The Orange & Blue knew exactly what was at stake Sunday when they played host to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots—and they let it slip right through their hands. History was on their side but not on this afternoon as Brady won just his third career game in the Mile High City.

Now, just because the overall team performance was for the lack of a better word, awful, doesn’t mean Denver did not have a few bright sports. Here are our picks for the three stars that shined in the stagnant outing.

Cory Nelson and Todd Davis

Inside linebacker Cory Nelson made his third career start Sunday afternoon and made sure to not disappoint every time he saw the field, boasting a 13-tackle day and one batted ball in the loss. Now, you would think that would be best on the team but, in fact, it was tied with fellow lineman Todd Davis, who also had a 13-tackle day.

The combination of Nelson and Davis accounted for 36.6 percent of all tackles for Denver.

Brandon McManus

Kicker Brandon McManus was responsible for every point Denver was able to muster Sunday afternoon, even though that number was only three. While making his only attempt from 33 yards, No. 8 improved to 83.5 percent made field goals.

While in the process of being the sole breadwinner on offense, McManus became the 12th player in franchise history to reach 300-total points and the sixth fastest to do so.

Demaryius Thomas

Wide Receiver Demaryius Thomas had himself a solid afternoon, racking up 91 yards on seven receptions, including a beautiful one-handed catch halfway through the third quarter.

With his performance Sunday, No. 88 eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the fifth consecutive season, tied for longest streak in the league with A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals. Thomas was not the only one who made history on the afternoon, fellow wideout Emmanuel Sanders also jumped over the 1,000-yard mark, making it the third straight season the duo has accomplished such a feat.