At 2-2 the Patriots returned home to face the Denver Broncos in a highly anticipated October game. In this game the Patriots put their offense on turbo speed, attacking the Broncos defense with a fast-paced attack that prevented substitutions and relied on simple plays that emphasized their players’ versatility. In the first half the Patriots ran 45 offensive plays and scored 17 points on four possessions.

Their offense took on a rugby union style attack plan where they picked a spot to attack and relied on a fast pace to exploit the deficiency.

Normally in these review there has been a focus on game film and specific plays but for this game there will be more of a statistical analysis looking at when the players were in the game and what roles they filled. In the first half, three skill position players played all 45 snaps and they were Gronkowski, Welker and Lloyd. Every play was run with these three players, one running back (Ridley, Bolden, Woodhead or Vereen) and either Deion Branch or Daniel Fells as the extra receiver/tight end.

The Patriots first drive lasted for only four plays as the Patriots picked up one first down before punting. All of the plays were run in the no huddle to give Denver a taste of what was to come. On their next possession they ran twelve plays, eight in the no huddle and managed to score a touchdown while going 84 yards. Due to the fast pace of the drive, they only took 4:44 off the clock which allowed them to run more plays later. Their third possession resulted in another touchdown, this time off a fourteen play, 80 yard drive with 11 in the no huddle, only stopping for a false start penalty on Logan Mankins. On their final possession of the second quarter, the Patriots put together a sixteen play drive (eleven no huddle) to end the first half before scoring a field goal as time expired. Now the specific roles of the players will be examined.

Wes Welker (45 Plays)

Known for years as a slot receiver Welker was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the shift to the no huddle. Welker lined up 41 times in the slot in the first half, he went wide once and even filled in as a tight end on three occasions. Each time he was a tight end it was in a short yardage situation and the Patriots used a quick snap to catch the defense off-balance and successfully convert. He was targeted 10 times, catching 9 of them and scoring his first touchdown of the season.

Rob Gronkowski (45 Plays)

Their biggest weapon on offense, some may wonder if Gronkowski is really smart enough to handle a fast paced offence that requires a bit of quick thinking. He was excellent in this first half however as he caught 4 passes and was a force blocking in the running game. He lined up as a tight end 40 times and moved out to the slot for the other five plays usually in bunch formations with Welker and another receiver on passing downs.

Brandon Lloyd (45 Plays)

Brought in to be a wide option for Brady, Lloyd spent the majority of his time on the field next to the sideline. The other three plays saw him in the slot in a bunch set twice and once in a spread formation for a matchup advantage. He caught all three passes thrown his way which was impressive as he had Champ Bailey covering him most of the time.

Deion Branch (29 Plays)

While 2012 may have signaled the year that Deion Branch officially moved into ‘past it’ territory, he was certainly valuable in this game even if it was just for his presence as opposed to production. Branch did not catch a single pass in the first half but played a big role in the run game, with one big block springing a big gain on the ground. Branch played 29 plays, lined up out wide seventeen times, in the slot ten times but his biggest play came the one time he lined up as a tight end with the aforementioned block.

Daniel Fells (16 Plays)

Given the first chance to replace the injured Aaron Hernandez (and possibly will receive a similar chance this year), Fells came in and played sixteen snaps. Most of his snaps came on running plays as his blocking was very useful. He lined up in the slot four times and out wide once on the final possession of the first half.

Stevan Ridley (21 Plays)

The spark behind the Patriots running game in the first half, Ridley had thirteen carries for 70 yards on twenty-one snaps. Sixteen of those snaps came in the backfield which was something that Denver could have keyed on if they had the time to react. The rest of the time he went out wide in spread formations on passing downs.

Shane Vereen (2 Plays)

Vereen only played two snaps on the third drive of the half but he had a telling contribution, his first play had him out wide as a receiver and his second snap was a one yard touchdown plunge.

Brandon Bolden (10 Plays)

In for ten first half snaps, nine as a running back, Bolden carried the ball seven times for only 22 yards. His numbers were effected a lot by getting brought down in the backfield twice for big losses.

Danny Woodhead (12 Plays)

One of Woodhead’s greatest assets in his Patriots career has been his versatility and ability to play as a receiver or running back. Nine of his first half snaps came in the backfield, two came in the slot and once was as a receiver. In his twelve plays he had four carries for 18 yards and a crucial 25 yard reception on a third and long.