Patriots vs. Broncos: Score and Twitter Reaction for 'Sunday Night Football'

C.J. Anderson and Brock Osweiler beat Tom Brady and...Scott Chandler? Brandon Bolden? Brandon LaFell? That wasn't exactly how the NFL drew it up when it scheduled the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots showdown for Sunday Night Football in Week 12.

Peyton Manning has struggled to beat Brady throughout his career, but Osweiler found a way to do just that Sunday in an overtime thriller as the Broncos gave the Patriots their first loss of the season, 30-24. Bleacher Report reacted to the game:

While Osweiler threw for 270 yards and a touchdown in his second victory in as many starts, Anderson played the starring role with a game-winning touchdown run in overtime on his way to 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The NFL captured the decisive play:

Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk made sure to give credit to the defense as well:

From New England's standpoint, it lost more than just the game. It was already without Julian Edelman, Dion Lewis, Danny Amendola and Nate Solder, among others, but when superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski went down after suffering a serious-looking knee injury in the fourth quarter, the doom really set in. Even the defending champion Patriots can withstand only so much, and Gronkowski's injury could prove to be devastating to their Super Bowl hopes if it is serious.

Fortunately for New England, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said the knee injury is not believed to be serious, and more tests will be done Monday.

But without most of his weapons, Brady still threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns and nearly single-handedly beat one of the league's best defenses.

He wasted little time establishing his team as the favorite when he hit Gronkowski for a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The tight end made history in the process, per the NFL:

That wasn't the only concern for Denver during the first half, as Around the NFL highlighted:

Just like the New England offense, the Broncos defense was missing a number of key pieces (DeMarcus Ware was inactive coming into the game), and the team quickly found itself behind 14-0 after Brady connected with Chandler for a nine-yard score. However, the Broncos battled back before the end of the half, when Ronnie Hillman scored from 19 yards out.

The NFL shared the replay:

Denver had an opportunity in the middle of the third quarter to keep the momentum rolling, but Brandon McManus missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt. James Palmer of NFL Network noted it was the kicker's first miss from inside 50 yards all season, and Sports Illustrated pointed to a concern for the home team:

"

Missed points and missed opportunities are never good vs. Pats -- that's how they blow you out of the game eventually.

— SI NFL (@si_nfl) November 30, 2015"

That may typically be the case for New England, but the offense didn't look the same while dealing with so many injuries. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe noticed in the third quarter as the Patriots punted for the fifth time of the game:

The Broncos did not take advantage on the ensuing drive, and Demaryius Thomas dropped a critical pass. The go-to receiver made zero catches after his first 11 targets came his way. ESPN's Mark Schlereth commented on the receiver, who is in the top 10 in the league in dropped passes this year, per the Washington Post:

The teams traded punts throughout the third quarter, and Ryan Hannable of WEEI 93.7 in Boston demonstrated how unusual it was for a Patriots game:

Right on cue, Brady dropped a perfect dime into a streaking Bolden's arms on the first play of the fourth quarter, and the running back did the rest on a 63-yard score to help open a 21-7 advantage. The NFL passed along the highlight:

Bleacher Report put the touchdown pass into historical context:

Mike Sando of ESPN.com praised New England's ability to overcome the offensive limitations:

Denver finally caught the break it needed when Chris Harper muffed a punt and set the Broncos up in ideal scoring position. The offense took advantage when Anderson scored on a 15-yard run to help trim the lead to 21-14. Bleacher Report's Lee Schechter reacted to the turn of events:

Denver got the ball back (with the help of a critical holding call that nullified a big gain) and drove inside the 5-yard line, but had to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to 21-17 with 6:08 remaining. ESPN's Bomani Jones disagreed with the decision from head coach Gary Kubiak:

Jones wasn't the only one, as Lindsay Jones of USA Today pointed out:

