Broncos force a three-and-out, Patriots score nine and win seven.
That’s what New England kicker Chad Ryland or quarterback Bailey Zappe did on Sunday night: they ruined a good game for the Denver Broncos.
The last game New England (3-11) played was against the Kansas City Chiefs, who are also in the AFC West.
The Broncos had to win badly to stay alive in the AFC playoff race. Things were going well for the team before Week 15, but a terrible loss by the Detroit Lions put them at 7-7.
It got worse after Zappe led a drive in the last minute that led to Ryland’s 56-yard field goal via two seconds left, which gave New England an amazing 26-23 win.
They will play the Denver Broncos at Empower Field that Mile High on Christmas Eve (8:15 p.m. ET, NFL Network) to end their Christmas Eve Sunday schedule on a possible Rocky Mountain high.
This is part of the NFL’s busy holiday schedule, which continues on Sunday with three games in a row.
In the late parts of the second quarter, the Patriots had a 10–7 lead, but they couldn’t hold on and lost 27–17.
Hunter Henry scored a touchdown through the air, but he won’t play on Sunday night. Kevin Harris scored a touchdown on the ground.
With a win, Denver (7-7) can make it impossible for any other team to get into the Wild Card spots, leaving only two spots open in the AFC playoffs.
When the Broncos lost 42–17 to the Detroit Lions last Saturday, things got worse for them. However, they have nonetheless won six of their last eight games.
This is the 55th time that Denver and New England have played each other, with Denver leading 31–23. In 2020, Denver won the last game by a score of 18–12.
After getting sacked for 10 yards on the next play, Zappe threw a nice pass down the left corner to Jalen Reagor that went for 28 yards.
The Broncos won the coin toss and chose to delay, giving the ball to Bailey Zappe and the Patriots’ offense to start the game.
And it only took one play for things to go badly. Pressure got past left guard James Ferentz, who was starting, and to Zappe to sack him.
After the mistake, the Broncos grabbed the ball at New England’s six-yard line. On third-and-goal, New England’s defense held strong after Mack Wilson picked off a pass close to the goal line.
After the fumble, New England took over at the opponent’s two-yard line. Ezekiel Elliott ran for two yards, setting up a third-and-seven and the ball. It wasn’t a good pass from Zappe to Demario Douglas from his personal end zone.
Next, Denver got the ball again just past midfield in New England territory. Two straight runs set up a third-and-six.
Russell Wilson’s pass went downfield to Courtland Sutton, who was up against Myles Bryant. The corner won the battle and forced a punt.
Trent Brown and Atonio Mafi took over for Vederian Lowe and Ferentz on the the left side of the field for the Patriots’ next drive.
After Kevin Harris ran the ball two times in a row, it was third-and-one. On this play, a direct snap with the back was blocked, which led to another punt.
The punt return by Marvin Mims gave Denver a boost. He took it 52 yards to New England’s 25-yard line.
They then got two first downs, which put them inside the five-yard line. Williams ran through for a score.
After two short completions with DeVante Parker and Ezekiel Elliott, the Patriots’ offense got their first first down of the game.
Then, with a third-and-one, Zappe hit Pharaoh Brown out of the backfield off of play action for another easy score.
New England got to the 20-yard line after a flip to Tyquan Thornton and an Elliott run. They then had a third-and-long to go.
Douglas caught Zappe’s pass, but it fell short of the sticks. This allowed Chad Ryland to kick a 33-yard field goal.
If you give Russell Wilson the ball again, he can move quickly. He stepped up in the pocket and kept it himself, which led to a 14-yard gain.
Their offense stayed on the field upon fourth down, but a pass to Javonte Williams was picked off, giving the other team a loss on downs.
On the next play, Jaleel McLaughlin ran for 12 more yards and then caught a pass that went for 11 more yards.
Wilson then had to throw it to McLaughlin because of pressure. Jahlani Tavai had the opportunity to force a fumble, which Jeremiah Pharms picked up.