This is the first of the three remaining playoff games that are all repeats of regular season contests and as Tebowmania - much to my surprise and cost - rumbles into New England the question will be: are we going to see a turnaround for the Patriots this year as we did when they lost to the Jets last year?

This time, I don't think the Patriots will underestimate a playoff opponent after ripping them apart in December. The Patriots overcame the Jets 45-3 and then lost 21-28 last year. New England already hold a 41-23 decision over the Broncos this year but many analysts have pointed out that the numbers on the scoreboard bore little relation to what actually happened in the game and to a certain extent that's true.

On the back of a stunning win at home against the Steelers, can the Broncos inflict yet another home playoff opener defeat on New England? The Pariots haven't, amazingly for a team of their stature, won a post-season game for four years. Can Tebow keep the magic alive and continue the momentum?

It's not all about Tebow as the Denver defence is solid; they have a compact running game led by Willis McGahee and the receiving corps is littered with catch-and-run playmakers. The one dimension that Tebow appears to create is confusion and a false sense of security as the Steelers found when they found themselves playing zero coverage to stop the run. The Patriots defence will be happy to keep the Denver offence in front of them, meaning that accuracy and decision making will be key for Tebow, something that has caused him problems in the past.

Can New England get their post-season mojo back? There is no denying that Tom Brady will go down as one of the best quarterbacks ever but the last game they won at this stage of the year came back in 2007 and since then they have struggled in the big match-ups. In those games they generated just an average of 16 points. The Brady numbers show a ratio of five touchdowns to four interceptions, which doesn't read well, and neither do the two fumbles and 13 sacks. His beaten-up offensive line may once again struggle to keep him upright as Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller are certain to come after Brady.

Brady does have a few safety valves though and I'll be expecting him to make plenty of use of his double tight-end package Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez as well as hardy perennial wide receiver Wes Welker. He will require double teaming most of the time which limits the times you can pressure Brady.

There are plenty of distractions around this game for both sides and aadding to the intrigue is Josh McDaniels the former Denver head coach who is back on Bill Belichick's staff. Turnovers have proved vital in playoff games before and the Broncos will need to eliminate that factor from the game as only the 49ers and Packers had better turnover differentials than New England's plus 17. The Broncos were among the worst in the league at minus 12.

Expectations are high for New England but Denver are playing with the banker's money. They can throw caution to the wind and force the Patriots to give up touchdowns and a lot of yards. But Brady, getting a second look at the Denver defence, will put up 30-plus points and win a close game. The Patriots may not be too worried about topping the double-figure handicap and winning by an margin will suffice after the post-season travails of the past few years.