Game Thoughts: The Pats beat the Broncos like a rented mule edition

Ok, here we go:

• First and foremost, the Brady in decline crowd need to shut up. He might have a minuscule drop off, but he is still elite as ever and currently the best QB in the league.

• I have been saying this for a while. I think the Broncos are vastly overrated. Yes, they are a top team in the league, but it was never the Broncos and then everyone else. I am beginning to wonder if they are significantly worse on the road than they are at home. They have had three road games and they are 1-2 and would have lost to the Jets if they had a real QB and offense.

• People said that even if the Pats win this game, they have no shot at winning HFA. I disagree. I think the Pats can beat anyone anywhere the way they are playing and I still don't know if the Broncos can go into KC or Cincy. Hell, the way the Rams have been playing in recent weeks, I wouldn't be shocked if they beat the Broncos in St. Louis.

• Gronk is easily the best offensive player who is not a QB. He is totally uncoverable. He has a catch radius of I think 20 feet. He is just a freak of nature.

• The play before the Ninkovich INT, I swear Nink saw something that he capitalized on the next play. If you look at the film, his was basically in the same spot in coverage and had his eyes locked on Manning. They ran a similar route the next play and he just jumped the route and made the INT.

• For all the crap Jamie Collins has gotten on this board, he had a great game today. He is really a jack of all trades and can do almost anything. He needs to work on his consistency. If can, he can be a dynamic LB.

• I can't believe the Pats got Ayers for swapping a late sixth with a seventh. Two games, two sacks. He needs to be more consistent too, but a nice start with little time at this defense.

• Hightower is handling the play calling abilities worlds better this year. He was doing a great job calling defensive audibles at the line. I think he was catching Manning off guard a lot calling audibles at the last minute that Manning didn't adjust for especially late in the second quarter. His coverage skills are vastly improved too.

• Although they had troubles running the ball, the interior o-line was solid all night. Vollmer had a lot of problems tonight, but the interior o-line won in the trenches for the most part. I don't want discuss Mankins anymore. The Pats aren't missing him now.

• All the talk about the Broncos additions, only Sanders did anything tonight. The Pats' defensive additions made plays, the Broncos didn't.
• The Pats just out physicalled the Broncos and the Broncos showed they are soft, finesse offense. I think in the playoffs when they let defensive players be more physical, the Pats could absolutely destroy them.

• The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC as of tonight goes through Foxboro. I like the Pats' chances of that happening at the end of the year. I don't think the next four games are nearly as tough as people make them out to be and the Pats are playing the best football of any team in the league over the last five weeks.

Peyton Manning

0-4 on 4th down

3-11 on 3rd down

2 INTs




From what I saw out there, mentally he still wanted to play…. but emotionally he gave up early and his heart wasn't in it. 0-4 on 4th downs! Are you serious.

You give one of the best QB's of all time the entire 4 downs, 3 Pro Bowl Receivers (Thomas, Thomas, and Sanders) and he STILL couldn't get a first down.

Personally, I like that we now hold the tiebreaker against Denver, but what is maybe even more important is that we most probably got ourselves a win that none of the other AFCE teams can replicate.

Lets first win the divison before we start talking seeding.

Add to the Collins & Hightower notes...well hell I guess really the whole defense...the more I see them getting out and making plays on the ball (and on ball-carriers) the more it becomes easier to believe that this defense is for real. The past few years it's been tempting to buy into a game or a drive or a play where they got after and just think "yeah! more of that!" (Logan Ryan had a couple games/drives like that last year, and really one good game by Collins, where you want to extrapolate a small performance into a whole, complete player it was just a flash of what that player could be). but the speed and raw talent of the youngsters has been met with improvement from hard-won experience and mistakes (Hightower) and skill from veteran additions (Revis, Browner, even Chung) and is looking like something really special. I'll take a few penalties from Browner or Chung for beating up WRs and TEs in coverage because the overall payoff is so totally worth it. The Pats are once again a physical defensive force.

One I forgot two:

I know McDaniels gets a lot of crap on this board, but he totally confused Jack Del Rio on how to stop this offense. At times, it was way too easy for the Pats on offense.

Pat Chung is a surprise this year. I said before the season that I thought he would be effective in a limited role on this team. I was wrong. He is effective as a starter. What a redemption for a guy who was benched and let walk two years ago.

