Patriots vs. Broncos: New England Grades, Notes and Quotes
Injuries have dogged the New England Patriots the entire season. For the first time, though, the Pats were unable to overcome their barrage of casualties, losing key starters and their first game of the year against the Denver Broncos in a 30-24 overtime defeat.
For most of the game, New England appeared destined to stretch its record to 11-0. On their opening drive, the Patriots pounced on a poor Broncos punt for an early touchdown. Rob Gronkowski, shackled for much of the past month, exploited the Broncos' bizarre decision to single-cover him and provide free releases off the line of scrimmage, finishing the drive with a 23-yard touchdown.
Following a trio of punts, Jabaal Sheard generated the next game-changing play, batting a Brock Osweiler pass up in the air for a Chandler Jones interception. Set up in the red zone, Tom Brady found Scott Chandler on a wheel route on third down to put the Pats up 14-0. However, Denver was able to answer with its longest sustained drive of the half, finishing off a 77-yard drive with a Ronnie Hillman 19-yard run after Dont'a Hightower's leg injury.
The snow fell heavier during the second quarter, creating a sloppy track for the second half. Combined with the poor offensive personnel in general, most of the final 30 minutes was an ugly punt-filled affair. The two offenses exchanged four punts to open the second half, before Brandon Bolden caught lightning in a bottle. Bolden beat Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan up the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 21-7.
But just when New England appeared to have iced the game away, a Chris Harper fumble on a punt return set Denver up in plus territory, which led to a C.J. Anderson 15-yard scamper to pull the Broncos within seven. The Broncos again moved the ball into the red zone on their subsequent drive, but the Patriots defense held to preserve a 21-17 lead with just over six minutes remaining.
However, the air came out of New England's sails on a devastating hit to Gronkowski's knee as the offense was attempting to run out the clock. As Gronk went off on a cart, the Pats punted back to Denver with two minutes left. A long reception by Emmanuel Sanders and a Patrick Chung holding call helped set up the Broncos go-ahead touchdown with just over one minute left. However, Brady was able to pull together a five-play, 51-yard drive to get Stephen Gostkowski in range for a 47-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, tied at 24.
But a three-and-out from the offense put the staggering defense behind the eight-ball. On 3rd-and-1, Anderson put the Pats out of their misery with a 48-yard touchdown down the left sideline, breaking three tackles on his way to the end zone.
As bitter as the loss may be, the bigger concern is whether New England's medical list will legitimately hamper its Super Bowl aspirations. Read on for both short- and long-term ramifications stemming from the Pats' first true setback of the 2015 season.
Position Grades for Patriots
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Quarterback: B+
Running Back: B
Wide Receiver: C-
Tight End: B+
Offensive Line: B-
Defensive Line: B
Linebackers: C
Defensive Backs: B
Special Teams: B
Coaching: B+
It's not hard to tell where New England had to lean offensively. The wide receivers were virtually invisible in this game, as the trio of Brandon LaFell, Chris Harper and Keshawn Martin combined to catch five out of 11 targets for 44 yards total. Moreover, the offensive line allowed three sacks and numerous pressures (including on the overtime drive), while also paving the way for just 2.4 yards per carry on the ground. None of this is surprising considering the personnel advantages Denver held at those spots.
However, for spurts in this game, the Pats stars did rise up and control the contest. Jabaal Sheard's batted pass and Chandler Jones' subsequent interception led to New England's first two-possession lead of the game. Logan Ryan and Devin McCourty did an excellent job eliminating Demaryius Thomas for most of the contest, allowing Thomas to astoundingly catch just one out of 13 targets.
Two fumbles on special teams may very well have tipped the scales in Denver's favor. Chris Harper's muffed punt with just over 10 minutes remaining allowed the Broncos to crawl within one possession when nothing had worked for their offense the entire night. Later, Omar Bolden saw a punt bounce off his chest, but right into the waiting arms of Shaq Barrett. If New England recovered either of those loose balls, we may very well still be talking about an undefeated squad.
The coaching staff again did its best to put a depleted squad in position for a huge road victory, but Josh McDaniels' play calling at the end game could come into question. Up four and with 1st-and-10, New England had an opportunity to run out the clock with 2:53 remaining and the Broncos holding just one timeout. But two incompletions (one of which was the fateful Gronk injury) and a harmless short completion gave Denver the ball back with over two minutes remaining, hardly optimal clock management in that situation.
Gronkowski and Hightower Injuries Loom Large
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New England lost two of its most important remaining players in Rob Gronkowski and Dont'a Hightower on Sunday, with neither returning to the game after suffering knee injuries. Though the early prognosis isn't dire on either, any missed time would severely hamper an already depleted squad.
The sight of Gronkowski writhing on the ground in pain a shot to the knee was terrifying for Patriots fans. However, ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested after the game that Gronkowski's knee injury was not particularly serious. The All-Pro tight end was also seen walking out of the X-Ray room without a significant limp or brace, which would seemingly support that early optimism.
Hightower's future is a little murkier. The linebacker left the game in the second quarter and returned to the sidelines without his helmet, which would seemingly eliminate a catastrophic injury from the equation. Like Gronk, Hightower's knees were taken out from under him on a zone-blocking play. Noted injury analyst David Chao speculated that an ACL injury was unlikely, though that opinion is based solely off the video replay.
For now, Patriots fans can cautiously surmise that neither has a season-ending injury. When the sting of the loss wears off, good news on the injury front could allow New England to survive this without significant harm to its championship prospects.