Denver's defense again got the ball back for the offense, although an offensive-pass-interference call on Gronkowski after what would have been a third-down conversion loomed large. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com noted it wasn't the first time, even if it was a questionable call:

As important as the call was, New England's defense held strong. However, the game took a backseat for the Patriots on the ensuing possession when Gronkowski was on the ground writhing in pain. Volin described the scene:

Schechter was not pleased with Denver's defense:

The Patriots couldn't run out the clock, and Osweiler finally connected with Thomas on his 12th attempt to bring the Broncos inside New England territory at the two-minute warning. Osweiler then hit Emmanuel Sanders with a deep ball inside the Patriots' 10-yard line to set the stage for the dramatic finish. Albert Breer of NFL Network was impressed with the throw:

It looked as though the Patriots would get the defensive stop they needed after a momentum-swinging sack, but it was wiped out by another interesting penalty call (this time for defensive holding). Jesse Spector of Sporting News summarized the proceedings:

Naturally, Osweiler found Andre Caldwell in the end zone one play later to help give the Broncos a 24-21 lead with 1:09 left. The NFL shared the highlight:

Not even the poor officiating, the snow and all the injuries could stop Brady from answering. He drove his team into field-goal range in the waning seconds, and Stephen Gostkowski drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.

Denver's defensive line bounced back and dominated the Patriots offensive line on the first series of overtime and forced a punt, which put the Broncos in a score-and-win situation. Score is what Denver did.

Anderson took a pitch on 3rd-and-1 and sprinted the entire 48 yards to paydirt to give Denver the 30-24 victory.

Just like that, the Patriots are in the loss column.

What's Next?

While the dreams of an undefeated season are gone, the 10-1 Patriots still have a golden opportunity to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The game at Denver was arguably the last major test on the remaining schedule.

New England will play a Philadelphia Eagles squad that is in free-fall mode with four losses in its last five games. The Patriots then have a four-game stretch against mediocre AFC teams.

Brady and Co. will finish with the 6-5 Houston Texans, 2-9 Tennessee Titans, 6-5 New York Jets and 4-7 Miami Dolphins and could realistically enter the postseason with a 15-1 mark.

As for 9-2 Denver, it is now three games ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West and looks primed to compete with the Patriots and 9-2 Cincinnati Bengals for positioning in the conference.

While the status of Manning is still in question, the Broncos have three remaining games against the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders. The two AFC West opponents are a combined 8-14 on the season and will give Osweiler (or Manning) a chance to put away the division, regardless of what happens in the challenging contests against the Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Still, the Broncos may need to win against Cincinnati to clinch a coveted first-round bye.

Postgame Reaction

Postgame discussion quickly turned to Gronkowski’s status for the Patriots because it is far more important long-term than just the one loss. Brady said, “He's a tough guy. So hopefully it's not too serious. We'll see. But all our fingers are crossed,” when talking about his tight end, per the NFL.

Brady also put the hit on Gronkowski’s knee into context, per Christopher Price of WEEI.com: “I don't think it's dirty, but that's the way football is played now.”

As for coach Bill Belichick, he did not have an answer for the confusion about the clock on New England’s final drive of regulation (the clock continued to run after the officials temporarily stopped it for an injured Denver player), per Doug Kyed of NESN.

However, he did have a cryptic message about the officiating as a whole, per Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports: “Talk to the league ... I am sure they have all the answers on that.” 

The Broncos were in much better spirits than New England after the game, as evidenced by general manager John Elway’s reaction:

The one Bronco who really struggled Sunday was Thomas, but even he seemed upbeat after the win, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post: “I didn't want to watch the film if we lost. I was happy I could finally make a play to help out.”

Anderson also talked about his role in the victory, per Renck: “It was dirty, grimy, a night made for a big back. I knew I could make it when I saw how it was executed up front.”

The Anderson who controlled the rushing attack for the Broncos in the stretch run last year finally showed up this season. If he continues to do that, Denver is a Super Bowl threat, regardless of Manning’s health.