Read More: Deion Branch (WR – NEP), Sebastian Vollmer (OT – NEP), Brandon Spikes (LB – NEP), Shane Vereen (RB – NEP), New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins

The injury news for the New England Patriots wasn’t good on Saturday afternoon, as five players were downgraded to out for their key matchup with the Denver Broncos. According to the New England Patriots Twitter page, key guys like Deion Branch, Brandon Spikes and Patrick Chung will not be taking the field on Sunday:

@realpatriots: Patriots announce 5 players downgraded to out: Patrick Chung, Shane Vereen, Brandon Spikes, Sebastian Vollmer & Deion Branch

There was some hope earlier in the week that Chung might take the field for the first time since November 6, but his foot injury will keep him out again. Spikes will also be missing his fifth straight game because of a knee injury. Branch, who was injured against the Washington Redskins last week, won’t be able to take the field because of a groin injury. The injuries on the defensive side of the ball will be the most worrisome for the Patriots, as their secondary has struggled against the pass throughout the season.

For more updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on this game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report and Patriots blog Pats Pulpit. For news from around the NFL, visit SB Nation’s NFL news hub.

BOSTON (CBS) – It’s another matchup against a lesser opponent, but the New England Patriots have to focus on playing a full 60-minutes Sunday against the Washington Redskins.

Washington has lost seven of their last eight, but still have the talent defensively to make the Patriots miserable. Head coach Mike Shanahan has always done well against Bill Belichick and the Patriots (owning a 5-3 record over Bill) and his defense’s seem to know how to disrupt Tom Brady. At least they did in Denver.

Life in Washington has been different for Shanahan, but the scheme remains the same. While the Patriots will have to worry about slowing the Skins down on defense, the concern with Washington’s offense will be about getting one individual the ball, and making sure he is the one to make a mistake with it.

Here are a few of the key matchups heading into Sunday’s tilt.

Another Great Pass-Rush

In what seems to be an ongoing trend, the Patriots will face another one of the NFL’s better pass-rushing teams on Sunday. Washington features a strong tandem of linebackers, including Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan who have combined for 12.5 sacks this season.

“They’re good, very good,” said quarterback Tom Brady. “They can rush, they’re good in coverage, too; I think that’s the thing that surprises a lot of people because they’re 260, 265-pound guys. I feel like every week, we’re talking about their pass rushers.”

“We’ve played quite a few good pass rushers this year. I think these two guys are right up there in terms of their ability to set the edge in the running game, to collapse a pocket, strip sack the quarterback,” added Brady. “Even if they’re not sacking the quarterback, they’re forcing the ball out quickly. They’re good players I think. They’re the key to the whole defense.”

Despite going up against some of the league’s best pass-rushers, New England has only allowed 21 sacks in the first 12 games.

Stopping the Redskins rush will not be easy though, and will be a full team effort. Shanahan, who Brady is 1-5 against in his career, likes to bring his linebackers up to the line of scrimmage to mask who is blitzing and who is dropping back into coverage. All the Patriots on the field, not just linemen, will have to be ready to do their job, whether it be blocking or getting open as fast as they can.

“The front line will do their job; we need to make sure we’re in the right place,” said receiver Deion Branch. “They do a great job at disguising a lot of different things. We have to be on point this week.”

Read: Vollmer Out, 12 Patriots Questionable

“They have great rushers, great outside linebackers. We have to be ready and block them,” said tight end Rob Gronkowski. “Whenever I’m in pass protection I have to do a good job there. Tom has to get the ball out quick so they only have a chance at getting to him.”

“When you play good pass rushers, you’ve got to understand that at some point, they’re going to be there. So you just don’t have all the time to sit around and make decisions, so you just try to get the ball out,” said Brady. “A lot of it comes down to coordinating the routes with the protection and then ultimately getting the ball out fast enough. If you know that these guys are really aggressive pass rushers, than you have to throw the ball quick. You have to screen them, you have to trap, you have to draw, you have to do all the things it really takes to keep them off-balance as well. But if you just let certain guys tee off, play from behind all day, it’s going to be a long, hard day.”

