Kicker Stephen Gostkowski might feel like he lost the game for the Patriots because he missed an extra point in the first half of the game, but that was just one of many things that went wrong for New England on their way to a 20-18 defeat.
Most of the others came when the Patriots were on offense. While facing a defense that rarely blitzed, the Patriots offensive line failed to protect Tom Brady well all afternoon. The Broncos were credited with 23 quarterback hits on the day, several that led to incompletions and one by Malik Jackson led directly to an interception by Darian Stewart. There were other plays where the pressure never quite materialized, but Brady seemed to feel it when he dropped back to find receivers well covered all over the field.
After the game, Brady, who finished 27-of-56 for 310 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, said he thought the offensive line “hung in there all day” against a “tough front” and that “you’re going to take hits” when you play quarterback. The overall thrust of his feelings could be summed up pretty succinctly, though.
“It was a tough day, man,” Brady said.
That the Patriots were still in position to tie the game despite their offensive struggles is a credit to the play of their defense. It just wasn’t quite enough to overcome the defense on the other side of the field.