The AFC Championship game features two completely different teams than the ones that faced off in Week 12.
On Friday, Gil Whiteley of Mile High Sports Radio 1340, was joined by Mike Klis of 9News to preview the AFC Championship game. Whiteley and Klis were quick to point out the vast difference in notable personnel heading into the AFC Championship game.
In Week 12, the Broncos were already missing Peyton Manning and Demarcus Ware, and they were joined on the sideline by T.J. Ward, Sylvester Williams and Louis Vasquez before long, who were all injured early in the game. On the other hand, the Patriots entered the game without Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, before losing Rob Gronkowski with a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
Klis highlighted Edelman as a particularly important player for the New England Patriots.
“If Edelman weren’t a Patriot, he’d be my favorite player,” Klis said. “I do think he’s the x-factor on that team.”
With Edelman in the game, Tom Brady’s completion percentage improves from 60.71% to 68.39%, and, more importantly, the New England Patriots are undefeated. If you thought Edelman might be rusty after his long absence, you’d be mistaken, as he posted 100 yards off 10 receptions and added 11 yards on the ground last week against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Klis also pointed out that the Denver Broncos have their own ace up their sleeve.
“They’ve got to figure out a way to get to Brady quick, which I think they can, because I think the biggest mismatch in this game is the Broncos’ defensive front against the Patriots’ offensive front,” Klis said. “The Patriots’ offensive line has been more banged up than the Broncos’ (offensive line) this year.”
We’ll just have to wait and see if Brady can get his passes off before the Broncos’ defensive front can get to him.
Listen to the full discussion below …
Catch Gil Whiteley every weekday from 11a-1p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 or stream live any time for the best coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