Watch: Gresh & Zo Whiteboard

Even if the Patriots contain Orakpo and Kerrigan, there are still other veterans that can hurt the Patriots on the defensive side. Defensive Ends Stephen Bowen and Adam Carriker are enjoying all the focus both Orakpo and Kerrigan draw, already setting new career highs with 4.5 and 5 sacks, respectively. There is also 14-year veteran linebacker Londan Fletcher patrolling the field, who leads Washington with 124 tackles.

“London’s a great football player; he’s played a lot,” Waters said of the 36-year-old Fletcher. “He’s all over the field. He hasn’t changed much and he hasn’t slowed down much. If you ask me how long that could play, he could probably play for a long time.”

If the Patriots can keep Brady standing, he will still have corner DeAngelo Hall to deal with. But as long as he gets a chance to throw the ball, New England should be fine.

Make Rex Grossman Throw

As bad as the Patriots secondary has been this season, their goal on defense Sunday should be to make quarterback Rex Grossman throw the ball.

Grossman was Washington’s starter at the beginning of the season, but after throwing four interceptions to the Eagles in the middle of October (and nine in a four-game span), he found himself on the bench. But John Beck couldn’t do much either under center, so Grossman is back out there.

He has a big arm, and he likes to use it. Sometimes it’s not the smartest move, but Grossman is not afraid to air things out.

“I think in his aggressiveness, there are probably some throws that he’d like to have back,” Belichick said of Redskins QB. “I think that’s part of what makes him good is that he is aggressive. Defensively just because it looks like you have fairly good coverage on a player doesn’t mean he won’t try to stick it in there. Sometimes he makes plays and sometimes it doesn’t quite get into that spot, but he’s definitely not afraid to be aggressive and throw it in there. I think defensively you have to respect that.”

Stats:  Pats-Skins Head to Head Analysis

“He’s going to throw that ball deep. He definitely takes some chances,” said former Redskin Andre Carter. “He is definitely a gunslinger. That’s something we have to do, avoid the deep ball.”

“He can move,” said linebacker Jerod Mayo, who had his first career interception against the Colts last week. “They move him a lot. They move him out of the pocket and he can make all the throws on the run. That’s the challenge for us, and hopefully we’re up to the task.”

One way to put the game in Grossman’s hands:  stop the run.

“This is a big ‘do your job week’ because of some of the things they do. They run the ball very, very well,” said nose tackle Vince Wilfork. “That starts up front with the defensive line and the inside backers. We have to do a good job stopping the run, playing the run well to be successful. If not, we’ll lose this ballgame.”

While Mike Shanahan been changing his running backs more often than Belichick grunts during a press conference, Washington now features Roy Helu out of the backfield, who has put together back-to-back 100-yard weeks.

Read: Bill vs. Mike

“He’s a great running back,” Mayo said of Helu. “He runs hard, runs at pad level, and he’s their second leading receiver right now. He’s a great player.”

Running the ball is nothing new in a Shanahan system, and the Patriots are well aware with that.

“Shanahan has had success wherever he’s been running the ball,” said Wilfork.  “We know that; it’s not going to change. It starts with the running game. We can’t be third and two, third and three all game, or it’s going to be a long, long night. We have to buckle up on first and second down, force them into some long situations.”

Read: Wilfork Says Key Is Stopping Skins Run

The Patriots haven’t had issues with the run, ranking 10th in the NFL allowing just over 100-yards a game. Stopping Helu on Sunday will be key to getting Grossman to use his arm and very mistake-prone decision-making.

If Rex Grossman is the one to beat the Patriots on Sunday, then Washington earned it. He will be without his top target in tight end Fred Davis, who was suspended for a repeat violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. He may still complete a few big passes, likely to former-Patriot Jabbar Gaffney, but the more Grossman throws the ball the more likely it will end up in the Patriots hands.

Watch for Kyle Arrington to be salivating all afternoon.

Tune in to the Patriots-Redskins game Sunday on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub at 4:15pm. Pregame coverage begins on WBZ-TV with Patriots Gameday at 11:30am and at 1pm on The Hub. Stay tuned after the game for all the reaction and analysis on 98.5, and over on MYTV38 with Patriots Fifth Quarter.

