Foxborough, Mass. – Tom Brady usually is as mild as a September Sunday in New England: Breezy, warm, and he’ll put you in a cheery mood.
Everyone loves him. He’s cool. He’s nice. Never has a cross word for anyone. But last week, Brady got a tad testy. A hair nearly came out of place.
When asked about the Broncos’ dominance over him and the New England Patriots – in particular the game that gave Brady his first postseason defeat – Brady didn’t want any part of it. He said he had talked enough about it in the eight months since the defeat at Invesco Field at Mile High. He wanted to bury his past performance against Denver.
Sorry, Tom. The subject just came up again.
The Broncos continued their tag as Brady killers – the only team in the NFL to enjoy that label – with yet another dominant performance. Brady, who clearly misses former receiving weapons Deion Branch and David Givens, had his worst game against the Broncos in a 17-7 defeat. An 8-yard touchdown pass from Brady to receiver Doug Gabriel with 9:13 remaining in the fourth quarter helped the Patriots avert their first shutout since the 2003 season opener.
Brady is 1-5 against the Broncos since he took over in 2001. Of the six teams that have played New England at least four times since 2001, Denver is the only one with a winning record.
“I don’t understand it,” Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. “I guess everyone gets up to play him.”
The key is containing Brady. He put up some yards late in the game Sunday night, completing 31-of-55 passes overall for 320 yards as the Patriots tried desperately to get back into the game after falling behind 17-0.
Initially, the key for the Broncos was to stop the run. New England gained only 50 yards rushing, prompting Brady to unload.
“It was execution,” Broncos middle linebacker Al Wilson said. “We stopped the run and forced them to pass. That puts pressure on any quarterback.”
In January, at Invesco Field at Mile High, Brady appeared human for the first time in the playoffs. Mr. Super Bowl was 10-0 in the playoffs when he arrived in Denver, then he suffered his first black eye.
In the playoffs, the Broncos harassed Brady with a blitz. Sunday night, Denver came with a four-man rush. The Broncos didn’t sack Brady, but they never allowed him to get comfortable.
“They really come after you and they have great players,” Brady said. “Denver didn’t make any mistakes tonight.”
It was more of the same in a special start to the season for defensive coordinator Larry Coyer’s group. The Broncos went 175 minutes, 53 seconds before giving up their first touchdown this season. Until Gabriel scored, Denver had allowed only eight field goals this season.
The Broncos became the first team since the Chicago Cardinals in 1942 to hold opponents without a touchdown through the first 11 quarters of the season. That’s right, that’s a team that has since moved to St. Louis and then to Arizona since that moment of glory.
“That’s a little history,” safety John Lynch said, and at 35, he would know better than some.
The Broncos treated Brady like a pre-passing era quarterback at times Sunday night. The Denver defense was so dominant, the unthinkable occurred in New England.
Brady and his offense were booed as the group departed the field trailing 10-0. That’s like a sea of Yankees hats at Fenway Park. You just don’t witness it.
“We really played pretty basic defense, but it was smart,” Broncos cornerback Domonique Foxworth said. “We just relied on our great athletes.”
Brady usually beats great athletes. But not against the Broncos.
Brady’s bad night
The Broncos’ defense frustrated Patriots quarterback Tom Brady the entire game, but particularly on third downs. New England faced 16 third downs, and 11 times Brady was called on to pass. His results on those third-down opportunities:
First quarter: Down | Play | Result
3rd-and-8 Incomplete Punt
3rd-and-5 Incomplete Punt
Second quarter: Down | Play | Result
3rd-and-7 23-yard pass First down
3rd-and-10 Incomplete Blocked field goal
Third quarter: Down | Play | Result
3rd-and-14 Incomplete Punt
3rd-and-6 Incomplete Punt
3rd-and-6 Incomplete Punt
Fourth quarter: Down | Play | Result
3rd-and-10 Incomplete Punt
3rd-and-8 8-yard pass First down
3rd-and-2 Incomplete 4th-down conversion
3rd-and-10 9-yard pass Turnover on downs
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
