Dont'a Hightower, LB - New England's run defense has been on an impressive run. That's led by Alan Branch and the guys up front as well as Hightower helping clean up the piles. Denver has not run the ball well at all this season and the Patriots need to ensure that continues to make the home team one-dimensional.

Devin McCourty, S - The Broncos don't have one clear No. 1 target...they have two. Demaryius Thomas and Emanuel Sanders have combined for 150-plus passes for nearly 1,900 yards and 10 touchdowns. The pass defense must deal with the split targets, which could literally pull McCourty in two different directions on the field.

Von Miller, LB - The Super Bowl MVP is again having a great season, entering Sunday's game tied for the NFL lead with 13.5 sacks. Miller is the key cog in a front that dominated the Patriots last January and may have to do so once again if the fading Broncos can keep their playoff hopes alive.

Nate Solder, T - The Patriots offensive line was the fatal flaw last January, when Solder was out for the season. The line has played better as a group this fall, but Solder and Co. face their biggest challenge of the year against the Broncos rush that leads the NFL in sacks per pass play.

Trevor Siemian, QB - The first-year starter may actually be playing the position better than Peyton Manning did a year ago, but it hasn't necessarily led to more team success. The young passer doesn't have much of a running game to work with, so he's going to have to throw his way to a victory over Tom Brady.

Aqib Talib, CB - The former Patriots cornerback is always a guy to keep an eye on. Not only is he a great player - he's tied for the Broncos lead with three picks as a key cog in the back end - but you never know when he's going to get into a fight or some other extracurricular activity on the field. Oh, and don't miss his postgame interview, either. 

LeGarrette Blount, RB - As Blount continues to add to his career-year statistics he faces a Broncos run defense that's surprisingly porous. New England brings its most balanced attack to a battle with Denver and that should see the big back get his chances to run early to set up the play-action pass.

Tom Brady, QB - TB12's numbers against the Broncos aren't terrible, especially in the regular season But Brady's 2-7 career record in Denver (including postseason) is hard to overlook. He must overcome those numbers, and more importantly the Broncos No. 1 pass defense, if New England is to get the job done at Mile High.

Demaryius Thomas/Emmanuel Sanders, WR - The two top Denver targets have nearly identical statistics this fall as nearly the entirety of the Broncos No. 19 passing game. Thomas (76 catches, 925 yards, 5 TDs) is a bigger guy and big play threat on the outside, while Sanders (75, 958, 5) is more of an inside possibility and catch-and-run option. New England's evolving pass defense must deal with this duo as a tandem.

Sylvester Williams, DT - The big nose tackle is in the middle of a struggling run defense that ranks 29th in the NFL. He may also be lining up in front of a pair of backup, fill-in linebackers. Williams needs to come up big against a Patriots offense that's likely going to try to be balanced with a healthy dose of LeGarrette Blount.