Jets (5-3) vs. New England Patriots (5-3)
Week 10
Today, 8:20 p.m.
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
TV: Channel 4
Radio: ESPN 1050-AM

THIS WEEK’S GAME REVOLVES AROUND …
Mark Sanchez

The Jets QB said it himself last week after Eli Manning directed the Giants down the field for a last-second, comeback victory over the Patriots. Sanchez called it “awesome.”

“It’s always going to take a good game by the quarterback to beat that team and that defense,” Sanchez said of New England. “Whether it comes down to the last drive or just being accurate all game, that’s what it takes to beat them.”

So there you have it. Against the Patriots, something always seems to go wrong for the Jets’ offense. A few third downs aren’t converted, an errant interception is thrown. But it’s up to Sanchez to step up and control these situations like he has in big games in the past.

Last week, Jets WR Santonio Holmes made reference to a calmer and more under control Sanchez, and in order to seal the deal against the Patriots today and put the Jets in the divisional driver’s seat, Sanchez will need to limit costly mistakes, pace his offense and keep Tom Brady off the field.

THE SAVVY FAN IS WATCHING …
Aaron Maybin

The popular refrain says the only way to beat Tom Brady is to unleash a relentless pass rush. For the Jets, one of the best at doing that has been Maybin, especially in obvious passing downs. Maybin says he’s been working on making himself more than just a pure speed-rusher, combining bull moves and some other techniques in practice. We’ll see how much that comes into play today.

PAST MEETINGS

10. Sept. 9, 2007. Patriots 38, Jets 14
9. Dec. 16, 2007 at New England. Patriots 20, Jets 10
8. Sept. 14, 2008. Patriots 19, Jets 10.
7. Nov. 13, 2008 at New England. Jets 34, Patriots 31
6. Sept. 20, 2009. Jets 16, Patriots 9
5. Nov. 22, 2009 at New England. Patriots 31, Jets 14
4.Sept. 19, 2010. Jets 28, Patriots 14
3. Dec. 6, 2010 at New England. Patriots 45, Jets 3
2. Jan. 16, 2011 at New England. Jets 28, Patriots 21
1. Oct. 9, 2011 at New England. Patriots 30, Jets 21

Remember when …
These two teams met late last season, with the same record, in a prime-time game? The Jets sure do. On Dec. 6, 2010, the Jets were pummeled, 45-3, by the Patriots on “Monday Night Football” in what was the most embarrassing loss of Rex Ryan’s head-coaching career. Defensive tackle Sione Pouha referred to it as humble pie that “tastes like a car tire, and goes down like peanut butter.” Two days after losing safety Jim Leonhard for the season with a broken leg, this game seemed like the lowest point the team had faced all season, one that spawned a stretch where they lost three of four.

WHAT THE PATRIOTS DON’T WANT THE JETS TO KNOW

1. Tom Brady is throwing more interceptions this season
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said he has noticed the Patriots QB getting a little more “anxious” in the pocket than in years past. It could be attributed to some injury issues on the offensive line, or a change in opposing defenses, but nonetheless Brady has already thrown six more interceptions than all last season. His receivers insist there’s nothing different and that, as a team, there has been a tickle-down effect due to a lack of execution. But as New England comes limping in with a two-game losing streak, it does make one wonder.

2. The Patriots do not lose three straight
The last time New England lost three consecutive games was 2002. Rohan Davey was Tom Brady’s backup, Antowain Smith was the primary running back and Deion Branch was a wide-eyed rookie out of Louisville. A lot has changed since then, but one thing that remains consistent is Bill Belichick’s ability to buckle down, make adjustments and coach his team out of a losing skid. Branch said last week that, despite two wrenching losses in a row, the locker room atmosphere has remained consistent and focused.

3. They are opportunistic
It is widely known the Patriots possess a basement-dwelling pass defense again this season, but just like 2010, they have a healthy amount of interceptions (10, tied for seventh) and Kyle Arrington is tied for the league lead with five. Jets coach Rex Ryan says the Patriots pass defense, which gives up 314 yards per game, is misleading. So many times they get a substantial lead and it forces opponents to throw the ball more against a softer prevent defense.

