Foxborough, Mass. • 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."
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.
"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.
The Patriots have won 11 straight away from home and are 5-1 overall in their last six meetings with the Broncos.