to the Lions demonstrated that it’s still a big issue for Denver. If the Patriots can build a lead and run on the Broncos, they’ll have a chance.
Who wins on Christmas Eve Sunday and why?
The Patriots’ defense will probably give Denver’s offense some problems, but New England’s own offense is a mess. The Patriots can’t count on Bailey Zappe to win a game on his own against a stingy Broncos secondary, and the Broncos will probably stack the box to focus on slowing down the Patriots’ run game. Playing at home and desperate to get into the playoff picture, Denver is an expected favorite. Broncos 22, Patriots 13.
