AFC Championship Game Preview- New England Patriots at Denver Broncos

     This is as close to a “perfect matchup” as you can get in a championship game. The top two seeds clash with a birth to the Super Bowl on the line. The headlines are never ending. Brady vs. Manning for the 15^th time. Wes Welker playing his former team. Both teams' running game picking up steam. Both defenses getting a little stingier. Taking all things into consideration, Sunday can’t get here fast enough. Let’s break down the teams by the phases of the game:

Offense: Clear advantage goes to the Broncos here. Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker. It’s hard to say who is the number one option and who is the fourth option, but the fact is that the fourth option on this list would probably be the number one option on most NFL teams. The reason it is hard to tell who the top option really is, is because of the guy distributing the wealth. Quarterback Peyton Manning is masterful at reading defenses and exploiting favorable matchups. Some weeks it’s DT. Some weeks it’s Welker. Some weeks it’s a combination. Some weeks it’s all 4. Then if you commit to try and slow down the passing attack, the Broncos can run the ball. Knowshon Moreno went for 224 yards against these Patriots just a couple months ago. With Manning at the helm, who threw for an NFL record 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards, he knows the defense almost as well as he knows his offense. Though his arm strength has fallen off a little, his accuracy is still as deadly as ever. The unit that allows all of this success is the offensive line, arguably the best Manning has ever had. Clark, Beadles, Ramirez, Vasquez, and Franklin have the ability to run block (280 yards vs. Patriots) and pass block (0 sacks and just one hit on Manning last week vs. Chargers). The Patriots are much different than that this year. Their third best receiver is actually running back Shane Vereen who actually missed eight games due to injury. Their top receiver has become a converted quarterback 7^th round pick. Both starting running backs (Lagarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley) have been benched due to fumbling problems. Rob Gronkowski missed most of the season to injury and free agent signee Danny Amendola has been on and off the field. On the offensive line, starting right tackle Sebastian Vollmer was placed on IR midseason. However, lately the offense has picked up steam-on the ground. Last week, Tom Brady posted the highest QBR in playoff history for a quarterback without a touchdown pass. And the team still scored 44 points. They are managing to get the job done, but that will be harder against a rising Denver defensive front.

Defense: This category has to be a tie because both defenses are mediocre but both are rising. The Denver Broncos held the Chargers rushing attack to 65 total yards with the leading rusher Ryan Matthews only having 29 yards. They will need more of that with New England’s rising rushing attack coming to town. The Broncos did take a hit in their secondary, losing Chris Harris Jr. with a torn ACL, but luckily for them, the Patriots do not have a wide receiver that can take advantage of that. For the Patriots, their front seven have been bad. Last time vs. Denver they gave up 280 rushing yards. They also can’t get pressure with a standard 4-man rush and they are set to go against one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. They have to find a way to pressure Manning, but blitzing Manning will cost them chunks of yardage down the field. The pass defense is getting better though, with stellar play from Aqib Talib and the rising play of Alfonzo Dennard.

Special Teams: Let’s see, the Broncos have the most electrifying returner in the NFL in Trindon Holliday, who had two special team touchdowns in last years playoff loss for Denver. They also have the kicker who recently set an NFL record for the longest field goal in league history in Matt Prater. The Patriots have an injured punter, which has thrust the kicker into a punter role as well and Tom Brady has had to become the holder. Advantage, Denver.

Coaching: I think Bill Belichick may be a little overrated but Peyton Manning himself said he was the best coach in NFL history so he gets the edge here.

Prediction: Broncos 38 Patriots 31. The elevation will be a factor with all the youth on the Patriots and the crowd noise will affect Brady. Home field is the difference.