The New England Patriots (3-1, 1-1 AFC East) travel to Denver on Sunday to battle the Broncos (4-0, 1-0 AFC West), who are one of the most unlikely 4-0 teams in recent memory. Nonetheless, the Patriots are the only team in the NFL who have opened up 2009 with five straight undefeated opponents.
"We haven't really watched a tape of a team that's lost a game yet, and you can say, 'Well, this is how so and so beat them in the regular season,'" Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "We haven't been able to say that yet."
The Patriots opened with the Buffalo Bills, who were only considered unbeaten that night because the schedule hadn't yet allowed for them to lose. New England then shifted to the New York Jets (1-0 heading into the game) before playing the Atlanta Falcons (2-0) and Baltimore Ravens (3-0) the last two weeks.
The Patriots' streak will end in Week 6 when they host the disappointing Tennessee Titans, who are currently 0-4. The possibility remains that New England could transition from playing five consecutive unbeaten teams to two straight winless teams, as it travels to London in Week 7 to play the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Denver, led by former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, has surprisingly made its mark on defense, holding opponents to 26 total points this season, an average of 6.5 points per game. The Dallas Cowboys put up 10 points on the Broncos on Sunday, the highest total of a Denver opponent this season, and the Broncos have only surrendered two touchdowns so far.
Those are impressive numbers, regardless of Denver's opponents. Although you can't tell the whole story without mentioning that Denver's opposition has a combined 6-10 record. The Broncos needed a miracle to beat the Bengals in Week 1 before shellacking the self-destructive Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders, and Denver eked out a tough win against the fragile Cowboys.
Teams don't have a choice in the matter. They'll play 16 games in an unbalanced but objective scheduling system, and the first month of the season determines very little. If the playoffs started this weekend, the Broncos would have a first-round bye, and the Patriots would open on the road.
Eventually, things will even themselves out — for the Patriots, the Broncos and the rest of the NFL.
Who's Hot
1. Sammy Morris had six carries for 21 yards and a touchdown and five receptions for 35 yards against Baltimore, and his touches were all important. He lined up at fullback and picked up two yards on a fourth-and-1 on the final play of the first quarter, and he rushed for a 12-yard touchdown that gave the Patriots a 17-7 lead on a draw play in the second quarter. Later in the game, Morris caught a pass on the left side and dove to pick up a key first down in the Patriots' end. Morris hasn't been heavily involved in the offense this season, but he has definitely made his presence felt.
2. Safety Brandon Meriweather is becoming the playmaking threat in the NFL he was during his days at the University of Miami, and he had his best game of the season directly in front of Ed Reed, the godfather of Miami safeties. Meriweather has shown an ability to make plays in both halves of the field, and he was a defensive force against the Ravens, tallying a team-high nine total tackles (four solo) and two passes defended.
3. Wideout Wes Welker returned after missing two games and had a team-high six receptions and 48 yards. Having a second reliable receiver on the field allowed Randy Moss a little more freedom, and it gave Tom Brady the opportunity to evade Baltimore's blitz. Brady also played his best game of the season, which is a nod to Welker's return to the lineup.
4. Rookie cornerback Darius Butler replaced Jonathan Wilhite in coverage of Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton midway through the final drive of the game, and Butler shut down Clayton the rest of the way. Butler is quicker than Wilhite and was able to drape Clayton as a result. This substitution took quarterback Joe Flacco out of his comfort zone, and it might have been the difference in the game.
5. Right tackle Nick Kaczur got paid before the regular season began, and he's been worth every penny so far. Even playing through an ankle injury, Kaczur might be the Patriots' most consistent offensive lineman through four games.
6. Cornerback Leigh Bodden recorded the first Patriots' interception of the season to stop a second-quarter drive in the red zone.
7. Linebacker Gary Guyton has been more than capably filling the role of Jerod Mayo, who has missed all but one quarter of the season with a right knee injury. Guyton had five tackles, three quarterback hits and a pass defended against the Ravens, but his biggest contribution came on the Patriots' first fourth-down stop of the fourth quarter. After the Patriots dominated the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-1 at the Baltimore 45-yard line, Guyton flew through the gap and smacked running back Willis McGahee in the backfield to give New England possession.
8. Defensive tackle Mike Wright had two sacks, three total tackles (two solo), one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits against the Ravens. He is doing a great job creating pressure from the interior of the Patriots' four-man lines, and he has three sacks this season.
Who's Not
1. It's been a tough week for cornerback Jonathan Wilhite, who was tangled in a police matter that caused him to miss the Falcons game and then couldn't stop wide receiver Mark Clayton on the Ravens' final drive Sunday. Wilhite was one of the Patriots' best players in training camp, and he had a good start to the regular season, so it's likely he'll get it turned around. The police matter might just be clouding the second-year cornerback's mind.
2. Wide receiver Joey Galloway is no stranger to this section, and he was a healthy scratch Sunday against the Ravens. The Patriots have only been dressing four receivers this season. Moss and Welker are obviously locks when they're healthy. Sam Aiken, the special-teams captain, won't be held out, and Julian Edelman does enough on offense and special teams to warrant playing time. With everyone healthy, Galloway might just be the odd man out going forward.
3. Running back Laurence Maroney isn't going to be the Patriots' feature back this season — partly because they don't need one, partly because there's too much talent in the backfield and partly because Maroney just hasn't proven he is good enough. Maroney had seven carries for six yards against the Ravens. Maroney was heavily booed by the home crowd in the fourth quarter and subsequently cheered when he got replaced in the huddle by Morris.
