Brock Osweiler has paid his dues during his first four seasons and gone about his business like a professional while sitting behind Peyton Manning. A well-documented foot injury has placed Manning on the sidelines, for what looks to be several more games this year. Osweiler backed up his talk about studying and preparing like a starter his whole NFL career last week when he managed the game, relied on his teammates and kept the football safe in a tight 17-15 win over the Chicago Bears. Head coach Gary Kubiak expects nothing less despite facing Bill Belichick and his well-trained defense.
“It’s just having to react and trying to get him to stay within himself, stay within his progressions and continue to protect the ball like he did last week. My focus with him is always the fact of the football team is going to play well around you. You just stay committed to your job, your part and what you have to do. Don’t try to do too much, just do your job.”
The Patriots will likely have two key players out Sunday, which should benefit Osweiler greatly. First, rookie cornerback Justin Coleman has been ruled out for Sunday’s game leaving only three of their original cornerbacks on the current depth chart. Malcolm Butler, last season’s Super Bowl hero, will be matched up on Demaryius Thomas, leaving Logan Ryan, Rasheen Melvin and an unspecified third corner to get the job done on the rest of the Broncos receiving corps. The Patriots are very stout against the run, ranking second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game but rank 21st against the pass. Osweiler will need to find Sanders, who missed last week’s game with an ankle injury, often but also not take unnecessary risks. Sanders commented on his experience with Osweiler Friday.
“The chemistry is good. Peyton [Manning] hasn’t been going on Wednesdays, so I’ve had an opportunity to go with Brock and it’s definitely paid off. Today we connected on a couple of deep balls that we were working on. I texted him last night about what I’m seeing and what he’s seeing, so it’s going to pay off.”
Despite the Patriots porous secondary, their defensive line is highly effective. They have 32 sacks on the season and their defense as a whole has 14 takeaways, nine interceptions and 16 forced fumbles. However, they may be without Jamie Collins for the fourth-straight game due to an undisclosed illness. He is a versatile linebacker that can rush the passer and drop back in coverage. His absence would be a big blow to the Patriots and benefit Osweiler greatly.
