Foxborough Continues To Be Broncos’ Kryptonite

This was an eye-opener for the Broncos during the game and after the game. It’s a good bet they will be numb from what happened for days. It’s not something where they can shake it off that quickly. Not when they thought they were good enough to finally beat the Patriots at Foxborough.

How bad was it? The Seahawks’ 43-8 blowout of the Broncos in the Super Bowl come to mind after watching what took place at Foxborough yesterday afternoon.

The Patriots did everything but gave the Broncos a wedgie in their 43-21 beatdown of the defending AFC Champions at Gillette Stadium. The only good thing about this game was when the Broncos finished the first quarter with a 7-3 lead, and looking back, that was surprising it actually happened.

The game was over when the Patriots scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 27-7 lead at halftime. There was no way the home team was blowing this lead. This is a team that rarely loses at Gillette Stadium, so this was a lock. Plus, the Broncos were shell-shocked to recover from what happened in the second quarter.

With the Broncos having a 7-6 lead in the second quarter, everything changed when Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich intercepted Peyton Manning’s pass off Demaryius Thomas at the Broncos’ 45. The Broncos quarterback paid for his mistake few minutes later when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman that would give the Patriots a 13-7 lead.

Ninkovich’s interception was a momentum changer. Brady’s touchdown pass was the dagger. The Broncos became unglued where they made mistakes on defense and offense. Manning became skittish the minute he threw an interception.

Edelman ran an 84-yard return for a touchdown to extend the Patriots’ lead to 20-7 in the second quarter.  Then, the Patriots quarterback put the finishing touches to the second quarter by throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Shane Vereen that gave them a 27-7 lead.

Sure, the Broncos made a game of it by scoring points in the third quarter, but the Patriots would always respond with a touchdown. That was the difference in the game. The Patriots had an answer to the Broncos’ momentum in the third quarter while the Broncos never did in that second quarter.

Brady made sure of it that the Broncos were not making a comeback in the second half with him throwing couple of touchdowns in the second half.

The Patriots quarterback wanted this game. He is still sore about playing terrible and not putting the Patriots in a position to beat the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game in January. He blamed himself for not giving the Patriots a chance to win this game. When he is motivated, he gets things done.

Maybe he will get a chance to settle the score against his friend if the AFC Championship Game takes place at Gillette Stadium in January. That’s if the Patriots have home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.

It’s clear now the Broncos can’t win at Foxborough. This is the four straight year they leave that city as losers. Their quarterback struggles in cold weather, and yesterday served as a reminder. This is why they need home-field advantage more than ever if they want to get back to the Super Bowl this season.

Let’s be honest. If the AFC Championship Game took place at Gillette Stadium last season, it’s hard to believe the Broncos would have won the game based on their history and Manning’s history. Manning historically has never fared well at Foxborough.

The Broncos knew they did not have great teams to beat Brady and the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in recent years. They thought they had the team to get it done this year with a great defense and great offense. They have been great all season overall, and they have hit their stride since their loss to the Seahawks in Week 3.

That’s why everyone on the Broncos is shocked about what happened yesterday. That’s why they did not know how to respond when the Patriots took charge in the second quarter. They did not believe what was going on.

Fortunately for them, it’s one game. It’s not going to mean much if the Broncos can win all out. The Patriots have a tough schedule while the Broncos’ final eight games are games that should be beatable.

The Patriots have to go on the road to play the Colts, Packers and Chargers. That’s where one has to figure they can lose one or two games there. If the Broncos can win out and Patriots lose one or two, the Broncos get home-field advantage and avoid going to Foxborough to take another loss in January.

While this scenario sounds good for the Broncos, there is no mistake about them hurting  about yesterday’s outcome. They are hurting more than their fans.  They thought they were good enough to finally end their losing streak at Foxborough.

That’s why yesterday was a disappointment.

Maybe they can use this as a motivation to win all out, so that they can avoid Foxborough in January.

Contact or Follow Leslie Monteiro: @LightRodWriter

Leslie Monteiro

Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.

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