Denver Broncos End Patriots’ Undefeated Run, Win 30-24

The Denver Broncos ended the New England Patriots’ undefeated run, winning in epic fashion off of a C.J. Anderson walk-off rushing touchdown in overtime.

The Denver Broncos entered their week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots with an 8-2 record, comfortably leading their division. However, the Patriots entered the game unbeaten, and the Denver Broncos wanted to do everything in their power to hand the Patriots their first loss. The New England Patriots come into the game short-staffed at wide receiver, with Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola both missing the game. Additionally, the Patriots were without their leading receiving running back Dion Lewis due to an injury suffered a couple weeks ago.

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The Denver Broncos re-entered the win column last week with an impressive road victory against the Chicago Bears. The Denver Broncos, as of late, struggled to generate defensive takeaways, but they managed to accumulate two interceptions off of Jay Cutler last week. So, with Tom Brady and company heading into town, the Denver Broncos looked to carry some of their defensive momentum from last week into week 12. On the other sideline, Brock Osweiler earned his second-consecutive start for the Denver Broncos, and he hoped to build off of a strong performance last week in Chicago. 

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To begin the game, the Denver Broncos received the opening kickoff; however, they quickly gave the ball back to the New England Patriots after a three-and-out. In the subsequent drive from the Patriots, Tom Brady led them down the field for a touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski to open the scoring. The Denver Broncos struggled to get their offense going in their first four possessions, resulting in three punts and one interception. On the interception, Osweiler got hit while trying to throw the ball, and the ball went straight up in the air for a relatively easy interception for Chandler Jones.

The Patriots shut out the Denver Broncos in the first quarter and led 7-0 entering the second quarter. The Patriots furthered their lead to 14-0 after Tom Brady connected on his second touchdown pass of the night, this time to second-string tight end Scott Chandler. Brock Osweiler finally got the offense going in the second quarter, leading the team to a 10-play, 77 yard drive, resulting in a Ronnie Hillman rushing touchdown to put the Denver Broncos on the board. The score remained 14-7 heading into halftime, but the Denver Broncos gained some much needed momentum.

After halftime, the New England Patriots received the kickoff to begin the second half; however, they could not get anything going in their opening drive, resulting in a punt. The Denver Broncos marched down the field, but they were stopped, forcing Brandon McManus to attempt a 47-yard field goal. McManus only missed one field goal all season up to this point, but he pushed the kick wide-right, leaving the Denver Broncos empty handed from the drive. Entering the fourth quarter, the Patriots were up 14-7 on the Denver Broncos, and they furthered their lead to begin the fourth.

Tom Brady connected on a 63-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Bolden to put the Patriots up 21-7. On the following drive by the Denver Broncos, they were forced to punt; however, the Patriots muffed the recovery, leaving the Broncos in the redzone. The Denver Broncos did not squander their opportunity, and C.J. Anderson scored on a 15-yard rush to cut the deficit to 21-14. After a Patriots punt, the Denver Broncos marched back down the field and scored a field goal to bring the score to 21-17 with just over six minutes remaining. In the final two minutes of the game, Brock Osweiler hit Emmanuel Sanders on a crucial completion down the left sideline for 39 yards. 

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With the Denver Broncos in the redzone, Osweiler found Andre Caldwell for the four-yard score to put the Broncos up 24-21 with just over a minute to go. However, everyone knows how effective Tom Brady is in the clutch, and he managed to put together a solid drive with just over a minute left in the game to give Stephen Gostkowski a chance to tie the game up on a 47-yard field goal attempt. Gostkowski had ice in his veins and knocked down the kick to tie the game as time expired in regulation, bringing the score to 24-24, forcing the game into overtime.

The Patriots won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff to begin overtime; however, the Denver Broncos forced them to a three-and-out. After the punt, C.J. Anderson scored on a walk-off touchdown in overtime, a 48-yard scamper to the left. The Denver Broncos ended the New England Patriots’ unbeaten run in what proved to be a game that lived up to the billing. Brock Osweiler extended the Denver Broncos’ win streak to two-straight, and he remains undefeated as a starter, beating Tom Brady.

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During the fourth quarter, Rob Gronkowski suffered a brutal injury to his knee. The Patriots’ medical staff rushed to the field to assess their superstar tight end’s injury, and he could barely put any weight on his leg. The Patriots revealed that Gronkowski was heading to the locker room for x-rays, and that they were investigating his MCL. The Patriots were already banged up heading into this week, so losing Gronkowski would be the ultimate blow to one of the best team in the NFL. We hope Gronkowski has a speedy recovery and good prognosis.

C.J. Anderson finished the game with 15 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns, including a walk-off touchdown in overtime. Also, Ronnie Hillman added 59 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown of his own. Emmanuel Sanders led the Denver Broncos’ receiving corps with six receptions for 113 yards. Surprisingly, Demaryius Thomas only caught one ball for 36 yards, despite seeing 13 targets on the night. Osweiler threw for 270 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, but his touchdown pass was one of the most crucial plays in the game.

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For the Patriots, Tom Brady threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns; moreover, Brady never turned the ball over once in the game. The Patriots struggled to find running room against one of the best defenses in the NFL, and LeGarrette Blount led the team with nine rushes for 27 yards. Rob Gronkowski led the Patriots’ receiving corps with six receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. If Gronkowski misses significant time, expect Scott Chandler to move into the starting tight end spot. The Denver Broncos improved to 9-2; while, the Patriots fell to 10-1. The Denver Broncos look like the real deal heading into week 13, and Osweiler continues to make his case to finish out the season as the starting quarterback.