Mile High Low For Patriots

It was the tale of two halves for the Patriots against the Broncos. It was a story of the student outsmarting the teacher. It was the game of what could have been.

Josh McDaniels and the Broncos are for real folks. Granted, they didn’t play anyone before the Patriots and escaped Cincinnati on the Immaculate Deflection. They outlasted and outplayed the Patriots in the second half on Sunday.

New England came out flying. Brady found Welker in the end zone and just like that the Patriots silenced the INVESCO Field crowd. They tacked on a field goal and they were up 10-0 before you finished your second beer.

The Broncos didn’t panic, however. Kyle Orton marched is team down the field and hit former cry baby, Brandon Marshall for touchdown and the lead was cut to three.

Brady and the Patriots in their dynasty years always found a way to rebound. The defense and returning linebacker, Jerod Mayo, were flying around the grass arena. The Patriots looked like the Patriots of old.

They countered the Denver touchdown with one of their own. Brady zipped a missile to tight end Ben Watson making the score 17-7. Watson, who had fallen off the radar over the last few years, has finally lived up to his potential. He already has 3 touchdown catches on the young season.

Brady started to show some chinks in his armor by missing Randy Moss on a wide open pass. If completed, the pass would have gone for six. This was one of the pivotal plays in the game which would have put Denver away.

The Patriots went into the locker room with a ten point lead. Little did they know that they wouldn’t score again.

The offense sputtered and left their defense on an island. The Broncos were controlling the ball and leaving the New England defense gasping for oxygen in the thin Denver air.

The Broncos in their putrid yellow and brown throwback uniforms (what up with those socks?!) came out galloping and the Patriots came out limping.

Kyle Orton isn’t flashy but he gets the job done. The fans in Chicago never understood that. Jay Cutler makes stupid mistakes and wins you games. Orton won’t lose you games, but gives you the opportunity to win them.

Orton was the master general leading the Broncos to a touchdown and field goal in the second half.

The Patriots were still tied but it felt like a loss. They were showing no life at all. They couldn’t convert on third down and Brady missed another potential touchdown to Wes Welker. They were given opportunities to prolong drives on Broncos’ penalties and did nothing.

However, the Patriots still had a chance to win with less than two minutes left. Brady was blindsided and he fumbled.

Denver had the ball at mid field. I was ready to mail it in. However, Tully Banta Cain sacked Orton to keep them out of field goal range. The pit in my stomach got a little smaller but the impending feeling of doom was still there.

Now the dreaded coin toss in overtime. The Broncos won the coin toss and that was the kiss the death. They drove down the field and kicked the winning 41 yard field goal.

Game. Set. Match.

Josh McDaniels was jumping up and down. He was pumping his fists. He beat his Jedi master, Darth Belichick. He deserved it.

The Patriots squandered a game that will probably come back to bite them. Denver is now a bona fide force in the AFC and they will be a force in January.

Brady and the Patriots don’t want to go to Mile High for the playoffs. It will probably end in a bad note as this one did.

Denver found a way to win and the Patriots found ways to lose. This is what champions are made of and the Patriots aren’t there yet.

The Patriots can right the ship against the lowly Titans, Dolphins, and Bucs. They should be 6-2 before they face Peyton Manning and the potent Colts offense.

But they “should” have beat Denver too.

Hats off to you Coach McDaniels. You are no Eric Mangini. Congrats!

Joe Gill is a featured blogger for Boston Sports Then and Now , Rootzoo.com. and Trufan.com