Pats are unbeaten no longer
DENVER — Tom Brady lost yet another of his trusted targets. This time, he also lost a game.
C.J. Anderson scored on a 48-yard run with 12:32 left in overtime, lifting the Denver Broncos past the New England Patriots 30-24 on a snowy Sunday night.
Injured quarterback Peyton Manning watched from a cozy indoor box at field level as Brock Osweiler and the Broncos (10-2) overcame a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter and handed the Patriots (11-1) their first loss of the season. That means the Carolina Panthers (11-0) are the last unbeaten team in the NFL.
‘‘It didn’t look good at times, but we figured out a way to get it done,’’ Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said.
Osweiler threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Bubba Caldwell with 1:09 left in regulation to put the Broncos ahead 24-21. But Brady, playing without injured receivers Julian Edelman (broken foot) and Danny Amendola (knee) all game and tight end Rob Gronkowski (knee) late, needed only five plays to drive the Patriots 51 yards and into range for a 47-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski that tied the score at the end of regulation.
The Patriots won the coin toss and elected to receive to start overtime, but the Broncos forced them to go three-and-out. After a punt, the Broncos faced a thirdand-one from the Patriots’ 48 when Anderson raced down the left sideline and into the end zone. He finished with 113 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Overall, the Broncos ran for 179 yards, which was particularly impressive given their 14-0 deficit in the first half and the 21-7 hole they found themselves in after Brady threw a 63-yard scoring pass to Brandon Bolden on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Osweiler improved to 2-0 since taking over for Manning. He completed 23 of 42 passes for 270 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Brady also was 23-for-42, but he threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Brady’s three touchdown passes tied him with Dan Marino for third on the all-time list with 420, trailing only Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508).
Gronkowski was carted off the field with 2:49 left after safety Darian Stewart sliced across his body and hit him cleanly on the right knee on an incompletion. Initial reports indicated he had suffered torn ligaments in the knee, but it later was reported the Patriots didn’t think the injury was serious.