Denver Broncos 35 - New England Patriots 32
Holy Shit. A game that was dominated by the Broncos on defense for much of the game changed in a big way as the Patriots stormed back to take the lead in the closing seconds only to see the Broncos snatch back the win with a long bomb to Demaryius Thomas (where it looked to me like he stepped out of bounds after catching, but the game disagreed). The Broncos also made a tough decision to go for it on 4th and 4 from the Patriots 31 (in a driving rainstorm) to try and seal the game when the Pats had no timeouts. The Pats stopped the play though, and Brady was able to connect with Gronk for what looked like the winning score before the miraculous Manning-to-Thomas winner.
Most exciting game I've played this year by a long stretch, had me on the edge of my seat!
Manning threw much less this week as the Broncos shifted to a run-dominated offense. Manning went 5-10 for 181 yards, 2TD and 0 INT.
Brady was 15-25 for 316 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs.
Darren McFadden dazzled in his Broncos debut, carrying 11 times for 131 yards and 2 TDs. He did get injured for a stretch though (as I feared) but thankfully came back. McGahee had more touches, carrying 12 times for 46 yards and a TD.
Ridley had 13 carries for 54 yards, while Woodhead added 2 for 13 and a score.
Demaryius Thomas only had 2 catches, but both were for long TDs totaling 124 yards.
Gronk was the primary focus for the Broncos D, who contained him most of the game but he got it going late in a big way, catching 5 balls for 109 yards and a TD. Woodhead also had 4 for 115 and a TD, while Lloyd added 3 for 57 and a TD.
Not a ton of D from either side in this game, but the Broncos did get picks from Harris and Carter early.
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gg OG! You did a great job of coming back once you got your passing attack going. I probably got a bit too conservative with my playcalling both on offense and defense which allowed you to charge back into the game. This one made me miss the bevy of Patriots receiving options.