Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots: Complete Report Card Grades for Denver
The Denver Broncos dropped their second game of the year on Sunday, losing to the New England Patriots 43-21. It was the third year in a row the Broncos have lost in Foxborough in the regular season.
The Broncos turned the ball over twice and committed 10 penalties in the game. The loss drops them to 6-2 on the season and gives the Patriots (7-2) the best record in the AFC.
Denver also saw Wes Welker and Nate Irving leave the game with injuries. It was a bad day all the way around on Sunday.
The Broncos must now prepare for the second leg of their three-game road trip as they face the Oakland Raiders (0-8) next Sunday.
For more on this game, including grades for each positional unit, read on.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Peyton Manning threw for a lot of yards on Sunday, but that doesn't mean he had a good game.
Manning threw for 438 yards on the day while attempting 57 passes as Denver tried to dig out of a hole that was just too deep. He only completed 34 of those 57 passes.
He threw some very good passes on the day, but he also had some where he overthrew the target.
Manning was intercepted twice on the day—one of which was not really his fault, but the other one clearly was.
Early in the second quarter with the Broncos leading 7-6, Denver had a first down at their own 35-yard line. Manning dropped back and tossed a ball toward Demaryius Thomas. But he didn't even see Rob Ninkovich drop back into coverage, and it was an easy interception for the Patriots defender.
This was a play that completely changed the game, as the Patriots turned the turnover into points.
Manning looked flustered all day, having to deal with more pressure than usual. But mostly, it just looked like another one of those tough, cold road games where Manning has historically struggled.
If there is one blemish on Manning's legacy, it's that. Eventually, he needs to win games like that on a more regular basis.
Grade: B-
Running Back
2 of 10
In recent games, the Broncos have been able to establish a solid rushing attack. That was not the case on Sunday.
This was due mostly to the fact that the Broncos were playing catch-up most of the day and were only able to get off 17 run plays.
But early in the game, the Broncos seemed too intent on throwing the ball. In the first half, the team called just 10 run plays as opposed to 33 passing plays. Where did the balance go?
Ronnie Hillman contributed as a receiver out of the backfield, however, catching seven passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. That stat line looks a lot better than the 16 yards he picked up on 10 carries rushing the ball.
C.J. Anderson provided a spark off the bench, but the game was mostly decided by that point. Anderson had 18 yards rushing on three carries and added another 33 yards on three receptions.
The Broncos should consider getting him more involved in the offense as he runs the ball very hard.
Juwan Thompson wasn't much of a factor in this game, totaling 12 all-purpose yards on three touches.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Because Denver threw the ball around so much on Sunday, there were some big numbers posted.
Emmanuel Sanders had another big game and continues to be the guy Peyton Manning looks for most often. Sanders was targeted 16 times against New England, reeling in 10 catches for 151 yards.
Demaryius Thomas had another big game as well, gaining 127 yards on seven receptions.
Julius Thomas was kept mostly quiet for the third game in a row. Due to the issues the offensive line was having, Thomas was kept in to help block in many situations.
Still, Manning managed to find him for an 18-yard touchdown in the third quarter, the 10th touchdown for Thomas on the season.
Aside from those three players, the Broncos didn't get much.
Manning looked for Jacob Tamme on five occasions, but Tamme managed to catch just one pass in the game. On a critical fourth down late in the game, Manning appeared to throw a catchable pass to Tamme which he tried to pluck out of the air with one hand, only to drop the pass.
Wes Welker had just three receptions in the game. In the third quarter, trailing 30-14 and still very much in the game, Manning hit Welker for what would have been a big gain. But after being popped in the back, Welker coughed the ball up and it landed right in the hands of Brandon Browner.
After Browner returned it another 30 yards, Welker left the game and never returned. His injury history has to be a serious concern for the Broncos at this point.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Peyton Manning was only sacked once in the game, but he was under way too much pressure on the day.
Manning is at his best when he can drop back and quickly find his target. He wasn't able to do that as often as he likes to on Sunday.
New England brought enough pressure on Sunday, generally right up the middle, to fluster Manning and throw his timing off. That was the big difference in this game.
Just prior to halftime, the Broncos faced a 4th-and-6 from the New England 34-yard line. Brandon McManus had just missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt minutes earlier, so the team didn't feel like attempting a longer kick was an option.
They went for it instead, and New England made them pay. Akeem Ayers ran right past Orlando Franklin and hit Manning low, taking him down for a sack.
This was a huge momentum swing in this game and a play that should have never happened.
"Broncos OL quietly suspect in 2014 RT @Cianaf: Patriots defensive line is dominating the Broncos offensive line.
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) November 2, 2014"
Paul Cornick continues to be a weak spot at the right tackle position. The Broncos need to go back to Chris Clark. He may have had struggles of his own, but Cornick has played very poorly.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Denver defensive line actually played a respectable game.
They held New England to just 66 yards on the ground on 25 carries—just a 2.6-yard average.
DeMarcus Ware had a sack and he, Sylvester Williams and Malik Jackson all got hits on Tom Brady. Quanterus Smith knocked down a pass on a third down and had a great chance to intercept it.
