How Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos can beat the New England Patriots

With three games to go, the Broncos probably need three more wins to make the playoffs. The first game is Sunday afternoon when they host the New England Patriots.

The gameplan for the Broncos should be simple; just don’t screw up.

The Patriots carry a 3-11 record into Sunday’s game. The Broncos have a chance to hand Bill Belichick the first 12-loss season of his career. With a win, the Broncos would also become the only team in the NFL to have a winning record against Belichick’s Patriots.

The Broncos are touchdown favorites, and they should be. If they bring their “B” game on Sunday, they’ll probably leave with a win.

Here’s how the Broncos can take care of business against the Pats:

Run the ball

If you look at the Patriot defense, you might say Denver should try to open up the passing game on Sunday. 

New England allows 3.2 yards per carry, which is the best mark in the NFL in a decade. Their 84 yards allowed per game rank second in the NFL.

But putting the ball in the air is risky. An interception or two could be enough to flip the outcome on Sunday.

The Broncos’ rushing attack has been their strength all season. They rank 12th in rushing yards and 21st in passing yards. They should stick to their script and try to grind down New England’s front seven.

Sit back on defense

Again, the theory here is not letting one or two mistakes change the game.

If the Broncos play big shell coverages, Bailey Zappe’s Patriots are unlikely to consistently take advantage of the gaps underneath. A couple of completions? Maybe. Enough to drive 75 yards for a touchdown? No.

By sitting back instead of turning and running with receivers, the Broncos can keep their eyes on Zappe and take advantage when he makes mistakes.

New England might be able to find some creases in the ground game but, once again, the goal is to prevent big gains and force them to stack small chunks on top of each other to get down the field.

No returns

The Patriots’ special teams are nothing special.

They rank near the middle of the pack in kick return average. They rank second-to-last in punt return average. They haven’t had a notable return all season.

And the Broncos need to keep it that way.

Kick the ball through the end zone on kickoffs. Send it to the boundaries (or even out of bounds) in the punt game. Don’t let the Patriots get lucky.