New England Patriots fans will be watching their team in the AFC Championship game yet again as they take on the Denver Broncos. Let's not kid ourselves: Denver has been the house of horrors for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Brady has struggled against the Broncos more than any other team in his career, especially in the playoffs. Still, that doesn't mean they can't win on Sunday.

Here are five things I think the Patriots must do in order to take down the Broncos and advance to the Super Bowl.

1. Score Early

This sounds obvious, but it's something the Patriots have to do. Playing on the road in the playoffs is no joke, especially in Denver. Falling behind early will only result in the Broncos grounding and pounding the clock away, and Broncos fans will be louder than ever. The Patriots offense has to at least get the team in position for some early field goals to quiet the crowd. The last thing Bill Belichick can afford to do is fall behind early on the road. Usually we see Belichick defer the opening coin toss away to the opposing team, but he should be careful doing that this weekend.

2. Get Gronk Involved

Here's the bottom line with two facts: Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end in the NFL when healthy, and the Patriots have no chance without him. The Patriots offensive line did a great job last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, and that's extremely critical because it allows Gronkowski to run more routes. It wasn't that long ago that the Patriots offensive line was so devastated with injuries that Gronkowski was playing more left tackle than he was tight end. Edelman is the one who moves the chains, but Gronkowski is the unstoppable force who gets in the end zone. If the Broncos stop Gronkowski, it's going to be very difficult to pull off this upset.

3. Keep the Pressure on Manning

You can ignore all the "Peyton Manning is done" rhetoric. He's still an elite quarterback who gets the job done. Last week he led a comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers with zero turnovers. You don't have 12 playoff wins by mistake. Manning is also 2-0 against Brady and Belichick when playing at home. Manning is one of the least mobile quarterbacks in the league, and the Patriots have a good pass rush. You can't let Manning sit comfortably in the pocket or he will pick you apart. The Patriots don't even have to get sacks, just keep Manning moving and make him uncomfortable. The Broncos have great wide receivers, so the more time Manning gets, the more time Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas have to get open.

4. Don't Be Afraid of Trickery

Last year's AFC Divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens was one of the greatest games in NFL history. The play that changed that game was a trick play on offense by Josh McDaniels. Remember? Brady took the snap, threw an out to Julian Edelman (who played quarterback at Kent State), who then passed to an open Danny Amendola for the touchdown. That was something, wasn't it? The Patriots may have another trick up their sleeve this week. Now's the time to use it. Maybe a fake punt, fake field goal or even an onside kick.

5. Protection

Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware led the Broncos to the No. 1 pass rush in the NFL leading the league in sacks this season. It looks like Scott Chandler is going to play, which is big because he is a great blocker. The Patriots front five against the Broncos defensive line is without a doubt the key matchup in this game to watch. Sometimes the best way to beat an elite pass rush is to just throw fast slants and slot passes getting rid of the ball quickly. However, the Patriots at some point are going to have to open up the field possibly to Brandon LaFell, and that's going to require some time in the pocket.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1