Patriots Edge Rushers:

It was a total group effort with the interior players pushing the pocket and the edge rushers bringing pressure outside.

Both Denver and Cincinnati lost Sunday afternoon and the Patriots’ win vaulted them right back to the top seed in the AFC at 11-2.

the big news was the return to the Patriots practice this week of both Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. They were both filmed (not so coincidentally), beside each other during warmups with a smiling Belichick behind them.

Brady has to go back to what the Patriots do best, move the chains and not take so many deep shots down the field with players that aren’t suited for that role.

Will Josh McDaniels stay patient enough to allow the running game to get going on Sunday night?

The Patriots committed the cardinal sin in all of sports; don’t ever, ever let an inferior team hang around, because it come back to bite you.

Look no further than the Patriots third-down percentage the past two games to see that the running game is slowing down the offense. New England is 5 for 28 on third down percentage the last two weeks including just 2 of 13 against Denver.

In the last five games, the Philly defense has allowed 828 yards on the ground an average of 165.6 yards per game. This is the time for Blount to get some yardage and take some pressure off the receivers.

Since realignment in 2002, the Pats own a stellar 45-10 record against NFC teams including a 3-0 record against the other teams from the NFC East this season.

The Patriots added to their depth at wide receiver, running back and kick returner on Tuesday by signing WR Demaris Johnson and RB Trey Williams. Williams played at Texas A&M and for Danny Amendola’s dad in high school

The loss to the Denver Broncos was a minor one compared to the potential loss of Rob Gronkowski who was injured in the fourth quarter of the game on Sunday night

The focus on this week’s Patriots – Broncos game will not be about Brady – Manning or the high octane offenses but the prowess of each team’s defense. This one promises to be a defensive struggle

The meeting was expected to be a typical Brady – Manning shootout when the schedule was released, but expect this one to be much more defensive oriented. The Patriots will have to be creative on offense with all the injuries against the Denver defense.

The Patriots used their defense and special teams to gut out a 20-13 win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. By sweeping the Bills they can clinch the division with a win in Denver on Sunday.

The Patriots and Bills meet on Monday Night Football and with a victory, New England can just about wrap up the AFC East for another year. That would put them five games up on each team with six to go.