The biggest story of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game may not be No. 18 in orange, or No. 12 in white. Sure Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will dominate the headlines, but the outcome could be decided by No. 25. When the Patriots’ offense takes the field, 75,000 fans will be focused on the Broncos’ defense and defensive back Chris Harris.
Tuesday Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post joined Gil Whiteley in studio to discuss the status of Harris and the Broncos secondary.
“I have not spoken to Harris since after Sunday’s game,” said Jhabvala, where Harris was seen icing his shoulder.
Harris injured his shoulder earlier in the year, but still played 75 percent of the snaps against Pittsburgh in the playoffs, as Jhabvala put it “with one arm.”
“He’s probably one of the toughest players I’ve been around,” continued Jhabvala. “You just know he’s going to play.”
Over the past three years, Harris has established himself as one of the premier corners in the NFL. He didn’t allow a single touchdown in coverage for more 2 full years until Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Harris for a 9 yard score in week 15.
Second year corner Bradley Roby and 2013 third rounder Kayvon Webster are expected to step Sunday in when Harris’ shoulder limits his snaps, but Whiteley is unconvinced of Robey’s ability against the powerful New England offense.
“[Roby] got beat up against Pittsburgh in that first game,” said Whiteley of the Week 15 clash. “In the second half, he had 3 or 4 catches where he didn’t wrap up the receiver. That’s a major sin.”
Indeed, finding a replacement for Harris won’t be easy for Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Harris was a key cog in a defense which led the league in both pass and total defense.
When Brady and company come to town, they will be bringing the No. 7 offense in the league and one of the most efficient passing games. Something has got to give.
Check out the full discussion with Nicki Jhabvala, plus talk about the Broncos wide receivers’ drops, in the podcast below…
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