The Broncos defeated the Patriots 20-18 to advance to the Super Bowl. Then on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Brady found Gronkowski in the back of the end zone to bring the Patriots within two points with 12 seconds left in the game. An earlier Stephen Gostkowski extra point miss forced the Patriots to attempt a 2-point conversion, and they came up short.
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There are now four teams left in the playoffs when the Championship Games start today – the Carolina Panthers, the Arizona Cardinals, the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots.
The rivalry is no longer what it once was; while the 38-year-old Brady continues to play at an elite level, the 39-year-old Manning’s production has slowed significantly over the last season and a half.
Brady’s pass was tipped by Aqib Talib and intercepted by Bradley Roby.
The last time these two teams met, on November 29, the Broncos’ running back duo of Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson rushed for a combined 172 yards on 29 carries.
New England took over on its 20 and marched down the field, aided by a personal foul call on Denver’s Shiloh Keo after an eight-yard completion to Julian Edelman.
This is an intense battle as only one team moves on to represent the conference in the Super Bowl later on in the season.
The key stat in the game: Brady was hit 23 times, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information tracking. However, Miller made what was perhaps the biggest play of the half. Ward had been doing a masterful job covering Gronkowski, but he got hurt on New England’s previous possession.
Emmanuel Sanders: Peyton Manning’s favorite target made a spectacular leaping catch in the first half.
Peyton Manning would lead the Broncos methodically down the field with some great intermediate throws capping the drive off with an impressive pass down the middle of the field to Owen Daniels to put the Broncos up 7-0 in the first quarter. “It’s going to be a tremendous add to Peyton’s legacy, but also the Broncos legacy, too”. For a guy who is looking to go to his fourth Super Bowl, he is working hard to get there. Manning connected with Daniels for another touchdown, this one for 12 yards to up the Broncos’ lead to 14-6. After giving it up twice on downs inside the Denver 20 late in the fourth quarter, Brady lobbed a 40-yard pass to a double-covered Gronkowski to keep a desperation drive going on fourth-and-10. Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe hit Brady on a third-down pass on the first series of the game that showed what kind of day it would be for Brady.
Crucially however, Gostkowski shanked his extra point attempt, only the second fluffed shot at goal of his career and his first since 2006.
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That the Patriots were still in position to tie the game despite their offensive struggles is a credit to the play of their defense.
