AFC Championship Afterword: Broncos vs Patriots

Denver's pass rush wasn't constant, but it came in big spots,
including this fourth down sack late in the third quarter.

Cory Puffett

I’m sure this week will be ripe with talk of how Peyton Manning exorcised his playoff demons and came up clutch against New England. His stats certainly will back the talk up but let me be the first to throw Denver’s defense a bone.

Denver has been in the top third of the league in rushing defense all season, but their pass defense left more than a little to be desired. It stepped up big time against New England on Sunday. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie set the tone on New England’s first third down attempt. Tony Carter added a couple of pass deflections later.

And it wasn’t just the secondary that played lights out. The defensive line helped by getting pressure on Tom Brady quickly so that the defensive backs only had to cover for a few seconds.

Denver’s offense ran through Manning as it has all season, but the best part of their offense was their clock management for the first three 48 minutes of the game, during which the Broncos has possession for about 30 minutes.

Peyton threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also tied an NFL conference championship game record with 32 completions in the game.

Knowshon Moreno and Monte Ball combined for 102 rushing yards and helped Denver convert on 7 of 13 third downs.

Some people might point to New England’s poor play as a reason why this game wasn’t particularly exciting or enjoyable. But I disagree. It was a clean game with only six penalties and no turnovers.

Denver played great offense all game. After punting on their opening drive, they scored on six straight possessions before running the game clock down to zero on their final drive.

And New England’s offensive struggles were mostly compliments of great play by Denver’s secondary and their ability to shut down LeGarrette Blount and the Patriots’ other running backs early in the game.

Denver is now the fourth team in NFL history to appear in seven Super Bowls. They will play in MetLife Stadium in two weeks against the winner of the NFC Championship game.

Congratulations to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. If they win Super Bowl XLVIII, Peyton Manning will be the first starting quarterback to lead two teams to Super Bowl victories.

Final Score:

New England Patriots – 16

Denver Broncos – 26