Derek Wolfe also came up with a nice play, chasing Brady down and forcing an errant throw on a 3rd-and-1.
They didn't get a lot of pressure on Brady, but that was because Brady was able to release the ball quickly on many of his passes. His timing was very good and that negated the pass rush.
But the Denver defensive line is not to blame for this defeat. They held their own up front and helped put New England in several long third-down situations.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
6 of 10
Von Miller tried hard to get to Brady all day long, and though he had three hits on him, he was unable to register a sack. Miller only had one tackle on the day and was called for an offsides penalty.
Brandon Marshall had five tackles on the day and Corey Nelson came off the bench to post three tackles and a quarterback hit.
But the middle of the field seemed like it was open all day. The linebackers were solid in run support, but they struggled in coverage the entire day.
New England loves to throw the ball to the running back out of the backfield and the Broncos weren't able to slow it down on Sunday. Tom Brady completed seven passes for 51 yards and a touchdown to his running backs on the day.
"#broncos Nate Irving on crutches. That MLB position is one that lacks depth. Would be tough to lose him for extended period
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) November 3, 2014"
On top of that, Nate Irving had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent knee injury. Irving has been enjoying his best season to this point in his career; already short Danny Trevathan, the Broncos can't afford to lose him.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
The Denver secondary has played great football this season. They didn't play very well on Sunday.
Tom Brady was able to complete nine passes to both Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, two players Denver just could not handle in this game.
They both caught nearly everything that was thrown their way. Gronkowski finished with 105 yards and one touchdown on the day while Edelman recorded 89 yards and a touchdown.
New England had several role players step up as well, such as Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola. The Broncos just had no answer for the New England passing game, which racked up 333 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
One of the biggest factors in Denver's defeat were some of the third downs they allowed New England to convert. It seemed like every time they needed a stop on defense, Brady would find someone on third down for an easy conversion.
Just before halftime, Brady found Shane Vereen for a touchdown pass with just eight seconds left in the half. A stop of any kind would have forced them to kick a field goal.
The Broncos must find a way to cover the tight end. This is an issue nearly every game. Yes, most teams in the league can't stop Gronkowski, but the Broncos will continue to be victimized by this position until one player proves they can slow them down.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
Special teams were a disaster for Denver in this game.
After Brandon McManus clanged a 41-yard field-goal attempt off the upright, how many Denver fans were yearning for the days of Matt Prater?
McManus continues to be shaky on field goals from seemingly any range, and the decision to keep him over Prater is one that can be questioned at length.
On the Broncos' next drive, they had to pass up a 52-yard field-goal attempt on 4th-and-6. The wind was a factor in that decision, but you have to wonder how comfortable the Broncos are with their kicker at this point.
That wasn't the only area of special teams that struggled.
On a fourth down in the second quarter, punter Britton Colquitt mishandled the snap. It was a miracle that New England didn't block the punt or tackle Colquitt as he made a great play to get the kick away.
But then Edelman got his hands on it. After getting a few blocks, he was off to the races. Eighty-four yards later and the Patriots had taken a 20-7 lead. An argument can be made that this was the biggest play in the game.
Grade: D-
Coaching
9 of 10
Bill Belichick and his staff definitely got the better of John Fox in this one.
The decision for Denver to go for it on 4th-and-6 in the second quarter was a curious one. It showed desperation on Fox's part.
Instead, he should have elected to either send Brandon McManus out there again or bring on Britton Colquitt to try to pin New England deep in their own territory.
Instead, Peyton Manning was sacked and New England went down and put more points on the board, opening up a huge halftime lead.
Offensively, Adam Gase should have elected to run the ball more often in the early stages of the game to negate the pressure New England was coming with. A timely draw play could have been effective.
Instead, he just had Manning pitching the ball all over the field in an attempt to keep up with an offense that they didn't feel they could stop.
On defense, Jack Del Rio had no answer for what the Patriots were doing. Tom Brady had his way with the Denver defense, and each time the Broncos needed a big stop, Brady easily converted to move the chains.
"Well said. RT @SampathPanini: Halftime adjustments are all about coaching. Time for John Fox to earn his paycheck.
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) November 2, 2014"
Del Rio better have Corey Nelson or Lamin Barrow ready to step up in the event that Nate Irving is lost for any great length of time.
Grade: C-
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: B-
Running Back: C
Wide Receiver/Tight End: B-
Offensive Line: D
Defensive Line: B+
Linebacker: C+
Secondary: D
Special Teams: D-
Coaching: C-
Overall Grade: C-
The Broncos kept this game close for a while, but turnovers and miscues hurt them badly.
Manning and the offense did their part to keep the team hanging around, but the defense was unable to make enough plays. Missing field goals and giving up punt returns for touchdowns are things you can't do on the road against good teams.
The Broncos need to find an answer to make their offensive line more effective. They shuffled it during the offseason by moving Orlando Franklin from tackle to guard, but they haven't found anyone to sufficiently replace him.
This was arguably the toughest game the Broncos had remaining this regualr season, but there's a good chance they'll see these Patriots again. They'll need to have a much different gameplan if there is a rematch.
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