In a must-win game against their rivals, the Denver Broncos wasted away too many opportunities in a 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots that could cost them a trip to the postseason.

At its inception the game was all Denver with Tom Brady seemingly seeing ghost’s of defenses past, struggling to complete a pass the entire first quarter. As Brady went 0-for-6 on his passes early on with the Broncos ‘D’ limiting the impact of the Patriots running game things looked up for the home team.

But two costly turnovers set the team back in a major way. Off the Patriots first three-and-out, a muffed punt by returner Jordan Norwood would gift New England three points as the defense held tough to keep the opposition to only a field goal.

Trevor Siemian and the Broncos’ offense on their side were moving the chains getting first downs every drive but seemingly stalling as they seemed on the verge of a breakthrough. On Denver’s second drive they strung together an eight play, 47-yard drive putting the team in the red zone after a nice pass to Demaryius Thomas for a 23-yard gain took them to the New England 20. But Denver had to settle for a field goal themselves to only tie the game.

On their very next trip down, the Broncos put together another promising series, an 11 play, 79-yard drive that had them seemingly poised to score a touchdown. But on the very first play of the second quarter, Siemian threw an off pass on 3rd-and-3 with bad ball placement. New England cornerback Logan Ryan pounced to get the crucial interception and return it all the way to the Denver 46-yard line.

That was all Brady and the Patriots offense needed to awaken as the legendary quarterback began to complete short passes and the running game started to string together some positive gains. With two turnovers, Denver was down 10-3 after the opposition punched in the touchdown with 11:01 remaining in the first half on a LeGarrette Blount run.

Denver had dominated the opening quarter but had nothing to show for it and the two turnovers put them in a hole. As the Broncos started the second half with an A.J. Derby drop on a well-designed play to convert 3rd-and-8 things weren’t looking up for Denver as they seemed to be letting too many opportunities slip away. A feeling that only increased as the game went on.

In the meantime, the Patriots began to drive the ball with greater efficiency as Brady found Julian Edelman beyond the outstretched arms of Darian Stewart on a crucial 3rd and 6 conversion with 7:29 left in the third quarter. That pass would put the Patriots in field-goal position setting up a 40-yard kick to put them up by two possessions 16-3.

As missed opportunities mounted Thomas dropped a potential long bomb on 3rd and 8 on the next drive, while Denver’s defense struggled more and more to stop the Patriots run game particularly with Derek Wolfe out in the second half. With the lead and clock on their side, the Patriots were able to limit Denver’s passing defense.

As New England ate up the clock and the opportunities for Denver’s comeback began to dwindle a final nail in the coffin arrived with a Thomas drop on a 4th and 2 throw down the sideline as Devin McCourtney delivered a  monster hit to his back to force the ball out.

It just wasn’t the Broncos day as the Patriots imposed themselves physically taking control and getting a victory in Denver that’s alluded them for quite a while.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Malcolm Butler has had a big season in 2016 after becoming the hero of Super Bowl 49 with his monumental goal line interceptions he’s shown himself to be a talented boundary cornerback and did so Sunday by blanketing Emmanuel Sanders for four quarters.

While Siemian found Thomas with ease Sanders was targeted six times for 48-yards on three receptions – all of which came in garbage time.

The Patriots interior pass rush also deserves a mention as they did a terrific job, particularly in the second half as the lead increased and the Broncos struggled more and more to block in pass protection.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Loga Ryan’s interception on Trevor Siemian was the play of the game. Denver had all the momentum at that point and was assured to take the lead. With that one errant pass, the Patriots wrestled momentum back and made it their own.

After dominating the first quarter, that pick kicked off the second quarter and from then on it would be all Patriots.

The interception that led to the #Patriots TD: https://t.co/RImgb48ss3

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 18, 2016

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“I don’t know what the playoff scenarios are but I know that if we don’t find a way to win 10 games we won’t have an opportunity.” – Gary Kubiak

BY THE NUMBERS

2-0 – the Patriots won the turnover battle and that in essence gave them the game. The two costly early turnovers from the Broncos put them in a hole too deep to dig out of. As the Patriots managed ten points off the two costly giveaways.

136-58 – A big difference from last season’s AFC Championship to today was shown in the rushing game for each team. This time around, New England out gained the Broncos on the ground 136 to 58, while also controlling the clock for 33:36 minutes to Denver’s 26:24. Because of this the Broncos also lost the pass rushing battle as the Patriots had four sacks to their two.

13 – In two consecutive losses, both to AFC playoff opponents in the thick of the playoff hunt the Broncos offense has managed to score only 13 points in eight quarters combined. They had several chances to add to that tally but 13 points are all they have to show for their efforts. That’s simply unacceptable.

LASTING IMPACT

This is a major loss for the team. With the Kansas City Chiefs losing Denver could have gained some important ground with a win. But this loss all but ensures that the Broncos will be stuck in the Wild Card and now the prospects of that occurring are becoming that much less likely. With the Miami Dolphins and both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens winning this week, the Broncos now find themselves on the outside looking in, seriously risking to miss out on the postseason.

After a promising start to the game, Denver’s same issues throughout the year came back to haunt them, though none weighted more heavily than the missed opportunities left on the field today.

WHAT’S NEXT

Denver has a tough road ahead with games against AFC West opponents Chiefs and Oakland Raiders during the holidays. The Broncos will need to win out while also hoping that the second team in the AFC North standings – the Ravens or Steelers – and the Dolphins lose once to move back into the final AFC Wild Card spot. To do so the Broncos cannot afford to let many more opportunities slip away.