The stakes for Sunday’s contest between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots aren’t nearly as high as the last time the two squads met in a “Sunday Night Football” thriller – but you can bet plenty of eyes will be on Denver as Tom Brady and the Patriots head to the Mile High City this week.
Two years ago in Week 12, Brock Osweiler – making just the second start of his NFL career – led the Broncos to victory over Brady and the Patriots on a snowy November night in Denver. The win helped set the stage for an eventual run to the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the Broncos and a rematch between the two teams at Mile High Stadium in the AFC Championship Game.
Osweiler will get his chance to again beat the Patriots on “Sunday Night Football” this year in Week 10, as Broncos head coach Vance Joseph announced Monday that Osweiler will indeed start on Sunday.
The 26-year-old started in a 51-23 loss to the Eagles this past weekend; it was his first start in a Broncos uniform since Week 17 of 2015. Future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning relieved Osweiler midway through that game and then went on to lead Denver through the playoffs and an eventual victory in Super Bowl 50. Osweiler went on to sign a free agent contract with Houston before being traded to Cleveland this past offseason; he was released by the Browns and re-signed by Denver in Sept. when 2016 first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch was injured during a preseason game.
Lynch is inching closer to recovery from the shoulder injury that has sidelined him for two months, and the team has moved on from Trevor Siemian – who led the team to a 3-4 record this season before being benched in favor of Osweiler after inconsistent play.
The team needs to see what they have in Lynch, but he won’t be ready to play for at least another week. That means Osweiler has the chance to repeat that stunning victory over Brady and the Patriots.
In that game, Osweiler passed for 270 yards on 23-of-42 passing. He connected with Andre “Bubba” Caldwell for a touchdown. Ronnie Hillman scored a 19-yard rushing touchdown. C.J. Anderson had a pair of touchdowns. Denver came back from a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit to take a lead with just 1:09 remaining, only for New England to tie it as time expired. Anderson’s 48-yard run through the snow in overtime won the game on Denver’s first possession of overtime.
Osweiler was 19-for-38 passing this past Sunday for 208 yards. He threw a pair of interceptions against the Eagles before connecting with Demaryius Thomas for a one-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown in the lopsided loss.
Denver, at 3-5, enters the game below .500 at the midway point in the season for the first time since 2011 and on the heels of allowing the most points by an opponent since 2010 (59 to Oakland in Week 7).
The Patriots, meanwhile, are coming off their bye week and atop the AFC East at 6-2. New England is riding a four-game winning streak. New England will likely be without wide receiver Chris Hogan (shoulder) and linebacker Dont’a Hightower (pectoral).
Kickoff for the “Sunday Night Football” contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MST in Denver.