Pats Blow Biggest 4th-Quarter Lead Since 2009
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Peyton Manning may not have suited up for the Broncos on Sunday night, but it's a little eerie that New England blew its biggest fourth-quarter lead since the gut-wrenching "4th-and-2" loss against the Manning-led Indianapolis Colts during the 2009 season. Holding a 14-point lead with just over 10 minutes to go, the Pats subsequently failed to make any of the important plays down the stretch en route to a frustrating collapse.
Between the failed fumble recoveries and Gronkowski injury, the Patriots actually had an excellent chance to prevent the go-ahead touchdown in regulation. Alan Branch sacked Brock Osweiler for an ostensibly huge loss on 2nd-and-goal, setting Denver back to the 15-yard line. However, a questionable holding call gave the Broncos a new set of downs, and Andre Caldwell subsequently scored from four yards out to give Denver the lead.
After holding Denver to 212 yards and seven points through the first 50 minutes, the defense totally collapsed and conceded 221 yards and 23 points over the Broncos' final five offensive possessions. Logan Ryan, who had played the best game of his career in shutting out Demaryius Thomas, gave up a 36-yard catch to Thomas and was in coverage on Caldwell's touchdown. Moreover, Malcolm Butler gave up a 39-yard catch to Emmanuel Sanders on the go-ahead drive which put Denver into the red zone.
It's hard to point fingers at any single unit or player when the Patriots have numerous opportunities to salt the game away, only to err at the most inopportune times. If the injuries to Gronkowski and Hightower don't have serious long-term consequences, this might be more remembered as the game that got away and thwarted another perfect regular season.
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Passing Game Generates Big Plays
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It's going to be forgotten due to the final score and injuries, but the Patriots passing game was surprisingly strong against the top-ranked Broncos defense. Tom Brady wasn't particularly consistent on a down-to-down basis, as he finished with just 6.7 yards per attempt on 23-for-42 passing. However, he did toss three touchdowns to no interceptions and created several massive plays through the air.
Gronkowski and Scott Chandler both caught touchdown passes during the first half, bringing the preseason dreams out two-tight end passing sets to fruition. Gronk's touchdown from 23 yards out was an excellent example of the damage he can do when single-covered, as he often was throughout the game due to Wade Phillips' aversion to double teams. In all, New England tight ends finished with 11 catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns, exactly the performance it needed to pick up the dilapidated receiving corps.
Moreover, Brandon Bolden distinguished himself with his 63-yard touchdown catch, which looked like the straw which would break Denver's back at the start of the fourth quarter. Bolden was easily New England's most productive running back, generating 95 yards on eight touches, 84 of which came through the air.
Statistically, Brady has shredded Denver's defense in recent seasons, and even with a diminished supporting cast, he was still able to put the Patriots in position for the win. The desperation drive in the final minute included a clock error which hurt New England (more on that soon), yet the Pats were still able to move down the field with under a 1:09 left and just a single timeout. Though the offense needed one more play at the end of the game, Brady and the aerial attack performed rather well considering the circumstances.
Belichick Frustrated by Referees
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A week after an exhausting folly of officiating mistakes, the Patriots were on the receiving end of much more harm from the zebras this week. While New England had fewer penalties than the Broncos (five to six), the timing of the Pats' flags, as well as the bizarre clock error at the end of the game, certainly stuck in Belichick's mind afterwards:
"Belichick: "Talk to the league ... I am sure they have all the answers on that" re: questionable calls.
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) November 30, 2015"
The Chung holding call was a brutal draw given the game situation, while Gronkowski continued to pick up offensive pass interferences at a maddening rate with two more in that department on Sunday. Belichick's specific response here was in the context of a question about the astounding rate of flags on Gronk, who know has a league-high five OPIs this season after picking up just one such call over the previous four seasons.
On the final drive, Denver received a timeout after a Malik Jackson injury, as any injured player automatically stops the clock. However, the officials began to wind the clock for play before the snap, which is not typical procedure for play after a timeout. The gaffe cost New England roughly 10 to 14 seconds, though Brady was able to overcome it with a 14-yard strike to Brandon LaFell to set up Gostkowski's tying field goal.
It's too simplistic to suggest referees cost the Patriots this game, as Denver did pull out the biggest plays in the end game. Still, in a season characterized by shaky officiating, the Patriots-Broncos game did nothing to take the spotlight off the men in stripes.
Matt Slater: Can't Catch a Break with Injuries
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Ultimately, most Patriots fans probably could have stomached this loss had they escaped completely unscathed. Of course, that didn't turn out to be the case, and even if Hightower and Gronkowski end up fine for the end of the season, New England's thin roster might get stretched even further past its breaking point in the short run. Afterwards, per CSNNE's Michael Giardi, special teams captain Matthew Slater expressed frustration at the team's injury luck, while also acknowledging the lack of sympathy New England will draw:
"Slater on injuries "feel like we can't catch a break in that department but no one is going to feel sorry for the Patriots."
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) November 30, 2015"
Based on Chandler Jones' non-responses and Belichick's curt press conference, it's not hard to realize the Patriots felt they should have won. Patriots beat reporters criticized their Denver counterparts for how they handled Anderson's game-winning score from the press box, an illustration of the general animosity that seems to exist between these two franchises.
If the Patriots can secure homefield advantage, they would surely welcome a January rematch against Denver. Of course, if they can't get healthy before the postseason, the Broncos may end up with the last laugh after all for 2015.
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