POSITION BREAKDOWNS

Quarterback
When 20 TDs, 10 INTs and a 337 yards-per-game average is a bad first half, you know you’re doing something right.
Edge: Patriots

Running back
Shonn Greene has slowly, but surely, climbed up the rankings and is now 18th in yards, three slots higher than BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
Edge: Jets

Wide receiver
Wes Welker is, with little debate, the best receiver in the NFL this season.
Edge: Patriots

Offensive line
The margin between QB sacks (Jets have given up more) and rushing offense (Patriots have more yards) is too slim.
Edge: Push

Defensive line
The Jets are younger and quicker, but the Patriots have monster tackle Vince Wilfork.
Edge: Push

Linebacker
David Harris and Bart Scott are playing their best football of the season right now.
Edge: Jets

Cornerback
The Patriots’ secondary is struggling and filled with undrafted free agents.
Edge: Jets

Special teams
Joe McKnight continues to stretch the field on returns and Nick Folk has missed just one field goal all season.
Edge: Jets

FOUR DOWNS WITH …
Tight end/fullback Josh Baker

1. Your first NFL catch came last Sunday, how did it feel?
It was kind of crazy because I got moved to fullback, so the whole week last week I was in the fullback room and I didn’t see any of the tight end plays, so for my first time getting thrown out there, and to go out as a tight end, it was kind of crazy.
It was definitely a surprise because when I saw Dustin (Keller) get hurt, obviously I was concerned for him because of how he landed. But when they told me to go in, I just went in and did all I could do, and thankful the plays sounded familiar.

2. Was the “hybrid” role tough for you to get used to?
It’s fine. There’s some carry-over from the motion tight end, that position and their protections in the backfield. It’s just all about getting the lingo and the play calls on offense and translating it to the field, but I mean it’s not too tough.

3. Did you keep the ball? Do anything cool with it?
Nah, actually I didn’t. It was a little 5-yarder, but hopefully it’s not my last. If there’s any significance going forward I’d definitely keep it but I didn’t even think about keeping this one. … I probably should have, though (laughing).

4. How much experience do you have as a fullback and interior blocker?
In college I was the wildcat back at Delaware, and at (Northwest Missouri State) we messed around with it a little bit. And I did some fullback in college, too, so I’ve pretty much played every position from fullback to slot to tight end. I kind of bounced around.

ONE MORE THING ……

The Patriots and Jets have played 105 times, meeting for the first time in 1960. Does it come as any surprise that the series is at a complete deadlock? After the Patriots’ victory earlier in the season, the all-time series is at 52-52-1. The Patriots are 24-27 all-time in road games against the Jets.

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

Posted: November 7
Updated: Today at 10:07 PM

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots need to stop giving Eli Manning time to make a comeback.

Manning led the New York Giants on an 80-yard drive and threw a touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to beat the Patriots 24-20 on Sunday.

It was a remarkably similar ending to the Giants’ win over the Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, when Manning threw a touchdown pass with 35 seconds to go and New York ruined New England’s perfect season.

This time it was just a regular season game, but it still stung the Patriots.

“The offense put it in our hands and we just couldn’t make enough plays,” cornerback Kyle Arrington said.

Tom Brady put New England up 20-17 with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski with 1:36 remaining, but the defense couldn’t stop Manning during the Giants’ final drive.

The Giants capitalized after New England’s Sergio Brown was called for pass interference on a third down with 35 seconds left. It was a 20-yard penalty that set up the Giants with first-and-goal from the 1.

“I was looking at the ball the whole time. They just called it,” Brown said. “I was surprised. They come and tell us as long as we’re looking at the ball we can play the ball. I don’t want to sit back and let him catch it. I want to catch the ball, too. Nothing I can do about it now.”

The defense stopped the Giants twice, but Manning found Jake Ballard in the end zone with 15 seconds to go and that wasn’t enough time for Brady and the Patriots to answer.

