Up 24-0 at the half, the Broncos were staring at the possibility of
being the #1 seed in the AFC. On a cold,
blistery night in Foxboro, Denver had forced and recovered three fumbles
on the Patriots first three possessions on their way to building a commanding
24-0 lead at the half. In a matter of moments during the third quarter, the
Pats completely erased the Broncos lead and stormed back to take the lead.
After Denver rallied to tie up the game at 31 late, the game headed to
overtime. It was only natural that the game would end with a miscue on a punt.
Wes Welker never called off the return team to watch out for the errant punt,
and the ball hit Tony Carter and the Pats recovered. A few plays later, Stephen
Gostkowski hit the game-winning 31 yard field goal, and New England won 34-31
in a game that could have lasting effects for both teams. It was certainly a
tale of two halves. It was one of the worst regular season losses in Broncos
history. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Broncos, and it will be hard
to fathom how this game slipped away. Here are my thoughts and observations on
the game…
1) You can’t ask for a better start to the
game than what Denver had. All three fumbles were really nice plays by the
Broncos and they were able to recover all three and convert them into points.
Von Miller’s 60 yard fumble return was the first score, then Miller followed it
up with a strip sack of Brady, which Terrence Knighton recovered and returned
it to the NE 10 yard line. Knowshon Moreno followed that up with a 2 yard
touchdown and the Broncos had a stunning 14-0 lead.
2) After the third fumble was recovered by
Danny Trevathan, the Broncos had a chance to make it 21-0, but a key sack on 2nd
and goal by Rob Ninkovich and the Broncos had to settle for a field goal and a
17-0 lead. It is amazing how settling for a field goal could change the outcome
of a game.
3) The Broncos defense played great early on,
and not only forced turnovers, but they were able to force punts by the Pats.
After a NE punt, the Broncos went 70 yards, and Peyton Manning capped off the
drive with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme to make it 24-0. The best
part of the drive was Denver converted a 3rd and 20 when Manning
dumped a pass off to Montee Ball for 31 yards to get the first down.
4) I have to admit at 24-0 I thought the game
was probably over at that point. I already started thinking about how the
Broncos could have basically locked up the #1 seed with this win. Little did I
know how the rest of this game would play out.
5) Maybe there was an omen for the second half
on the last play of the first half. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie tried to
intercept a meaningless Tom Brady pass at the end of the first half and in the
process injured his shoulder, and that injury knocked him out of the game. The
worst part about the play was that the pass wasn’t even close to the endzone
and it was a harmless throw at the end of the half.
6) The Pats came out in the second half and
went right after Kayvon Webster, who replaced DRC. The Pats went right down the
field and Brady found Julian Edelman for a 5-yard touchdown and they cut the
lead to 24-7. The momentum had shifted, but I wasn’t too worried yet.
7) I officially became worried on the Broncos
next series when Montee Ball fumbled, and the Pats recovered at the Denver 32.
A few plays later, Brandon Bolden scored to make it 24-14. You could just feel
the entire game shift at that point. Right then and there I knew we were in a
dogfight.
8) A Brady to Edelman bomb set up the next
touchdown, and a quick Manning interception set up the Pats at the Denver 30,
and two plays later Edelman was leaping into the endzone with a 28-24 lead. It
was a stunning turn of events and now the Broncos were trailing in a game they
should be running away with.
9) After a New England field goal to make it
31-24, Denver took over at their own 20 with just over seven minutes remaining.
Give Manning credit because he put a drive together to tie the game. He hit
Demaryius Thomas on an 11 yard touchdown throw to tie the game at 31 with 3:06
to go. It was a crucial drive for Manning and the Broncos into the wind.
10) Bill Belichick made the decision to kickoff
in overtime and take the wind at his back, and he was proven to make the right
call. I felt that Denver struggled more going against the wind than the Pats
did, and the win really played a role on punts and kicks. The wind affected the
final punt of the game, and Welker’s non “Poison” call helped caused the
turnover and the outcome. What a fitting way for this game to end for the Broncos. A bone-headed play on a punt ends the Broncos night.
11) There are so many aspects to look at in this game. One that I feel came out of Sunday night's game was Manning's play in the wind and cold weather. This game had 20 mph winds gusting all night long, and the temps dipped into the teens with the windchill. I know Manning had some suspect play in the game, but most of the time the Broncos were able to run the ball with Knowshon Moreno, so Manning didn't even have to throw the ball. Moreno rushed for 224 yards on 37 carries. The Broncos completely dominated the game up front, and Manning wasn't really relied on to throw the ball. Plus, with the game on the line Manning drove them 80 yards for the game-tying score with 3 minutes left into the wind. I know Manning's is not totally healthy, but I think the whole "Manning can't win in the cold" is going to be overrated in the end.
12) The whole Brady-Manning duel wasn't exactly a classic shootout that everyone envisioned. Brady completely outplayed Manning in the second half, but in fairness to Manning the Broncos running game really took the forefront for their offense in this game.
13) This is as bad of loss that you can have in the regular season, but let's put things in perspective. The Broncos still have a good shot at getting the #1 seed in the AFC. KC lost to SD on Sunday, and even if Denver loses to KC next week, they can still win the division if KC can lose one more game the rest of the way which is viable since they host Indy in Week 16 and travel to SD in Week 17. Also, Denver still is a game ahead of the Pats in the standings as well. Plus, throw this game out of the window if the Pats and Broncos meet again in the playoffs. The conditions were a nightmare, and the Broncos injuries really affected the outcome in the 2nd half. Was it a bad loss? Yes, but there is still some light at the end of the tunnel for the Broncos. Every Super Bowl champion has to deal with some adversity during the course of a long NFL season, and this is just another example of that for the Broncos.
14) Denver heads to KC with both teams tied at 9-2 and the AFC West lead is on the line. Denver lost Kevin Vickerson for the season with a hip injury, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Knowshon Moreno are questionable for the game. Champ Bailey and Julius Thomas look like they are on track to play this week. KC is dealing with injuries too. Justin Houston and Tamba Hali are both questionable to play this week, and if they are not 100% then that will really help Denver's chances to win game.
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