Photo Credit: Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports
All good things have to come to an end and last night the Patriots’ quest for perfection did just that. Tom Brady and company rolled into Mile High Stadium to face a Broncos team led by Brock Osweiler, not Peyton Manning. Manning and Brady have a historic rivalry with Brady having won ten of those fifteen meetings during their careers. However, Manning is sill dealing with a plantar fascia injury giving Osweiler the start for a second week in a row.
It was a snowy night in Denver which set up for a gritty battle between two of the top teams in the AFC. New England jumped out to an early 14-7 lead at halftime and looked like they would move one step closer to being 16-0. The Patriots did get quite a scare in the fourth quarter when tight end Rob Gronkowski took a huge hit with two and a half minutes remaining in the game and had to be carted off the field. He was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game as he underwent x-rays on his knee. Losing Gronk for the remainder of the season would be huge for a depleted Patriots team that is already down its top two wide receivers.
There was no time for Tom Brady and company to worry about their tight end, however, as Osweiler and company marched down the field and scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to briefly take the lead. Following the drive, Brady marched his team down the field setting up a Stephen Gostkowski 47 yard field goal. The game was tied and head to overtime.
The Patriots won the coin toss and elected to receive first. Brady did all he could, but after taking a huge sack on second down the team went 3 and out. Everything was set up for a miraculous moment for Brock Osweiler. He did not have to do much as running back C.J. Anderson ran the ball 48 yards into the end zone for a walkout touchdown.
The loss was hard to swallow for the Patriots, however, they did get some good news after the MRI found no structural damage in Gronkowski’s knee. NFL Network’s Insider Ian Rapoport reported that it is possible the tight end may not miss any playing time.
Sounds like #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski (knee) is unlikely to miss more than one game, I'm told. In fact, he may not even miss that.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 30, 2015
The Patriots face the Philadelphia Eagles next and Brady is fired up which cannot be good for the woeful Eagles. Brady was quoted as saying “I don’t think I’ve ever been so pissed after a loss” which is not good for Philadelphia still clinging to playoff hope in the NFC East. The Carolina Panthers are the only team remaining undefeated.
