BRONCOS KNOCK PATRIOTS FROM RANKS OF UNBEATEN
Osweiler, Denver earn snowy OT win, hand New England first defeat
DENVER— Recognizing the run play that was called probably would go nowhere against the New England Patriots’ defensive alignment, Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler audibled to a different one. The result was electric.
Running back C.J. Anderson broke loose in the snow for a winning, 48-yard touchdown as Denver rallied to defeat New England 30-24 in overtime Sunday night, handing the Patriots their first loss of the season.
“The run that we had called was no good,” Osweiler said. “I just checked to the second
play. It was a check we had worked on in practice all week. Our line did a hell of a job, and C.J. did the rest.”
Denver’s defense set up the Broncos’ final drive by stopping quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots (10-1) on the first possession of overtime.
Anderson shook free from a couple of Patriots defenders en route to the decisive score, lifting Denver to 9-2.
“We needed a big play to try to bring this game home,” said Denver wide receiver Andre Caldwell, who caught a go-ahead 4-yard touchdown pass from Osweiler with 1:09 to play in regulation. “When I saw (Anderson) in the open field, I knew he was gone. And the fans went crazy. That was the wildest I’ve seen this place in a long time.”
Osweiler, making his second career start in place of injured Peyton Manning, was 23 of 42 for 270 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted once.
Brady completed 23 of 42 for 280 yards, connecting with Brandon Bolden and tight ends Scott Chandler and Rob Gronkowski for touchdowns. Gronkowski (six catches, 88 yards, one TD) took a hard hit trying to make a catch with 2:49 remaining in regulation and was carted off with an apparent knee injury.
“We’ll keep fighting,” Brady said. “We lost tonight, it was tough game, come on the road, we had a good lead. We just didn’t make a couple of plays in the fourth quarter. It’s tough to win, and when you lose good players, it hurts. It always hurts to lose. We had plenty of opportunities to win.”
Osweiler gave Denver its first lead, 24-21, with his TD pass to Caldwell. But 1:09 was enough time for Brady to drive the Patriots to Denver’s 29, and Stephen Gostkowski drilled a tying 47-yard field goal through the flurries as regulation expired.
“It was a great drive,” Brady said. “A lot of guys made good plays. Steve made a great kick. I was glad we had a chance. ... It just wasn’t our night.”
New England appeared to take control on the firs tplay of the fourth quarter when Brady lofted a pass downfield to Bolden, who slipped past a tackler at about the 30 to turn it into a 63-yard catch-and-run touchdown for a 21-7 lead.
A special teams mistake got Denver back in the game. Chris Harper fumbled a punt, and Broncos linebacker Shaquil Barrett recovered at the New England 36. That led to a 15-yard touchdown run by Anderson that pulled Denver to within 21-14 with 12:34 remaining. Anderson finished with 15 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Osweiler drove the Broncos to the Patriots’ 3, but after a third-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone, Brandon McManus kicked a 21-yard field goal with 6:12 to play, setting the stage for a frenetic finish.
Denver wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders had six receptions for 113 yards.