DENVER, CO — New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski is really good at kicking extra points. Historically good. He had made 523 PATs in a row, and had not missed one this season, going 52-52 with the new extended extra-point format the NFL had switched to this season.
Considering these facts his first quarter miss in the AFC Championship game was even crueler, as his kick veered to the right, it gave the Broncos a slim one point advantage that would loom large in the fourth quarter of the most important game the Patriots had played all year. New England would be forced to go for two after scoring a touchdown on a last-minute drive, but quarterback Tom Brady’s pass was tipped and picked off by Broncos’ cornerback Bradley Roby, ending the Patriots’ hopes of a miraculous comeback.
Dominant Denver Defense
It was one of many great plays for the Broncos defense, a unit that has carried the team all season long. Linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller had Brady under siege all game long, hitting the Patriots’ signal caller over 20 times, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Miller also added an interception to go along with two and a half sacks of Brady, who admitted in post-game comments “he had been hit pretty hard“, sporting a bloodied elbow for much of the game.
Healthy Manning
Bronco’s quarterback Peyton Manning looked as healthy as he had all season, and his two first half touchdown tosses to tight end Owen Daniels gave the Broncos the lead, one the defense did not relinquish. Manning displayed a mobility that took many by surprise, rolling out and avoiding pressure on a number of different plays, a development that caused a few breakdowns in the Patriots secondary leading to crucial completions in a two point contest. Manning’s health remains a deciding factor going into the Super Bowl matchup with a swarming Carolina Panthers defense.
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