Thoughts & Reactions: Patriots Deliver Blow to Broncos Playoff Hopes

The New England Patriots played stingy defense in a 16-3 victory over the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field.

It was one of those old fashion victories. The New England Patriots used a ground attack, timely passing and tough defense to defeat the Denver Broncos 16-3 Sunday afternoon at their house of horrors.

With the victory, the Patriots clinched their eight straight AFC East title and a first-round bye. They also may have knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs.

Tom Brady and the offense struggled at times, but were able to put together enough key drives to etch out the victory. Brady, who started the game 0-for-6, eventually got it going with passes to Julian Edelman. With the score tied 3-3, the Brady-to-Edelman connection eventually led to LeGarrette Blount’s 15^th rushing touchdown of the season.

The Patriots took a 10-3 lead into halftime and the defense preserved the lead. Behind the strong running of Dion Lewis, the Patriots added two more field goals as the defensive unit held Trevor Siemian to 15-of-21 passing for 147 yards.

The keys to the defensive effort was strong cornerback play from Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. A big hit by Devin McCourty and key sacks from Jabaal Sheard, Malcom Brown and Trey Flowers.

Despite the lack of scoring, this is one of the Patriots more impressive victories over the last few seasons.

With the victory, the Patriots are now 12-2 on the season and have won the AFC East.

Thoughts

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Okay, Tom Brady and the passing game struggled. But, the patience the Patriots showed with the running game was a key component to the victory. LeGarrette Blount never got going, but what Dion Lewis was able to do between the tackles was impressive.

The shifty running back rushed for 95 yards, which in part kept the Broncos from teeing off on Brady. James White also had a couple runs, but he wasn’t as effective in the passing game as Josh McDaniel’s would’ve liked.

Defensively, the Patriots had some swagger. A key interception in the first half from Logan Ryan set the tone for the rest of the game. With the Broncos looking to go in with what would’ve been a go-ahead score, the pick by Ryan changed the momentum and direction of the game as the interception eventually lead to a Patriots touchdown.

The interception that led to the #Patriots TD: https://t.co/RImgb48ss3
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 18, 2016

The defensive line also played well. Alan Branch was stout against the run and second-year man Trey Flowers recorded two sacks in the game. It was also great to see Jabaal Sheard very active around the quarterback. He had a sack and also see a very costly holding penalty on the Broncos offensive line.

Overall, it was another solid performance by the Patriots’ defense.

Player/coaches reactions

Bill Belichick on winning the AFC East via Patriots.com:

"“It’s a huge accomplishment. It’s a lot of hard work going all the way back to offseason program, OTAs and training camp. A lot of tough games. We’ve won a lot of games on the road, which is always hard to do. This is another one. We still have more we can accomplish. Our goals can now be reset, that was the first one, to win the division. It’s something to be proud of, we accomplished it. But it’s time to reset and accomplish more this year.”"

Tom Brady on the play of the offensive line via Patriots.com:

"“They played great. We ran the ball so well both [RB] LeGarrette [Blount] and [RB] Dion [Lewis]. The pass protection was great. They did a great job. They’ve been doing a great job all season, so we have to keep it up.”"

Julian Edelman on executing against the Broncos’ defense via Patriots.com:

"“It was tough. They’re a good defense, but we made plays when we had to. We played complimentary football. The defense played a hell of a game, special teams did well, so it was a good complimentary win. You know when you come here, you’re on the road, this is a hostile environment, they have a good set of fans here, so you know it’s going to go down to the wire. We haven’t won much here, so it was just good to come in here and get a ‘W’.”"

Next: Malcolm Mitchell Earns Praise from Deion Branch

The New England Patriots will next the New York Jets on Christmas Eve.

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