CONNECTIONS
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was an assistant special teams coach and an assistant to the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 1978. While Belichick was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns he hired Jacob Burney as a defensive line coach. Burney currently holds the same position for the Broncos.

• Patriots tight ends/assistant offensive line coach Jeff Davidson was drafted in the fifth round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Broncos and moved into the starting lineup in just his second season. He played for Denver from 1990-93.

• Patriots quarterback coach John Hufnagel was drafted by Denver in the 14th round of the 1973 NFL draft and played three seasons for the Broncos.

• Patriots tackle Tom Ashworth was born in Denver and played football and baseball at Cherry Creek High in Englewood, Colo. He played his college football at the University of Colorado.

• Patriots tight end Christian Fauria played at the University of Colorado, where he had 98 receptions, 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns and was team captain as a senior.

• Patriots tight end Daniel Graham was raised in Denver after his father, Tom, played three seasons for the Broncos. Graham played at Thomas Jefferson High as well as the University of Colorado.

• Patriots defensive end Bobby Hamilton's father, Billy, tried out at wide receiver for Denver in the 1960s.

• Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson was a four-year letterman at Colorado, where he finished second in school history with 471 total tackles and earned All-American first-team honors as a senior.

• Patriots cornerback Tyrone Poole signed with the Broncos in 2001 and played in all 16 games at cornerback (with four starts) for the Broncos last season.

• Broncos center Tom Nalen was born in Foxborough, Mass., attended Foxboro High School and attended Boston College

• Broncos cornerback Lenny Walls also played college football at Boston College.

• Patriots wide receiver David Givens and Broncos quarterback Jarious Jackson played together at Notre Dame. Broncos defensive end Bertrand Berry also played for the Fighting Irish and is from Givens' hometown of Humble, Texas.

• Patriots rookie center Dan Koppen played one year behind Broncos cornerback Lenny Walls at Boston College. Patriots running back Michael Cloud, center Damien Woody and Broncos center Tom Nalen also played at BC.

• Broncos wide receiver Chris Cole was a senior at Texas A&M when Patriots rookie wide receiver Bethel Johnson and rookie defensive lineman Ty Warren were freshmen.

• Patriots fullback Patrick Pass and defensive lineman Richard Seymour played together at the University of Georgia, along with Broncos safety Nick Ferguson, tackle George Foster and guard Steve Herndon.

• Patriots tackle Tom Ashworth and tight end Daniel Graham played with Broncos rookie linebacker Jashon Sykes at the University of Colorado. Patriots tight end Christian Fauria and linebacker Ted Johnson played with Broncos defensive tackle Darius Holland and tackle Matt Lepsis at Colorado as well.

• Patriots linebacker Tully Banta-Cain's freshman year at the University of California was Broncos cornerback Deltha O'Neal's senior year; Patriots safety Je'Rod Cherry also went to Cal.

• Patriots defensive back Antwan Harris was two years ahead of Broncos defensive tackle Monsanto Pope at the University of Virginia.

• Patriots cornerback Tyrone Poole and Broncos guard Steve Herndon are both from LaGrange, Ga.

WITH A WIN THIS WEEK…
If the Patriots win this week, they would…

• Be 7-2 for the first time in 23 years (1980).

• Join the 1978 and 1980 Patriots as one of just three squads in team history to begin the season with seven wins in the first nine games of the season.

• Have a five-game winning streak for the first time since they won nine regular-season games in a row (11/25/01 to 09/22/02).

• Be 3-1 in their last four Monday night games.

• Have won two of their last three games in Denver.

THIS WEEK IN PATRIOTS HISTORY
The Patriots have an 11-12 record in Week Nine since the NFL instituted the 16-game schedule in 1978. New England has not lost in Week Nine since 1997. Last year, the Patriots defeated Buffalo, 38-7, improving to 4-4 on the season. Below are some memorable moments in Patriots history from the week of Oct. 27 — Nov. 3.

Oct. 29, 1978 — The Patriots beat the New York Jets 55-21, recording the second-highest points output in team history. The following season, New England set the team record for points in a game in a 56-3 win over the Jets.

Oct. 30, 1966 — Jim Nance ran for 208 yards on 38 attempts in a 24-21 win over Oakland at B.U. Field. It was the first of two 200-yard rushing performances in franchise history.

Nov. 3, 1991 — Shawn McCarthy boomed a 93-yard punt in a 22-17 loss in Buffalo. The 93-yarder is a franchise record and the longest punt in the league since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Nov. 2, 1980 — New England defeated the New York Jets 34-21 to cap off a 7-2 start to the 1980 season. The 7-2 start is the second best run to begin a season in Patriots history (1978, 8-2).

Nov. 3, 1996 — The Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 42-23 to raise their record to 6-3 in the 1996 Super Bowl season. The 42-point output is the most by the Patriots against Miami. Curtis Martin tied a team record with three rushing touchdowns.

Nov. 3, 2002 — The Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 38-7 in their first game against former signal caller Drew Bledsoe. Tom Brady set the Patriots' completion percentage record by connecting on 84.6 percent of his passes (22-26), including three touchdowns.