A look at Broncos-Patriots through the years

Good morning, Broncos Country!

For all intents and purposes the Denver Broncos season is on the line.

A loss tonight to the New England Patriots will end Denver’s season. A win, however far-fetched it maybe, will keep what dwindling hopes the Broncos have alive. In the midst of a four-game losing streak, the room for error isn’t much.

Adam Malnati and I previewed the game and how much it means to the home team on the latest Mile High Report Radio Podcast.

Before we get too far into what tonight’s game means for Denver, let’s look back on the history between these two teams. There’s a rich history that dates back to 1960, and has five playoff meetings. The notes are courtesy of the the Broncos’ weekly release.

• Sunday night's game is the 48th regular-season meeting between the Broncos and Patriots. Denver is 26-21 in those games, with a 17-10 record at home and 9-11 record on the road.
• The first game in the Broncos and Patriots series was Sept. 9, 1960, in Boston. Denver won that game 13-10. That was the franchise's first game. The most recent game was last season when New England beat the Broncos 16-3 in Denver.
• The longest winning streak for the Broncos in this series is 10 games, between Nov. 4, 1984-Sept. 7, 1998. The longest winning streak for the Patriots is four games, which they've done twice. The most recent was Dec. 18, 2011-Nov. 24, 2013.
• The last home regular-season win for the #Broncos was Nov. 29, 2015, when they beat the Patriots 30-24 in OT (the snow game when Brock Osweiler was the QB and C.J. Anderson had the walkoff TD run). The last home loss came last season.
• The last regular-season win for the Broncos in Foxborough was Sept. 24, 2006, when they beat the Patriots 17-7. The last road loss was Nov. 2, 2014, when Denver lost 43-21.
• The most points for the Broncos is 45, which they've done twice. The last time was Nov. 11, 1979, at Mile High Stadium when Denver won 45-10. The most points for the Patriots is also 45, which they did on Sept. 16, 1961, in Boston when they won 45-17.
• Fascinating note in this series between the Broncos and Patriots: There have been no shutouts for either team. The largest Denver win is 35 points in that 45-10 game in 1979. The largest New England win is 34 points in a 41-7 victory on Oct. 20, 2008, in Foxborough.
• The most points combined for the Broncos and Patriots is 66. That happened on Dec. 17, 1972, in Denver when the Broncos won 45-21. The fewest points is 15, and that happened on Oct. 27, 1991, in New England when the Broncos won 9-6.
• The Broncos and Patriots have met five times in the AFC Playoffs. The first was Jan. 4, 1987, at Mile High Stadium. That was in the divisional round with John Elway and Denver winning 22-17. Of course The Drive would follow this game.
• The next time the Broncos and Patriots met in the playoffs was Jan. 14, 2006, at Mile High Stadium. Again, this was in the divisional round and Denver won 27-13, in large part because of the Champ Bailey interception of Tom Brady in the south endzone.
• The next playoff game between the Broncos and Patriots was Jan. 14, 2012, in Foxborough. New England won this game 45-10, so we won't say anymore about it. The only good thing to say is this is the only playoff win the Patriots have over the Broncos.
• The next playoff game was the first time the Broncos and Patriots met in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 19, 2014, at Mile High. The moment that stands out is Terrance Knighton sacking Brady, getting up and dancing. That was a huge moment in the game and you knew Denver would win.
• And of course the most recent playoff game between the Broncos and Patriots was the AFC title game on Jan. 24, 2016, at Mile High that Denver won 20-18 when DeMarcus Ware, Derek Wolfe and Von Miller wrecked Tom Brady.
• Miller needs two sacks to become the first player in Broncos history with six 10-sack seasons. He can also join Simon Fletcher (5, 1989-93) & Paul Smith (4, 1970-73) as the only three players in team history with four consecutive 10-sack seasons.
• Miller also can join Reggie White (7) and former Broncos linebacker Ware (6) as the only three players NFL history (since 1982) with at least six 10-sack campaigns in their first seven seasons. How awesome would it be for this to happen against Brady and the Patriots?
• Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders needs 103 receiving yards to reach 6,000 yards to become the 21st active player to reach that milestone.
• Broncos defensive tackle Domata Peko will extend his starting streak to 121 games. That's the longest active streak by a NFL defensive lineman. That's truly a remarkable accomplishment, especially when you consider how Peko plays the game.

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