**
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- **Much like millions of other viewers around the country, some Broncos will tune into tonight's *Monday Night Football *broadcast of the showdown between the Patriots and Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Unlike millions of those viewers, however, those Broncos who watch the game will be doing so from a slightly different vantage point – one entailing paying a bit closer attention to the performance of a Patriots team that the Broncos will face in less than a week.
"Sometimes I just have it on, sometimes I don't. We typically work right through," Interim Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said during his press conference on Monday afternoon. "But tonight I'll definitely stop and watch it."
The matchup pits the 7-2 Patriots against a 6-3 Panthers team allowing an NFL-best 12.8 points per game on defense – the Chiefs had entered Week 11 with the best mark in the league, but their scoring average jumped to 13.8 points per game after Denver defeated Kansas City 27-17 last night.
And while the Patriots enter Monday night's matchup scoring 26.0 points per game, good for seventh-best in the league, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said he's interested to watch how New England fares against a Carolina defense that has also yielded just 283.3 yards per game, stingiest in the NFL.
"I mean, they've got a pretty good test this week going against the Panthers defense," Harris Jr. said. "They're probably one of the best defenses in the league, so kind of see what they do and how they play the Patriots. It'll be interesting to see how that game goes."
Harris Jr. also noted that he believes there are benefits to studying a live broadcast of how an upcoming opponent plays against another team – and vice versa.
"Definitely see how they play the Patriots, see what works," he said. "We might be able to use some of the stuff – you never know. I'm a guy that – I'm always watching football, tuning in, try to see little tidbits of what we can use to get better."
Defensive end Malik Jackson noted that he, too, might watch the game – although he'll look to do some in a relaxing environment.
"It depends. I'll probably be at home and I'll probably watch it for myself a little bit," Jackson said. "Just relax at home and try to get with a few guys maybe for the second half and watch. You just try to see what other guys are up to and then we try to get together, if not you just watch it at home."
