NFL injury report: Patriots without Aaron Hernandez again in Week 5

The Patriots continued their winning ways despite a couple of injuries to key players.

Broncos vs. Patriots 2012: New England's offense rolls again, sets franchise record

Pats Pulpit, SB Nation's Patriots blog, reflects on another big win for New England in Week 5.

Patriots vs. Broncos: Five things we learned from New England's victory

Tom Brady took home his ninth victory in thirteen tries against his arch-rival Peyton Manning this Sunday. Check here to find out five other important things that we learned from the action down in Foxboro.

Patriots vs. Broncos final score: Tom Brady, Pats best Peyton Manning in 31-21 win

Peyton Manning outperformed arch rival Tom Brady on the stat sheet, but it was the New England Patriots who got the better of Manning and the Denver Broncos, holding into a 31-21 win at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon. New England (3-2) is over .500 for the first time since its Week 1 against Tennessee.

New England set a new franchise record with 35 first downs and racked up 444 yards of offense in the process. Brady completed 23-of-31 passes for 223 yards and one touchdown while Wes Welker grabbed 13 passes for 104 yards and a score and Stevan Ridley rushed for 151 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries.

Manning finished 31-of-44 with 345 yards and three touchdowns for Denver, which topped 400 total yards. Demaryius Thomas had a monster game with 188 receiving yards on nine catches. Willis McGahee had 51 rushing yards on 14 carries but cost his team dearly in the fourth quarter, dropping an easy pass on third and short and fumbling the ball in Patriots' territory to end the comeback.

New England heads out west to take on the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.

Patriots vs. Broncos score update: New England takes 31-14 lead into fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium

After taking a 17-7 lead into the half, the New England Patriots were looking to build more momentum when the third quarter began. Unfortunately, a three-and-out, sparked by an ill-advised sack on third-down would give the ball over to the Broncos less than a minute and a half into the third quarter.

The Patriots would then stop the Broncos just shy of the fifty-yard-line, forcing a Britton Colquitt punt that would go through the back of the endzone for a touchback.

On their ensuing possession, the Patriots would pick up an incredible first-down conversion on 3rd & 17 with an off-tackle run to Danny Woodhead. This would lead to another successful drive for the New England offense, capped off by a Tom Brady quarterback sneak into the endzone for a touchdown and a 24-7 lead.

Not long after getting the ball back, Peyton Manning would be stripped by linebacker/defensive end hybrid Rob Ninkovich with the ball being recovered by big Vince Wilfork, setting the Patriots offense up deep inside Denver territory. A few plays later, running back Stevan Ridley would punch it in for a touchdown, securing the Patriots a commanding 31-7 lead.

Peyton would have his say before the quarter came to a close, leading his team down the field in short order, ending with a touchdown pass to Eric Decker. The drive spanned 90 yards in just three minutes.

Patriots Vs. Broncos Score Update: Efficient offense helps New England secure 17-7 halftime lead

Less than sixty seconds into the second quarter, the Patriots would see their 7-0 opening frame lead completely wiped away.

On a critical third down play, cornerback Devin McCourty took yet another costly pass interference penalty to set the Broncos up on the Patriots' one-yard line. There would be no argument from the Patriots' sideline as it was probably the most obvious instance of pass interference that I've seen in quite some time. Not once during the play did New Engand's third-year corner ever look back, locate the ball attempt to make a play. He simply got up in the face of the receiver and took him down when the ball arrived. At this point, I'm not sure why McCourty is still being put on the field. Your guess is as good as mine, folks.

On the next play from scrimmage, Peyton Manning would execute a beautiful play-action fake to set up tight end Joel Dreessen all alone in the back of the endzone for a touchdown to tie the game at 7.

Brady and the Pats would follow that up with a tremendously executed drive down the field to regain the lead. Brandon Lloyd would make another important grab to get the ball down inside the one-yard-line of the Broncos. After the Patriots hurried back to the line, reserve tailback Shane Vereen would take it to pay-dirt for a 14-7 New England lead.

The Patriots would drive down the field once again on their next possession before being halted inside the five-yard-line and being forced to kick a field goal. Stephen Gostkowski's extra-point-like field goal was right down the middle, securing the Patriots a 17-7 lead as we entered halftime.

Patriots Vs. Broncos Score Update: New England leads, 7-0, after opening quarter

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. For the thirteenth time in NFL history, two of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation got together to duke it out this Sunday afternoon in Foxboro, MA. Like a heavyweight title fight, expect these two legends to go back and forth all evening.

It would be Manning who got the ball first after his Broncos won the coin toss. Just as no. 18 began to drive his team down the field, defensive back Sterling Moore would force a fumble on young Denver receiver Demaryius Thomas to give the ball to the Patriots. Unfortunately for the 66,000-plus fans in attendance at Gillette Stadium, Tom Brady wasn't able to lead his offense to a score on their first possession, either.

After converting a huge 3rd & 8 in the red zone with a nine-yard pass to former Bronco Brandon Lloyd, the Patriots would score the game's first touchdown. Brady would find an open Wes Welker for an eight-yard score to give New England a 7-0 lead with three minutes to go in the quarter.

As the game's opening quarter came to a close, the Broncos were in the midst of a drive deep into Patriots' territory.

Patriots vs. Broncos inactives: Aaron Hernandez, Dont'a Hightower out for New England

Aaron Hernandez and Dont'a Hightower will miss Sunday's game between Denver and New England, with Knowshon Moreno highlighting the Broncos' inactives.

