New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos: Denver Grades, Notes and Quotes
As the snow fell on a frigid night in Denver, fans were treated to one of the best games of the entire 2015 NFL season on Sunday Night Football.
The Denver Broncos handed the New England Patriots their first loss of the season, defeating them 30-24 in overtime. With the win, the Broncos improve to 9-2 on the season.
New England was able to force an extra session when Stephen Gostkowski booted a 47-yard field goal with no time left. The Patriots then won the coin toss and elected to receive. But the Broncos forced a quick three-and-out. Moments later, a 48-yard touchdown run by C.J. Anderson gave the Broncos the win.
The result makes the race for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs very interesting as we head down the final stretch.
Though the Broncos defeated a team ravaged by injuries, they should make no apologies for what was easily the team's biggest win of the season.
Brock Osweiler has won his first two career starts, and this one was a total team effort. The Broncos can use the momentum from this victory to propel them through the rest of the season.
For more on this incredible win, including grades for each positional unit, click forward.
Positional Grades
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Quarterback: B
Osweiler is really starting to settle into the starting quarterback position, so much so that even if Peyton Manning returns this season, the Broncos may not be able to replace Osweiler.
He didn't throw the ball extremely well in this game, but he was let down by many dropped passes. He also made plays when he needed to make them, including a 39-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders that set Denver up with a 1st-and-goal situation with under two minutes to play.
Osweiler tends to hold the ball too long and needs to get better at getting through his progressions quicker, but he is developing very well otherwise.
Running Back: A
C.J. Anderson deserves a lot of credit for this victory. He just seemed to get around on the snowy field better than most players who were out there. In addition to his game-winning touchdown run, Anderson averaged 7.5 yards per carry on the night.
Ronnie Hillman chipped in 59 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Wide Receiver: C+
Though Sanders and the supporting cast performed well, a low grade has to be given due to the performance of Demaryius Thomas. One catch on 13 targets? That's not a good night.
Tight Ends: A-
Owen Daniels caught five passes for 48 yards. Vernon Davis had a good game as well, but not as a receiver. Davis was instrumental as a blocker. In fact, he had key blocks on the touchdown runs by both Hillman and the game-winner by Anderson.
Offensive Line: B+
The offensive line played well for the most part. Though Osweiler was sacked three times, the line opened up holes in the running game. Denver ran for 179 yards on the night.
The rookie Max Garcia had a strong performance and appears to have a great future.
Defensive Line: A
Though the Patriots only ran the ball 16 times in the game, the Broncos allowed just 2.4 yards per carry. In addition, they were able to collapse the pocket around Tom Brady, particularly on critical downs in the game.
Derek Wolfe was tremendous. He led the team with eight tackles and added a sack of Brady.
Linebackers: B-
It seemed New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wanted to get one-on-one matchups against Denver's linebackers all night, and that strategy worked on big plays. Scott Chandler and Brandon Bolden each caught touchdowns by beating linebackers.
Von Miller began to wreak havoc late, however. The pressure he was able to get on Brady was key in this victory. Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray were able to get pressure at times as well.
Defensive Backs: B
It wasn't in New England's game plan to challenge Denver's cornerbacks. Brady completed just five passes to wide receivers.
Denver did have trouble staying with the New England tight ends. Rob Gronkowski and Chandler combined to make 11 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Early in the game, they tried to play Gronkowski one-on-one, and that failed miserably. On the Chandler touchdown, there was a clear breakdown in communication, but it appeared David Bruton missed the assignment.
Special Teams: B-
Though you could put some of Denver's kicking woes on the inclement weather, New England didn't seem to have trouble kicking in the snow. Brandon McManus missed just his second field goal of the season when he attempted a 48-yard kick in the first half—and he missed it badly.
Britton Colquitt had some good punts, but he also had some bad ones. One of those came on his first punt, which traveled just 25 yards. New England started its first drive on the Denver 47-yard line and went down the field in four plays to take a 7-0 lead.
Coaching: B-
It was a curious decision trying to match up with Gronkowski in man-to-man coverage in the first quarter, but the Broncos quickly went away from it. Aside from that, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips called a good game.
Offensively, it would have been nice to see the Broncos rely on the run even more than they did. On one possession in the fourth quarter, down 21-17 and with more than four minutes to play, the Broncos called three straight pass plays. Osweiler didn't complete any of those passes and even had to burn a timeout with the playclock winding down.
They were lucky to see the ball again.
Important Note No. 1: 3 Broncos Leave with Injuries
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The Broncos were forced to win this game without three key starters, as T.J. Ward, Sylvester Williams and Louis Vasquez all left with injuries and did not return.
In fact, Ward and Williams were hurt on the same play.
Both defenders suffered ankle injuries, and Vasquez had to leave due to a groin injury. That forced Evan Mathis, who practiced just once all week according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, into the game.
