Brady knows Broncos' D is always a tough task
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Tom Brady isn't masking his respect for the Broncos, even as Denver enters its prime-time home matchup with New England riding a four-game losing streak.
Brady's history against the Broncos is reason enough to make him wary of Sunday's opponent. The Patriots quarterback is 6-6 against them in the regular season, including a 3-4 mark in Denver, and 1-3 in the postseason.
"It's just there's little margin of error when you go out there, and we're going to have to play good," Brady said Wednesday. "They've got a great defense. They've got great players on both sides of the ball. You can't go out there and make a bunch of mistakes and expect to win."
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With the Broncos (3-5) coming off a 51-23 loss in Philadelphia last Sunday, the Patriots (6-2) fully expect to see a refocused Denver team that still leads the NFL in fewest total yards allowed (2,246).
"All these wins are important for every team," Brady said. "No one likes to lose. … We've (lost games and) there's definitely urgency, and you learn a lot from the losses, and everyone wants to get the bad taste out of their mouth."
The Patriots are well-rested coming off a bye, but enter a difficult stretch with five of their next six games on the road, including a game in Mexico City versus Oakland on Nov. 19. After visiting Denver, New England will practice in Colorado before flying to Mexico City the day before facing the Raiders.
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"It's just a unique thing; it probably will never happen again, and hopefully we can go take advantage of it," Brady said about the trip.
New England is 10-21 in Denver, the last team to deal the Patriots a road loss with a 30-24 overtime victory in 2015.
"It's a great crowd, a great football environment, Sunday night. I'm sure that place will be lit up," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
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The Patriots have won 11 straight away from home and are 5-1 overall in their last six meetings with the Broncos.
NOTES:WR Chris Hogan (shoulder), DT Malcom Brown (ankle) and OT Marcus Cannon (ankle) were absent from practice Wednesday. … The Patriots did not activate LB Shea McClellin (concussion) from injured reserve before Wednesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, meaning he will miss the rest of the season. … Newly signed DL Ricky Jean-Francois will wear No. 94 with the Patriots. "We just tried to add a little depth to the defensive line," Belichick said of the signing.