Patriots Must Focus on Stopping Broncos’ Rushing Attack in AFC Championship

January 22, 2016   ·   Erik Frenz   ·   Jump to comments

As the New England Patriots prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, Bill Belichick is in unfamiliar territory.
The Patriots head coach is used to devising game plans to stop Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, but he's probably finding himself focusing much more closely on the running game than the passing game. 
That's because the running game has been so central to the Broncos' offensive success this year, and likewise, it's the reason the Broncos earned a victory in the first meeting between these two teams. That week, the Broncos ran the ball 32 times and piled up 179 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including C.J. Anderson's game-winning 48-yard score in Denver's 30-24 overtime win.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned from that game—not the least of which is the importance of linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who was forced from that game with a knee injury. 
As a team, though, the Patriots saw the kind of schemes ...

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