Legwold later tweeted out that both players were using crutches after the game. Denver can't afford to lose any of these players, particularly Vasquez, given the struggles of the offensive line. Updates on their conditions should be given throughout the week.
Important Note No. 2: Denver Gets Rare Regular-Season Win over Patriots
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The Broncos haven't beaten New England in the regular season very often in recent years. In fact, the last time it happened was in October 2009. Ironically, that game went to overtime as well and, ironically, McDaniels was Denver's head coach.
Not only was it the Broncos' first win over the Patriots in the regular season in more than six years, but more importantly, it draws them within one game of the Patriots in the race for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
New England is an even tougher team to defeat at Gillette Stadium, so the Broncos will need to keep winning to keep pace in the race. Having the head-to-head tiebreaker over them could be a huge factor in the way things shake out.
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Important Note No. 3: A Rough Night for Demaryius Thomas
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Though Thomas came up with a huge 36-yard reception in the fourth quarter that helped set up a touchdown later in the drive, it was a forgettable night for the receiver.
Osweiler targeted Thomas 13 times in the passing game, and that was the only ball he caught. Many of the passes should have been caught, especially by the team's No. 1 receiver.
He dropped passes, had balls bounce off his chest, and on other plays, just didn't finish running the route. His performance was ugly and had Denver lost, his effort would have been at the top of the list of reasons why.
Going forward, Thomas needs to exhibit more confidence and run his routes with more aggression. He is one of the most physically impressive wide receivers in the league. The Broncos need him to play like it.
Quote No. 1: Brock Osweiler Talks About the Win
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In addressing the media following the game, via the team's official website, Osweiler was asked about what it was like to lead his team from behind to get the win:
"You know, coach Knapp, our quarterback coach, we talked last night, and one of the last things he said before we ended meetings was, no matter what happens, it's going to be a 60-minute game. You know, that held true tonight with a little extra bonus time. So you know, there was no panic on the offensive side of the ball. We just kept going out there and doing our job, one series at a time. You know, I think really where the credit needs to go is our defense. Our defense played lights out. They did a heck of a job holding one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. He made some plays but at the same time, they also kept him in check a little bit, which kept the offense in the game. We started a little slow but then we started picking up momentum as the game went. So hats off to the defense and then obviously the offense coming through in the fourth quarter.
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Osweiler takes the team-first approach any time he addresses the media, which will help endear him to the fans. Following the game, sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya referred to him as a 2-0 quarterback and Osweiler quickly replied that he wasn't a 2-0 quarterback but the team had two wins with him playing quarterback.
Osweiler is truly coming of age, and how he progresses the rest of this season will be an interesting thing to watch.
Quote No. 2: Gary Kubiak Addresses the Media
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Following the victory, head coach Gary Kubiak talked to the press, via the team's official website.
Kubiak was asked if the locker room belongs to Osweiler following this performance. Echoing the statement Osweiler made when he talked to the media, Kubiak had this to say in response:
"You know what, our team has the locker room. That's what it's all about right now. Brock did a great job. You know, he's gotten an opportunity and he's done a great job for his team but his team's played very well around him. What I'm so excited about right now is the fact that everybody's pitching into us winning football games. If you're going to be as good as you can be in this league, everybody has to be involved. I think of Bubba (Caldwell) making a big play, I watch us defensively, I watch Bruton playing as a starter. So it's about the team. Brock's done a great job, but he'd be the first one to tell you it's always about the team.
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Most teams and players around the league make statements like this, but it seems evident that Kubiak and Osweiler have completely bought into it.
Quote No.3: C.J. Anderson Talks About Final Play
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The media managed to get one of the hero's from Sunday night, C.J. Anderson, on the podium. He answered a few questions, via the team's official website.
Shortly into it, Anderson is asked to describe the game's final play, his 48-yard touchdown run in overtime:
"Well when Brock changed it, I said, 'man, this has a chance.' As I got the toss I just saw Ryan (Harris) leading for me and if he can get through the hole, I better be able to get through the hole. You just gotta give it to the big boys up front; they pretty much created the play and got me a chance to get up on the safeties and make them miss and then the next thing you know it's history.
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He is then asked by a reporter, who was seemingly surprised that he called an audible, about Osweiler changing the play. The reporter asks what the original play call was:
"I can't tell you what the play call...I mean, I can't give you that. But I can tell you, he looked, and it's something he saw. It's a question you'd have to ask him. I mean, I saw it too in the backfield. I was hoping he'd change it too. It was just an alert that we had in the huddle. He made the change, O-line did the rest and next thing you know, touchdown.
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Regardless of what the original play call was, the audible to a toss sweep was perfect. Based on the success Denver had on toss plays in this game, Kubiak should have them in his playbook more often for the remainder of the season.
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