Grading the Broncos
Offense: C-. The Broncos moved the ball between the 20s with consistency and continued struggles in the red zone kept them from making a comeback.
Defense: C-. Though not directly responsible for at least half of the Patriots’ 41 points, an inability to pressure Tom Brady allowed the New England quarterback time to engineer two critical touchdown drives in the second and third quarters.
Special teams: F. Perhaps a ‘Z’ would be a better fit. While it will take some time to thoroughly dig through the team’s history, it’s hard to imagine a worse special teams performance than the one Denver put on the field Sunday night.
Coaching: F. Read above. The Broncos were woefully outplayed on special teams and couldn’t make adjustments as things fell apart. A 12-men penalty that revived a Brady touchdown drive in the fourth quarter was icing on the cake.
Game Balls
Tom Brady, Patriots QB. Von Miller called him the greatest of all time, and Brady looked like it while throwing three touchdown passes.
Rex Burkhead, Patriots RB. Burkhead became the first player since 1977 to catch a touchdown pass and block a punt in the same game.
Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos WR. Sanders had six catches for a season-high 137 yards, providing a consistent target for quarterback Brock Osweiler.
