Denver Broncos: How Their Goal-Line Passing Won the AFC Championship Game

The Denver Broncos defeated the New England Patriots 26-16 on Championship Sunday, punching a ticket to the Super Bowl. Quarterback Peyton Manning's two touchdowns, kicker Matt Prater's four field goals and a strong defensive performance propelled the Broncos past the Pats. 

Manning's two touchdowns both were thrown during two goal-to-go situations. 

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In the second quarter, the Broncos were up 3-0. It was 1st-and-goal at the 1-yard line when Denver lined up in a goal-line power left formation.

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Manning play-actioned with a fake handoff to the power (left) side, followed by a bootleg to the weak (right) side. An end man on the line of scrimmage (EMOL)—which, in this case, was a linebacker—froze. The linebacker ran across the open side of the field and slightly toward Manning. Since the EMOL moved, a hole in the zone defense was created. 

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Tight end Jacob Tamme "sat" in the zone and was on the receiving end of Manning's first touchdown of the day. 

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In the third quarter, the Broncos were up 13-3 and were in a similar situation. They had a 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line. They lined up in a single-back formation, with Y-Trips left (a tight end and two receivers off the line of scrimmage) and a split end right. The split end, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, was in position to execute a goal-line fade, one of the Broncos' most consistent passing plays. 

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Manning play-actioned off of a fake handoff to the open (right) side. Instead of a bootleg, he centered in the pocket. Thomas edged outside as if he were running a fade, but then he cut inside. The cornerback played the fade. A Patriot EMOL was in a hook-curl zone tight to the line of scrimmage. 

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The EMOL stayed planted in the zone, and all Thomas had to do was create moderate separation from the cornerback. For Manning, it was an easy pitch-and-catch.

The Broncos' goal-line passing was easily the most overlooked factor of the AFC Championship. Both of Denver's touchdowns resulted from goal-line passing plays.