Team Grades: Poor Marks Reflect Poor Play By Broncos In Loss To Patriots
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By Rich Kurtzman
This wasn’t how the Broncos hoped it would go.
The first quarter made it seem like a close contest, at 7-6, with Denver in the lead. But then the Patriots took off with 24 straight points in the second, including a lengthy punt return touchdown, for the 27-7 lead at halftime. In the second half, Denver responded with a pick that turned into a touchdown drive, and were suddenly down only 27-14.
New England made it 30-14 and then 37-14 following the second interception thrown by Manning, a deflection off Wes Welker’s chest. Denver fought back, with Manning connecting with Ronnie Hillman to make it 37-21. Another touchdown by the Patriots gave them a 43-21 victory and a lead in the AFC with a 7-2 record overall.
Offense: C- The Broncos started strong and fell off completely. They actually led the game early, scoring a touchdown on their second drive for the 7-3 lead when Hillman ran around the left end and across the goal line. But when Peyton Manning was picked off by Rob Ninkovich in the second quarter and the Patriots scored, it was the 10th point of a 24-0 second quarter. It was the turning point of the game. Manning threw a fade to Julius Thomas on 3rd and 1 of the team’s first second half drive to give the team life. But when Manning threw a second interception off Welker’s chest, the Pats scored on the next play for the 37-14 lead. The Broncos fought back, with Manning exclusively throwing, including the TD to Hillman who dove to hit the pylon to make it 37-21. There was no explosiveness, nothing special and the team suffered.
Defense: D Just like the offense, the defense started well and completely fell apart. They couldn’t put pressure on Brady, who picked the defensive backfield apart repeatedly. While they held for two field goals to start, Julian Edelman caught a touchdown and then Shane Vereen ran one in for the 27-7 halftime lead. But in the second half, Bradley Roby came up with a big-time tipped interception on the Pats’ first drive. Then they held for a field goal on the next drive before a one-play touchdown from Brady to LaFell. The lack of pressure was shocking and the defense simply wasn’t good enough.
Special Teams: F Terrible, just terrible to begin the game. On one first half drive, Brandon McManus missed a field goal off the right upright. Later, Edelman returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos also ran into the punt returner as he called for a fair catch, which was a 15-yard penalty, and they had a block in the back called on them.
Coaching: C+ They were too conservative on a third and 18 in the first drive, throwing it for only three yards, but got more aggressive as the game went on. After the missed field goal, John Fox elected to go for it on fourth and six. It was a gutsy call and even though it didn’t work out, was a good call. He went for it four times on fourth down, each was a good decision, but the Broncos couldn’t gain a first on any of the plays, which was sad to say the least.
Rich Kurtzman is a Denver native, Colorado State University alumnus, sports nerd, athletics enthusiast, and competition junkie. Currently writing for a multitude of websites while working on books, one on the history of the Denver Broncos and Mile High Stadium. Rich is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
