It's Brady-Manning Week! Yes, again.
But we need to highlight the other standout players for the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots as they get set to face off in Sunday's marquee matchup in Foxboro in Week 9.
The tight ends are not a bad place to start.
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On Sunday, we saw evidence that Rob Gronkowski has returned to prime form, nearly a year removed from last season's ACL injury, in Sunday's Patriots blowout of the Chicago Bears. Gronk was everywhere to the tune of nine catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns — uncoverable by by linebacker or safety the Bears tried to trot out there.
And Julius Thomas, no slouch himself, is a key mismatch piece for Peyton Manning. You can (try to) cover Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, and that's fine and all. But that's when Julius Thomas beats you with an athletic move, and sometimes it's just so easy for him to score. Or so he says.
We know Gronk likes touchdowns — with his three scores Sunday, that's now seven this season in eight games, and 49 in 58 regular-season games in his career. But look, too, at Thomas: He has nine touchdowns this season, with multi-TD games against the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets; in his past 21 games, Thomas has 21 scores.
The closer these players get to the end zone, the more they eat. Tom Brady and Manning are more than happy to feed these beasts.
Look, if you're strictly arguing who the better player is — and even who is more valuable to their respective team's success — it's Gronkowski. When healthy, he is a devastating in-line blocker and dangerous receiver who can win with speed, power and competitiveness. No knock against Thomas, whose athleticism is off the charts, but he's just not the all-around player Gronk is.
But could we see a scenario where Thomas is the better statistical performer in Sunday's game? No doubt. The Patriots have lost Jerod Mayo at linebacker and might not want to ask second-year linebacker Jamie Collins to match Thomas stride for stride.
Might we see 6-4 cornerback Brandon Browner earn that assignment? After all, he was matched up with Bears tight end Martellus Bennett at times Sunday and could reprise that TE-coverage role again vs. the Broncos. That would leave Darrelle Revis on Demaryius Thomas, and either Logan Ryan or Alfonzo Dennard on Sanders. It'll be fascinating to watch.
As for Denver, how do they deal with Gronk? The Broncos used safeties last Thursday to shadow San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, and they had middling success with that. Although Gates only had five catches (on eight targets) for 54 yards, he did score two touchdowns, catch a 31-yard pass on 3rd and 20 to set up another score and also drew a key pass interference call.
Ward has been targeted in coverage a number of times this season and certainly will be someone Brady seeks to go after. Might the Broncos ask ascending linebacker Brandon Marshall, who has been strong on the strong side, to get physical with Gronkowski at times? Perhaps. There is no one ideal matchup for the Broncos on him, so expect safety assistance no matter what.
We've seen just how much these players mean not only for their respective teams but also against Sunday's opponent. The Patriots came back to win in overtime last season in Foxboro in a game Thomas missed but struggled to contain him (team-high eight catches for 81 yards) in the AFC title game as Manning hit him on several key passes, including a 37-yarder, their longest play of the game, midway through the fourth quarter as the Broncos started pulling away.
Meanwhile, Gronkowski was a thorn in the Broncos' sides in the Patriots regular-season win, catching seven passes (on 10 targets) for 90 yards and a touchdown near the end of the third quarter to help fuel the amazing comeback. But he missed the playoff game with the knee injury, and the Patriots were forced to jam the ball into Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen and Austin Collins (yikes) way too often.
Pick your position. Both are special players, and they'll be on display for sure on Sunday. They might not upstage the Manning-Brady show, but they might make it that much more electric.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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