The Denver Broncos will face one of their biggest remaining tests this season as they prepare for the 3-11 New England Patriots. Despite the Patriots record, they are one team the Broncos simply can’t afford to overlook.

Denver Broncos facing tough test against Patriots on Sunday

The New England Patriots offense has received their fair share of coal in their stockings this season, coming into Sunday’s game against the Broncos as one of the league’s worst units.

They’re ranked in the bottom ten in some of the most important metrics possible:

  • 285.3 net yards per game (28th)
  • 4.68 yards per play (28th)
  • An abysmal 13.3 points per game (32nd)
  • 98.4 rushing yards per game (25th)
  • 186.9 passing yards per game (26th)
  • 16 interceptions thrown (30th)
  • 31.9% 3rd down conversion rate (29th)

They’ll more than likely be without their top rusher, Rhamondre Stevenson, on Sunday as he continues to deal with a high ankle sprain that held him out last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Ezekiel Elliott will likely start for the Patriots offense, but he’s experiencing a career-low 3.6 yards per carry despite appearing in 14 games this season, according to Pro Football Reference.

Despite struggling to stop the run against the explosive Detroit Lions this past Saturday, the Broncos’ defense matches up more favorably against the Patriots. On top of Stevenson’s injury, the Patriots will be without starting offensive guard Cole Strange, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve earlier this week.

Patriots top offensive tackle Trent Brown is also dealing with a variety of injuries and has been limited in practice so far this week. Last week, the Broncos faced a full-strength Lions offensive line, which has consistently proven to be one of the league’s best units, and they took it to Denver.

The stakes are higher for the Broncos this week as they’ll be fighting for their playoff lives in a must-win game. They’ll look to shut down the run game with Elliott and put it into the hands of Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe, who has played noticeably better than former first-round pick Mac Jones.

Zappe will look to capitalize in the passing game with players like DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has been limited this week with an ankle injury, and Hunter Henry if he’s healthy enough for Sunday’s game.

Henry’s been battling a knee injury this week and was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice and was spotted observing Thursday’s practice.

Patriots defense will be Broncos biggest problem

Say what you want about the Patriots this season, but their defense isn’t the reason they are 3-11. Collectively, entering Sunday’s game, the Patriots have lost seven games this year by one score or less.

This season, their defense is allowing 21.4 points per game, which is mainly attributed to how long they’ve been on the field this year. They’re a great reflection of how the Broncos were last season.

Aside from that, the Patriots’ defense is one of the best in the league at stopping the run, holding opponents to an average of 84.9 yards on the ground, ranking second in the NFL.

One of their top players this season has been safety Jabrill Peppers, but he’s dealing with a hamstring injury and missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practice, which puts his status for Sunday’s game into question. He’s active against the run and if he misses, that will be a big blow for their defense.

If the Broncos are hoping to win on Sunday, they’ll have to find a way to run the football effectively against one of the NFL’s stingiest run defenses.