“We obviously played a very poor first half but we battled back and we battled through some tough adversity there and put ourselves in position. They made some great plays,” Brady said. “You can’t expect just to walk over teams every week. They were a little bit better than we were today.”

The Patriots (5-3) have lost consecutive games for the first time in two years and for just the third time since the beginning of the 2003 season.

The loss put New England into a three-way tie for the AFC East lead with the Bills and Jets, who they visit next Sunday night.

It also ended several impressive streaks — wins in an NFL-record 31 regular-season starts at home for Brady and in 20 regular-season home games for the Patriots.

“This was a tough game. We had our chances,” New England coach Bill Belichick said. “The Giants are a good football team. They did a good job and we’ve just got to do a little better than we did.”

The Giants won for the sixth time in seven games despite injuries that kept their top rusher, Ahmad Bradshaw, and leading receiver, Hakeem Nicks, from making the trip. But New York’s defense pressured Brady much of the game, coming up with two sacks and two interceptions. New England also lost two fumbles.

Manning completed 20 of 39 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Brady was 28 for 49 for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

The offense was so bad that fans booed when Brady threw an incompletion toward Danny Woodhead with 8:30 left in the third quarter. They cheered on the next play when Aaron Ross fumbled Zoltan Mesko’s punt and Rob Ninkovich recovered at the New York 33. But the Patriots settled for a 32-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski that cut the lead to 10-3.

“We’ve got to get the ball in the end zone when we get down close,” Brady said.

The Giants punted on the next series and got the ball back when Spencer Paysinger recovered Julian Edelman’s fumble.

Manning moved the Giants from the Patriots 40 to a third-and-goal at the 5, then threw an interception to Arrington in the end zone. Seven plays later, Brady hit Aaron Hernandez for a 5-yard touchdown, tying the game at 10 just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Giants had much better field position in the first half, starting at their 23, 22, 36, 28, 25 and 49.

But all those series ended with punts.

The Patriots began at their 5, 6, 17, 20, 11 and 9. They punted four times and lost one interception before wasting their best scoring opportunity when Gostkowski pulled his 27-yard field goal attempt to the left with 3 seconds remaining. On that drive, the Patriots had five first downs, matching their total to that point.

Their next-best series of the half began at their 17 and ended on the first play of the second quarter. With the ball at the New York 29, Brady’s pass was tipped by Michael Boley and intercepted by Mathias Kiwanuka, who returned it to the Giants 28.

Notes: The Giants have forced at least one turnover in 21 straight regular season games. … Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had a sack for the fifth straight game. … The Giants have 14 players remaining from the 2008 Super Bowl team, the Patriots have seven.

FOXBORO (CBS) -The New England Patriots secondary has been under fire all season long and for good reason: The Pats have the worst pass defense in the NFL.

But the players are only part of the blame.  Bill Belichick has shuffled so many players in and out of positions, it’s hard for any of the players to get a rhythm together.

Felger & Mazz: Is It Time To Start Questioning Bill?

Devin McCourty says continuity has to start in practice.

“You just keep playing,” said the second-year corner. “Just because you don’t always see guys on the game field, guys have been out here practicing and got those reps out on the practice field. When you’re in the meeting room, we’re communicating with guys and that’s where you try to build that trust, and that communication on the field, in meeting rooms and walkthroughs.”

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

McCourty says they are getting better and they have to bring their “A” game to take on Eli Manning and the Giants on Sunday. Eli is quietly having a good season and the McCourty knows the younger Manning is going to test their secondary.

“I think he’s a guy who makes a lot of throws on the field, and when you watch their offense, they are never really in a bad situation,” he said. “He’s a smart quarterback that is able to check them into good situations, good plays, against whatever he sees out there on the field. As a team, you have to be ready to play all-around; with the run game… and then they have a bunch of good receivers that can make plays.”

Tune in to the Patriots-Giants game on 98.5 The Sports Hub Sunday at 4:15pm. Pregame coverage kicks on WBZ-TV at 11:30am with Patriots Gameday, with the Hub’s coverage beginning at 1pm. After the game, tune in to the Hub for the Patriots Postgame show, and to MY TV38 for Patriots Fifth Quarter.