Patriots vs. Broncos: Game preview, TV Schedule, kickoff time, injuries and more

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots go up against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on Sunday afternoon.

Event: New England Patriots (2-2) vs. Denver Broncos (2-2) - Week 5.

Date/Time: Sunday, October 7, 2012 - 4:25 p.m. ET.

Location: Gillette Stadium (Capacity: 00,000), Foxboro, MA.

Broadcast Information: Sunday afternoon's game between the Patriots and Broncos will be aired regionally on CBS/WBZ (Ch. 4 in Boston and surrounding areas) and can be heard on the radio on WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Odds: New England is a 6 1/2-point favorite over Denver on Sunday.

Patriots 53-Man Roster: View the New England Patriots' roster here.

Broncos' 53-Man Roster: View the Denver Broncos' roster here.

Injuries: Below is a list of injuries for both New England and Denver.

Last Time Out: New England recovered from a terrible first half to rout the Buffalo Bills, 52-28. Tom Brady threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns and Brandon Bolden and Stevan Ridley each rushed for over 100 yards. Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski both topped 100 yards receiving. Denver crushed the Oakland Raiders, 37-6, last Sunday. Peyton Manning had 338 passing yards and three scores and Willis McGahee rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown.

Last Meeting: The Patriots and Broncos last met in the second round of the 2011-12 NFL Playoffs, when Denver was still stuck on Tebow Time. Tom Brady lit up the scoreboard with 363 passing yards and six touchdowns on the way to a 45-10 Patriots' win. Rob Gronkowski had 10 catches for 145 yards and three scores. Then Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow had 136 passing yards and Williw McGahee rushed for 76 yards and a score. New England had 509 yards.

Storyline: Two men will steal the spotlight on Sunday, and for good reason. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were once the two best quarterbacks in football, and while they may no longer hold that distinction, they're still pretty darn good. Given their storied rivalry, you can bet that both Brady and Manning want to win badly. These teams have changed since their last meeting, with the biggest change being the sining of Manning and trading Tim Tebow to the New York Jets. Both enter Sunday's game at 2-2. Who will win this round?

Prediction: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning both want to win, and that alone should keep this game pretty close. Final score: Patriots 35, Broncos 28.

Patriots vs. Broncos: Five things to watch for in latest Brady-Manning showdown

The Patriots will take on the Broncos in the latest edition of the Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning saga on Sunday afternoon. Here are five things to watch for.

Broncos vs. Patriots Injury Report: Aaron Hernandez questionable for Week 5

The New England Patriots may be getting tight end Aaron Hernandez back for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. The young star was listed as questionable after practicing on Thursday for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2.

The other tight end in the Patriots' offensive attack, Rob Gronkowski, is also listed as questionable as he battles a hip injury. Gronk was out of practice on Wednesday and was limited on Thursday.

The Broncos and Patriots are both 2-2 ahead of their Week 5 meeting at Gillette Stadium. The Pats are coming off an impressive win, where they blew out the Buffalo Bills in the second half to win by a convincing, 52-28, score. The Broncos also had a strong performance in Week 4, as they dominating the Oakland Raiders en route to a 37-6 win.

The full injury reports for both teams can be found below.

Patriots

Out

Julian Edelman WR

Steve Gregory S

Questionable

Brandon Bolden RB

Brandon Deaderick DE

Justin Francis DT

Rob Gronkowski TE

Aaron Hernandez TE

Dont'a Hightower LB

Michael Hoomanawanui TE

Logan Mankins G

Nick McDonald OL

Sterling Moore CB

Shane Vereen RB

Sebastian Vollmer OT

Probable

Kyle Love DT

Broncos

Probable

Chris Harris CB

Nate Irving MLB

Chris Kuper G

Tracy Porter CB

Matthew Willis WR

Aaron Hernandez returns to Patriots practice

The New England Patriots' injury report for Thursday has been released, and surprisingly tight end Aaron Hernandez returned to the practice field, the Boston Herald is reporting. This was Hernandez's first practice since suffering a high ankle sprain in New England's Week 2 loss, 20-18, to the Arizona Cardinals. It was initially thought Hernandez would miss four to six weeks with the injury.

Unfortunately, Hernandez's return does not mean he will play in Sunday's contest at the Denver Broncos. Hernandez was seen limping after running drills in individual workouts but was able to stutter-step and plant his feet before turning for the ball. This is a good indication that Hernandez's road to recovery is nearing an end.

Also participating in practice was All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski (hip), who missed Wednesday's practice. Gronkowski was listed as questionable before last Sunday's blowout victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Meanwhile, those players that did not practice were: safety Steve Gregory (hip), wide receiver Julian Edelman (hand) and cornerback Ras-I Dowling.

Week 5 NFL picks and predictions: Broncos vs. Patriots

Two living legend quarterbacks face off as the New England Patriots host the Denver Broncos. Which future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, will prevail?

NFL odds and lines, Week 5: Broncos vs. Patriots

The New England Patriots are favored at home against the Denver Broncos in their contest on Sunday.

Patriots vs. Broncos: Gronkowski misses practice, Brady limited

The New England Patriots listed 16 players on their Wednesday injury report, including Rob Gronkowski, who missed practice. Tom Brady and Logan Mankins were limited.

Tom Brady named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Tom Brady was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after lighting up the Buffalo Bills last Sunday.

NFL Schedule 2012: New England hosts Peyton Manning

The New England Patriots host Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.

Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning: Is it still worth the hype?

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are two of the biggest rivals in football history, but when the two meet on Sunday in Foxboro, it just won't be the same.