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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — You don’t have to tell New England Patriots defensive captain Vince Wilfork how challenging Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos is going to be. He’s fully aware of the task at hand. "They’re the best of the best,” Wilfork said. “Do everything well. One of the best quarterbacks in history we’ve got to face. He doesn’t make it easy. He wants to make sure that they’re in the perfect play every snap. They’re so tough to defend. We have to play our A-plus game to be successful. Anything other than that, we’re going to have problems.”  The problems for the Patriots' defense only start with Peyton Manning. In addition to the future Hall of Famer at quarterback, the Broncos have explosive receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, a dangerous red zone threat at tight end in Julius Thomas, and a speedy running back on a recent tear in Ronnie Hillman. Combine that with an aggressive defense and solid special-teams play and you’ve got what Wilfork described as the most complete team in the NFL.
“When you draw up a perfect football team, you draw up the Denver Broncos all-around -- special-teams, offense and defense,” Wilfork said. “They do a real good job of getting the ball back to their offense and they do a real good job putting the ball in the end zone. We have to play well everywhere, not just in certain areas. It’s going to be the run game, it’s going to be the pass game, it’s going to be everything. We have to do a real good job because they’re great at everything.” Such has been the prevailing sentiment among players this week as the Broncos figure to give the Patriots their toughest matchup of the season. With the defense still trying to find a consistent identity after the loss of both Jerod Mayo and Chandler Jones, Wilfork talked about the importance of new linebacker additions Akeem Ayers and Jonathan Casillas fitting in to help fill the void. “Every week it’s just one of those things you just have to get more comfortable in playing,” Wilfork said. “Just continue to get better. Know the game plan, know the situation, know what we’re trying to do and just execute to the highest level.” Set up on the defensive line, Wilfork figures to have his hands full both putting pressure on Manning and containing Hillman from getting into open space. To do that, Wilfork, as he does each week, discussed the importance of the defense making the tackles they need to make when the opportunity arises. “They know where they want to run the ball, they know how they want to move the ball. So it’s going to be a challenge for us to defend everywhere -- passing game, running game, outside, inside, you name it,” Wilfork said. “Everybody is going to have to put in their tackles. There’s really nothing you can do about it but just practice and prepare for it and try to execute your game plan. Hopefully you can slow them down just enough to where we can be successful." Although the defense will be put to the test against the Broncos' top-scoring offense, Wilfork and the rest of the team understand that Denver is beatable. “We’re going to have to be a real good football team this week. It starts on the practice field with us and just make sure that we take care of what we need to take care of. And hopefully it’s good enough,” Wilfork said.
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