Lombardi on D&C: Broncos will slow pace

NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi made his weekly appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show to talk about the Patriots' game against Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Lombardi said the Patriots' strategy is clear for Sunday.

"Clearly, what the Patriots have to do is uptempo the game," he said. "They've got to make sure that they play from in front and force Denver to play outside their comfort zone, which is a lot more dropback passing, a lot more catching up. No one has really -- other than the Detroit Lions -- has been able to make them do that. So, I think that's really what the key agenda is for the Patriots, is force the tempo to be different, start the game off. [The Broncos have] won almost all their games in the fourth quarter, coming from behind, but they've only had to come from behind [with] one score."

Another key for the Patriots will be for the pass rushers to be careful about moving up too far in attempt to sack Tebow.

"You must keep him in front of you," Lombardi said. "The worst place to be in football is past the quarterback. … What happens is, when defensive linemen run up the field like they're going to get a sack and they run past the quarterback, that creates alleys and lanes for Tebow to operate in and for him to step up and move around. What you'll see is a controlled rush out of the Patriots -- a straight, vertical, up-the-field rush, so therefore they can keep him in front. You don't want to be behind him."

On the other side of the field, the Broncos need to keep the Patriots offense on the sideline as much as possible.

"What [the Broncos] have to do going into this game is limit the amount of possessions Tom Brady gets," Lombardi said. "If they can keep this game under 10 Patriot possessions, they'll have a chance to win. If they don't, then it will get out of hand."

Added Lombardi: "It's going to be controlled passes, if Tebow runs it's going to be third-and-3, third-and-4. … They're going to want to be able to control the football. And they're going to not snap the ball until that play clock is down to about one second on the 25-second clock. They want to reduce the game. It's no different than playing an uptempo team in basketball. You've got to try to slow the game down. And that's what the Broncos will do."

That said, Lombardi cautioned that the Broncos also will take a look downfield once in a while.

"I think the Patriots will play a lot of cover-1, force [Tebow] to throw the ball into tight windows, force him to make accurate throws, which is something he doesn't do well," Lombardi said. "Now, the one thing he has been able to do -- and this has got to be a concern for Patriot fans; they haven't played the deep ball well all season -- is he has thrown the deep ball down the field. The Broncos have been behind the defense in every game."

Touching on the Jets, who play the Eagles Sunday, Lombardi said he doesn't understand Rex Ryan's confidence in his team. "I just wonder sometimes what film Rex Ryan is watching," Lombardi said. "Because I'm watching different tape than he's watching."

To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots.