The Patriots will be headed back to the playoffs this season, but the Broncos are going to need some help if they’re going to have a chance to defend their Super Bowl title.
New England forced the Broncos to go three and out on their first five drives of the second half and completely stifled the Broncos offense in a 16-3 win. As a result of the victory, the Patriots will be the AFC East champions once again this season and they have secured a first-round bye in the postseason. The Patriots are the first team in NFL history to win eight straight division titles.
The Broncos finally put together a drive when already down 13 points in the fourth quarter and went for it on a fourth down from the Patriots’ 30-yard-line, but safety Devin McCourty broke up a pass to Demaryius Thomas with a big hit on the sideline to all but end the intrigue. It officially ended a couple of minutes later when safety T.J. Ward was flagged for unnecessary roughness after slamming Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman to the ground on an incomplete pass.
Ward flexed his muscles at the Patriots sideline after the play, which didn’t make much sense given how much the loss hurt the Broncos. Ward’s frustration at that point is a bit more understandable after watching the offense flounder all day. The Broncos offense turned the ball over twice, gave up four sacks and has now produced 13 points over two losses in the last two weeks.
The Broncos defense did a better job most of the day and limited the Patriots to two field goals after halftime, but anything other than a shutout wouldn’t have been enough to get the job done and the lack of turnovers made it easier for the Patriots to deal with their sluggish production. Tom Brady went 16-of-32 for 188 yards, but Dion Lewis, LeGarrette Blount and James White had some success keeping both the clock and chains moving while running for 137 yards on 38 carries.
The Patriots will close out the season by trying to nail down the top seed in the conference. They face the Jets next Sunday, although Oakland’s result in San Diego will determine whether a win will be enough to secure the top spot.
The Broncos will be in Kansas City and another loss will all but slam the door on their chances of playing beyond Week 17.
