A crossover coach could be key for Patriots

After New England won at Denver last month, Tom Brady met Tim Tebow at midfield and offered the second-year Broncos quarterback some words of encouragement — including “we’ll see you again.”

That reunion came sooner than many expected.

“I’m excited,” Brady said Monday, when asked about his reaction to Denver’s jaw-dropping overtime victory in a first-round game against Pittsburgh. “And I’m sure there’s not a lot of guys on our team that slept great last night.”

Even though throwing the ball isn’t his forte, Tebow put together a masterful performance against the Steelers, throwing for a season-high 316 yards — including the 80-yard game-winner to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime — with a passer rating of 125.6, best in Broncos postseason history. Curiously, though, he completed less than half his passes — 10 of 21. Denver is 4-0 in overtime with him as a starter, and there’s no question the eyes of the football world will be on him Saturday night.

Part of the story is the Patriots’ rehiring of Josh McDaniels as an offensive assistant,; he’ll take over as offensive coordinator when Bill O’Brien moves on to become head coach at Penn State.

McDaniels was head coach of the Broncos when they selected both Tebow and Thomas in the first round of the 2010 draft. Brady thinks McDaniels’ familiarity with those players will help the Patriots prepare.

“He obviously has some inside information on that team and those players, as he coached them,” Brady said. “I think Coach [Bill] Belichick has a pretty good idea of what he’s going to want Josh to do. . . .

“[McDaniels is] a great coach and we’re lucky to have him. I’m excited to get back to work with him. How that plays into this week, we’ll see.”

Touchdown Tommy

If Brady were to throw a touchdown pass against Denver, he would extend his postseason streak to 18 consecutive games with a touchdown pass, two short of Brett Favre’s league record. The top four streaks: Brett Favre (1991-2010), 20; Tom Brady (2000-present), 17; Dan Marino (1983-1999), 13; Kurt Warner (1998-2009), 12.

Fits the Bill

Belichick is 15-6 (.714) in the postseason, ranking him fifth all-time with 15 playoff victories. Only Hall of Fame coaches Tom Landry, Don Shula, Joe Gibbs and Chuck Noll are ahead of him on that list.

Should the Patriots beat the Broncos, Belichick would be tied with Pittsburgh’s Noll for the fourth-most playoff wins. Head coaches with the most playoff wins in NFL history (*active): Tom Landry, Cowboys, 20; Don Shula, Colts and Dolphins, 19; Joe Gibbs, Redskins, 17; Chuck Noll, Steelers, 16; Bill Belichick, Browns and Patriots, *15.

Slow starters

The Broncos are the fifth team in NFL history to reach the postseason after losing at least five of their first seven games. They got off to a 2-5 start.

It’s worth noting that none of the previous four teams advanced past the divisional round. Teams to reach the postseason after starting 2-5 or worse: Cincinnati, 1970, 1-6 / 8-6, Divisional; New Orleans, 1990, 2-5 / 8-8, Wild Card; Detroit, 1995, 2-5 / 10-6, Wild Card; N.Y. Jets, 2002, 2-5 / 9-7, Divisional; Denver , 2011, 2-5 / 8-8, Divisional.

Another view

Rich Gannon of CBS: “Here’s my concern for Denver in this one: Without [injured receiver] Eric Decker, I think Demaryius Thomas is going to get doubled a lot. Then where’s Tim Tebow going to go with the ball? Pittsburgh overcommitted to trying to stop Tebow and Willis McGahee. They opened up the middle of the field and put the corners on an island. You hit one or two throws and that could be the difference in the game.”

By the numbers

How teams compare statistically. Stats are per-game averages, except sacks and turnover differential, which are for the season (league rank in parentheses):

Category / Broncos / Patriots

Points scored / 19.3 (25) /32.1 (3)

Points allowed / 24.4 (24) / 21.4 (15)

Pass offense / 152.1 (31) / 317.8 (2)

Rush offense / 164.5 (1) / 110.2 (20)

Pass defense / 231.5 (18) / 293.9 (31)

Rush defense / 126.3 (22) / 117.1 (17)

Sacks / 41 (10) / 40 (14)

Penalties / 6.3 (17) / 5.4 (7)

Turnovers / -12 (27) / +17 (3)

Farmer’s pick

Impressive as the Broncos’ overtime victory over Pittsburgh was, they’re now facing a team — on the road — that’s averaging two touchdowns more per game than the Steelers. Denver isn’t built for a shootout, even against a porous defense. Patriots 28, Broncos 20.