After leading his team to a significant victory, Denver Broncos
quarterback Peyton Manning heads into yet another matchup with New
England Patriots rival Tom Brady.
It's unknown if Manning will have a former Patriots star
receiver to help him.
Wes Welker's chances of making his return to New England on
Sunday night and helping the Broncos try for a fourth straight win
remain uncertain because of a concussion.
While he's dealt with nagging injuries to both ankles, Manning
is expected to face Brady for the 14th time. That includes three
playoff matchups and a 31-21 defeat in New England on Oct. 7,
2012.
Denver (9-1) will seek to avenge that loss while continuing its
momentum from a 27-17 victory over previously unbeaten AFC West
rival Kansas City last Sunday. Manning threw for 323 yards and a
touchdown in that win, and Montee Ball had a pair of scoring
runs.
With 34 TD passes in 10 games, Manning remains on pace to
reclaim the NFL single-season record from Brady. The Patriots
quarterback had 50 touchdown passes in 2007, three years after
Manning amassed 49.
The Broncos, though, didn't come away unscathed from their
latest win, and their receiving corps might take a big hit. Welker
participated only in warm-ups Wednesday and tight end Julius Thomas
is dealing with a knee injury.
With 672 catches in his six seasons in New England, Welker was
easily Brady's top target. He topped 1,000 yards in five of those
campaigns and totaled 37 touchdowns before signing a two-year deal
with Denver in March.
"(Welker is) a tough guy so he's played through everything,"
Brady said. "This is a big game for both teams so you have to
expect their best players. I'm sure all those guys will be ready to
go."
That toughness and experience have made Welker a primary target
for Manning with 61 receptions for 648 yards, and he has helped
Manning spread the wealth offensively as five Broncos players have
at least 37 catches.
''Wes has a great work ethic and he's provided just good
leadership to our offense. He was voted a captain, which is a real
credit to him, in his first year,'' Manning said. ''... And he
loves football. He's a tough guy. He plays through injuries. And
those are things that you appreciate about a football player,
especially playing in that slot position where he's taking a lot of
hits.''
The Broncos also placed safety Rahim Moore on recallable injured
reserve Tuesday after he needed emergency surgery to stop bleeding
in a left leg muscle. They signed Michael Huff, an eight-year
veteran who was with Baltimore earlier this season, to take his
place.
The Patriots, meanwhile, are coming off a controversial 24-20
loss at Carolina on Monday night. New England drove 62 yards in the
final minute and seemed to catch a break when the Panthers were
flagged after intercepting Brady's pass toward Rob Gronkowski in
the end zone.
Officials instead waived off that pass interference penalty
after deciding the ball was uncatchable, handing the Patriots the
defeat.
Coach Bill Belichick and Brady were eager to put the controversy
behind at the beginning of this week.
''It's not really our job to call the game. It's to play it and
coach it. Whatever calls they make are the ones that we live with,"
Belichick said. "We have to turn the page here quickly, get on to
Denver. Good football team, playing well. Obviously, their record
reflects that."
While Denver is seeking to push ahead of Kansas City in its
division, New England (7-3) will try to build on its two-game
cushion in the AFC East. The Patriots have won three straight over
the Broncos - including a 45-10 playoff rout Jan. 14, 2012, with
Tim Tebow starting for Denver - and Brady is 9-4 in his lifetime
matchups with Manning.
Brady connected with Welker on an 8-yard touchdown and ran for
another in last season's win over Denver. Manning had 337 yards -
and three TDs - to Brady's 223, but New England outrushed the
Broncos 251-70 as Stevan Ridley had a career-high 151 yards.
Manning is 2-9 all-time on the road against New England,
including the playoffs, and 2-7 in visits versus Brady.
"It's pretty well documented my respect for Tom as a
quarterback," Manning said. "The way he prepares. The way he's
better each season than the year before. Those are the couple of
the many things that are impressive about him as a
quarterback."
"Every time you play their football team, you're playing a
well-coached, disciplined team."
Manning has topped 300 yards in his last three games versus the
Patriots. He has thrown five interceptions during that streak but
will face an injury-plagued defense this time.
Adrian Wilson, Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork are out for the
season for New England, and defensive backs Alfonzo Dennard (knee)
and Steve Gregory (thumb) missed last week's game. Cornerback Aqib
Talib was forced to leave Monday's loss after aggravating a hip
injury that caused him to miss the three previous games.
Brady has 12 touchdowns and one interception in his last five
games against Denver. He tied an NFL playoff record with six TDs in
the divisional round victory in 2012.