Broncos' struggles with tight ends will doom Denver in clash with Patriots

FOXBOROUGH -- Former NFL scout Matt Williamson says this week’s Patriots-Broncos clash in Denver won’t follow the same old script we’ve seen in previous showdowns at Sports Authority Field at Mile High for a few reasons.

First, while the Denver defense remains one of the best in the league, the Patriots should be able to exploit its Achilles’ heel: tight ends.

“The Broncos have had major problems with tight ends all year, and that (Rob) Gronkowski guy is pretty good,” Williamson said, tongue-in-cheek.

“They play man coverage, but their linebackers aren’t good in coverage. I mean, they’ve been great against the run, but pretty bad against the pass. I don’t think a lot of that is necessarily tied to the loss of T.J. Ward — he was slipping. I mean, I don’t think they would have gotten rid of him at the height of his powers, and he was better against the run than the pass.

“But that’s a match-up the Patriots should be able to exploit,” Williamson said of Denver, which is 25th in the league when it comes to slowing opposing tight ends in the passing game, according to Football Outsiders.

Williams says the Broncos have to account for the fact that the New England passing game is a little different than the one Denver has faced in recent years.

“One of the things that stands out is that Denver, at least historically, always plays well against New England, is that they’re such a good man coverage team,” he said. “The Broncos have always been one of the best teams in the league when it comes to defending the Patriots’ passing game, especially when it comes to the short stuff and quick hitters that get so many other teams.

“But the thing is, this year, that’s really not what the Patriots have been about. I mean, (Julian) Edelman is gone and they picked up Brandin Cooks and Phillip Dorsett and taken more shots downfield. They just haven’t used that short game as much as they have in the past five years or so. So this game has the chance to be a little different than the ones they’ve had in the past, at least in that regard.”

The Broncos’ best chance? Williamson said that lies with Von Miller, who has to submit a transcendent performance in order for the Broncos to come away with a win.

“Ultimately, I don’t think New England is that great, but I don’t think the Broncos will be able to run much against the Patriots,” he said. “Their best chance? If Von Miller is the best player on the field and causes multiple turnovers. But Brady just doesn’t do that. And even though there’s a chance Marcus Cannon doesn’t play this week, Bill Belichick is going to be aware of Miller and how important he’s going to be, and adjust accordingly.”