Tag: Patriots Sunday night football

Patriots Wire staff picks and scores for Patriots-Broncos game

The Patriots Wire staff make their picks for Sunday’s Patriots-Broncos game.

After losing to the Kansas City Chiefs at home last week, the New England Patriots go on the road for a Christmas Eve clash with another AFC West opponent in the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The Broncos will finally be returning home for this matchup after a three-game road trip. They are 1-2 over that stretch, including last week’s blowout loss to the Detroit Lions.

Their playoff hopes haven’t been completely snuffed out just yet. So there’s still something to fight for in this game. Meanwhile, the Patriots are coming into this game with a 3-11 record, a banged-up roster and no hope of a postseason future.

However, that doesn’t mean they’re waving the white flag and calling it quits. They put up a better fight than anticipated against the Chiefs after upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. If they can run the ball effectively against Denver’s league-worst run defense, things could get interesting at Mile High.

Here’s the full round-up of Patriots Wire staff picks for the Week 16 matchup:

Jordy McElroy (6-8) – Patriots 17, Broncos 20

Danny Jaillet (12-2) – Patriots 17, Broncos 24

Cam Garrity (7-7) – Patriots 7, Broncos 13

Michael Braithwaite (7-7) – Patriots 13, Broncos 25

The Patriots have already ruled out wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and safety Jabrill Peppers for this game. They’ll also be missing tight end Hunter Henry, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and offensive tackle Conor McDermott.

It’s a significantly banged-up roster facing a desperate opponent on the road. What could possibly go wrong?

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3 keys to victory for Patriots SNF matchup vs. Miami Dolphins

Here are the three keys to victory for the Patriots.

Not even the return of Tom Brady could save the New England Patriots from a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But they did get their own version of “Return of the Mac” with quarterback Mac Jones lighting things up with 316 passing yards, three touchdowns and only one interception.

The offense looked competent, the defense was dominant, and some rookies showed real promise in their first ever NFL game. This week, the Patriots turn their focus to the Miami Dolphins and one of the more dynamic NFL offenses they’ll see all year.

Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle are too extremely fast receivers that should give the Patriots’ secondary trouble. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards last week in their victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

If the Patriots wish to come out with a Sunday Night Football victory on national tv and prove the critics wrong, they’ll need to have a few things go their way.

Here are three keys to the game against the Dolphins.