Broncos wide receiver explains the secret to beating the Patriots
The Texans might want to take some notes
If there's anyone out there who's qualified to talk about how to beat the New England Patriots, it's Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
Over the past 16 months, Sanders and the Broncos have done something that no other team in the NFL has done: They've beaten Tom Brady's Patriots multiple times.
Since the beginning of the 2015 season, Brady is 23-4 as a starter against teams that aren't the Broncos. However, he's just 1-2 against Denver (including the postseason).
So what's the key to beating the Patriots?
"To beat the Patriots, you gotta keep Tom Brady off the field," Sanders said on Saturday's edition of NFL Network's GameDay Morning.
Wait, there's more.
"How do you keep Tom Brady off the field? You have to be able to run the football," Sanders said. "You gotta get Lamar Miller the ball and when you have an opportunity, you have to throw the ball down the field. We talk about low percentage throws, low percentage throws that you can complete."
Although the Texans are a 16-point underdog for Saturday's game against the Patriots, Brock Osweiler might actually have some confidence going into the game, and that's because he's already beaten Brady and the Patriots before.
One of the two victories that Denver picked up over New England last season came in a 30-24 overtime win that Osweiler started for the Broncos. In that game, the Broncos did exactly what the Texans need to do: The run game took pressure off Osweiler, who ended up playing one of the better games of his short career (23 of 42, 270 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT).
Just because Osweiler has struggled this season doesn't mean Houston should take him out of the game plan on Saturday, though. According to Sanders, the Texans need to put together a game plan that involves short, safe throws for Osweiler.
"Brock Osweiler drop back, three steps let it go. Give it to Will Fuller, man," Sanders said. "That's how you beat these guys. You gotta keep Tom Brady off the field and you gotta be able to complete the ball down the field and make some plays. You guys can possibly pull it off, but you have a tough task ahead of yourselves."
Of course, even if the Texans take Sanders' advice and put together the perfect game plan, that doesn't mean they're going to pull off the upset. The Patriots are a huge favorite for a reason. Not only are they more talented, but New England just doesn't ever seem to lose at home in this part of the playoffs. In the Bill Belichick-Brady era, the Patriots are 9-1 at home in the divisional round.
















