No, Denver can’t be surprised. A bit disappointed, perhaps, but not surprised.
Here come the champs. The two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
Is this who Denver fans wanted for their Broncos for the AFC second-round playoff game Saturday night at Invesco Field at Mile High?
It doesn’t matter who Denver wanted, because the Patriots are who the Broncos will get.
“They are the world champions, so we won’t be surprised by whatever they pull out,” Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce said.
All in all, some Denver fans were hoping for a better bye week.
While the Broncos were given the week off after earning the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a 13-3 record for the regular season, the popular scenario among their faithful was for the Cincinnati Bengals to play here Saturday while the Patriots went to Indianapolis to play the Colts.
The thinking was the Broncos could handle anybody at home, where they are 8-0 this season, while the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick could continue their postseason hex against Peyton Manning and the No. 1-seeded Colts.
That scenario would have given the Broncos not one but two home playoff games in their quest for a seventh Super Bowl appearance in 29 seasons.
Instead, superb Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer suffered a torn knee ligament on the first pass he threw in an AFC playoff game Sunday. Cincinnati could not keep up with the Pittsburgh Steelers and lost 31-17.
Reality did not meet wishes. The AFC’s final four is set with New England coming here for a second visit this season while the Steelers travel to Indy. The winners will advance to the AFC championship game Jan. 22. The AFC champion will advance to Super Bowl XL, played Feb. 5 in Detroit.
What doesn’t change from the Broncos’ perspective is they remain a mere two wins from playing for the Big One in Detroit. Those two wins, however, may well have to come against the Patriots, who have won three of the past four Super Bowls, and the powerhouse Colts in Indy.
The Broncos have been established as 3 1/2-point favorites against the Patriots, while the Colts are 9 1/2-point favorites against the Steelers.
Clearly, the oddsmakers believe the Patriots will be a tougher opponent for Denver than they were on Oct. 16, when the Broncos were in control most of the game before hanging on for a 28-20 win. In that Week 6 game at Invesco Field, the Broncos capitalized on a porous Patriots secondary as quarterback Jake Plummer completed a 72- yard pass to Rod Smith and another for 55 yards to Ashley Lelie.
Running back Tatum Bell broke two long runs and the Broncos jumped out to a 28-3 lead midway through the third quarter.
At that point, the Patriots rallied behind quarterback Tom Brady and closed to within a touchdown and two-point conversion, but their complete comeback was thwarted when New England wide receiver David Givens dropped a pass at midfield inside the five-minute mark and the Broncos’ offense was able to run out the game’s final 3 minutes, 36 seconds.
That game improved the Broncos to 5-1 while the Patriots went into their bye week with a 3-3 mark that had the NFL wondering if the champs were dead. The answer there was an emphatic “no.”
After their game in Denver, the Patriots received a considerable lift from the return of veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who was supposed to miss the season while recovering from a stroke.
Besides Bruschi, the Patriots also took on the Broncos without star defensive tackle Richard Seymour, and their top two running backs, Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk.
All have returned, although Bruschi missed the Patriots’ 28-3 playoff win Saturday against Jacksonville because of a leg injury and his status is questionable for the rematch with the Broncos.
No, the champs are hardly dead. To the contrary, the champs are back.
“We’ll be prepared for a better game,” Pryce said.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
Broncos vs. Patriots
Key matchups and statistics for Saturday’s 6 p.m. AFC playoff game at Invesco Field at Mile High between Denver and New England:
Jake Plummer vs. Tom Brady: The Patriots’ Brady is well on his way to being the best postseason quarterback in NFL history. At the moment, he has a 10-0 postseason record, three Super Bowl titles and two Super Bowl MVP awards. Plummer is 1-3 in the postseason, but he has never had a home playoff game or come off such a splendid regular season. In their Oct. 16 meeting at Invesco Field at Mile High, Plummer had a 134.4 passer rating for the Broncos to 79.9 for Brady.
Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk vs. Al Wilson: The most recent time these teams met, in mid-October, the Patriots’ offense was one-dimensional. Running backs Dillon and Faulk didn’t play because of injuries. In the Patriots’ 28-3 playoff win Saturday against Jacksonville, Dillon and Faulk combined for 148 yards rushing and receiving. Wilson is the AFC’s starting Pro Bowl middle linebacker and must overcome a broken right thumb to stuff the Patriots’ running game.
Mike Shanahan vs. Bill Belichick: These coaches are widely considered the NFL’s top two. Shanahan is known for his offensive genius, yet has rebuilt the Broncos around a speedy, athletic and aggressive defense with a ball-control offense heavy on running and short, intricate passing. Belichick is considered the best defensive mind in the game and opened up his passing game this season to offset injuries. Combined, Shanahan and Belichick have five Super Bowl titles as head coaches.
