So close, but so far from victory in a disappointing ending to a near perfect season for the Denver Broncos, especially having to accept defeat to the New England Patriots for the first time at home during the playoffs in the Mile High.
The bipolar weather played a huge factor. It was cold and windy, but then around halftime a whiteout wall of heavy snow rolled directly into the stadium, making it extremely difficult to move the ball on offense with blizzard like conditions.
The roster was very slim, making it nearly impossible for the Denver Broncos offense to operate effectively without a few of their main pieces.
Bo Nix (Out), Pat Bryant (Out), JK Dobbins (Out), Troy Franklin (Out).
Jarrett Stidham gave as much as he could, made some costly mistakes, and came up short going for 17/31 133 yards, 1TD, 1INT.
Once again, the play calling on the offense was very questionable for Denver and made fans really wonder what the thought process was behind a few very critical play calls. One of the 4th and 1 possessions could have been a momentum shifter, which could have resulted in a first down that put Denver in good position to score.
Specifically, on the play where Sean Payton decided to call a risky passing play, in the snow, where instead he should have packed two tight ends and ran a “Tush Push” play, or at least kept the ball on the ground.
Denver’s defense played exceptionally well, only giving up 86 yards in the air and 70 yards on the ground to New England. Denver crippled New England’s offense forcing them to punt 8 times. And keeping the total offensive yardage under 200 yards.
Drake Maye kept the Patriots offense alive by constantly scrambling, making plays on the ground with his legs running the ball 10 times for 65 yards which was enough for the Patriots to stay scarcely ahead of the Broncos.
Rough day for both teams offensively, but New England was that better team, came out on top by only a field goal, and now has a clear shot to claim the Lombardi Trophy on February 8th at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Dante Robinson | Senior NFL Analyst for The NSR Network
