Manning and Broncos battle Brady and Patriots

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos visit the New England Patriots in a matchup between two of the best quarterbacks over the past decade in the NFL.

While the attention will be focused on Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and especially the prolific numbers Manning is putting up on offense, the game will boil down to the two defenses.

That does not bode too well for New England as they have injuries that have ripped apart the front seven and are spreading into the secondary.

A secondary with injuries is bad enough for any game, but devastating when facing the likes of Manning and his receiving corps.

This season four Denver receivers have 45 catches or more. Demaryius Thomas leads the team with 60 receptions. Following closely behind Thomas are Eric Decker with 54, Wes Welker with 51 and Julius Thomas with 45. Three receivers – Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Wes Welker have 9 or more touchdowns.

For New England, it could mean many long completions and scoring touchdowns for their opponents, just ask Kansas City, they faced them last week.

New England most likely will not have Alfonzo Dennard their starting cornerback who last week had a procedure done on his meniscus.

Steve Gregory, the strong safety who did not play in Monday’s loss against Carolina due to a broken thumb is questionable, Aqib Talib seemed to have re-aggravated a hip injury on Monday, while Kyle Arrington also hurt one of his legs, but is probable.

Even if all those previously mentioned are able to suit up and play, they will not be 100% and against Manning that spells Trouble with a capital “T.”

When the team is completely healthy, the secondary for New England is good, but no super. The team is No. 12 in the NFL versus the pass and might look like No. 32 after Denver’s Manning has his way with the secondary.

The defense also will be without its two starting defensive tackles and the team’s best linebacker.

On the Denver defense, there are no glaring injuries to speak of and their front seven is healthier than that of New England. The Broncos will not have problems stopping the running attack of the Patriots and will be able to pressure Tom Brady.

Brady has been one of the best in the business, but when pressured down the middle he has often times made mistakes.

Look for blitzes by the Denver linebackers and secondary and a number of stunts on the defensive line.

Manning is most likely wishing he could play this game sooner than Sunday night so he can take advantage of the banged up defense of the Patriots before they get any healthier.