You could see it coming from a mile away.
The New England Patriots found the vulnerability in the Denver Broncos’ defense, and they went right at it. The Broncos have been chewed up by opposing tight ends all season long, and Sunday night was no different.
Rob Gronkowski, the obvious problem-causer, did his fair share of damage, reeling in four catches for 74 yards, but the damage didn’t stop there. The Patriots took the Broncos’ secondary out of the game, throwing primarily to the tight ends and the running backs.
When it was all said and done, 15 of Tom Brady’s 25 completions went to either a tight end or a running back for 167 of his 266 yards — and they accounted for all three of the touchdowns he threw on Sunday night.
The Denver defense, who even earlier this year looked like they were bulletproof, had their biggest weakness exposed once again. While the defense’s inability to slow down the Patriots’ running backs or tight ends was part of the problem, the 41-16 loss certainly was not all on their shoulders. 24 of the Patriots’ 41 points came as a result of special-teams blunders.
The Broncos, in the middle of a five-game tailspin, seem to be falling apart at the seams. While they still have their fair share of problems on offense and special teams, it’s more than likely that opposing teams will continue to exploit the defense’s inability to cover tight ends, and running backs — that has not only been exposed during the five-game losing streak, but has managed to get worse as the season progresses.
While the laundry list of problems continues to grow for the Broncos, the one major problem that lies within the Broncos defense has managed to go unfixed for the seventh-straight week.
It’s easier said than done, but one way to find a way out of their rut lies within patching the one obvious hole in their defense.