In jest: are there any -kowskis we can draft this year?

Peyton Manning wilted in the first quarter. Classic Manning. Zero intangibles.

Our defense is looking Lombardi trophy caliber, like we hoped in the off season.

Brady has been phenomenal on the move. I think last season he fell into a habit of giving up on a play with pressure if nobody was open. Since coming out like a man possessed against Cinci, he's been extending the play and making season-highlight level plays. He's playing with a kind of confidence he hasn't had since before his knee injury, despite playing still as the best QB in the league since 2009.

Vareen is just not a great pound the rock back, not that we expected him to be when Ridley went down, but I hate the way he attacks the holes on draw plays. I love everything else.

Tom to Gronk w/ Tom to everything else = Ring.

TJ Ward is a piece of crap and his dive at Gronk's knees early in the game was heinous. When Irving went down, I didn't shed a single tear. Denver is dirty and their whole team can go to hell.

Our kicking game is a great compliment to the rest of our football team and all its praise is well deserved.

This team doesn't feel like past teams. Even in 2012 when our offense looked unstoppable, I think this team would beat that one decisively. The play offs are tough but the 2014 Patriots are right now the best and most ferocious team in football.

This game is Manning's career in a nutshell. All the stats a QB could ask for, and yet still blown out of the game! Stats in football are meaningless!

Every game is now a playoff game. Home field advantage is ours to lose, and that's going to be HUGE this year. Peyton gets flustered in Foxboro.

Rob0729 said:

Ok, here we go:

• First and foremost, the Brady in decline crowd need to shut up. He might have a minuscule drop off, but he is still elite as ever and currently the best QB in the league.

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not to mention, how can Brady be i n decline and Manning getting better. This was a great game by Brady as the defensive front for Denver did a better job than out defensive front (not that it was a huge leap/difference) and Brady continued to excel.

One thing that stood out for me by Manning, was the way he threw the ball. He must have really worked during the offseason as he throws a tighter spiral and the weather didn't really affect him as much as I would have thought (one excuse the ball washers won't be able to make). He's also using his lower body better to push the ball (and probably used film on Brady to see what he needed to do).

Rob0729 said:

Pat Chung is a surprise this year. I said before the season that I thought he would be effective in a limited role on this team. I was wrong. He is effective as a starter. What a redemption for a guy who was benched and let walk two years ago.

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Yeah, he's finally playing like the 2nd round talent they drafted in 09. He's a must resign now along with McCourty and Revis.

luuked said:

Lets first win the divison before we start talking seeding.

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Yep. A loss to Indy or another loss to Miami, for example, and seeding could go in a hurry.

I still think Denver has the best chance of getting the #1 seed. I think Denver is a very good team. The Pats are just better. But, I could see Denver winning out while the Pats might lose 1 more game. If Gronk is healthy, I see the Pats being able to go into Denver and winning.

mosi said:

I still think Denver has the best chance of getting the #1 seed. I think Denver is a very good team. The Pats are just better. But, I could see Denver winning out while the Pats might lose 1 more game. If Gronk is healthy, I see the Pats being able to go into Denver and winning.

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I still don't see the Broncos winning out. I think they lose to the Chiefs in KC and possibly the Bengals in Cincy.

This is a COMPLETELY different team from the first 4 games.

This team rolls into Denver in January and I think they can beat the Broncos in their stadium.

What I'm really tired of is that every time we beat a team, all of a sudden that team sucks. Such as saying that the Broncos are now overrated??? Even some of the best on this board can't stand the thought that we just kicked the living crap out of a very good team. Denver's overrated? No, they're not. They're very good and were beaten by a team that's better.

Yes, TJ Ward IS a total scumbag for going after Gronk's knees. What a jerk. If the other players on Denver are willing to let that kind of play define them then they are all losers, top to bottom.

Never thought I would say this but......

I'm glad they resigned Chung. He looks great.

Rob0729 said:

Ok, here we go:

• First and foremost, the Brady in decline crowd need to shut up. He might have a minuscule drop off, but he is still elite as ever and currently the best QB in the league.

• I have been saying this for a while. I think the Broncos are vastly overrated. Yes, they are a top team in the league, but it was never the Broncos and then everyone else. I am beginning to wonder if they are significantly worse on the road than they are at home. They have had three road games and they are 1-2 and would have lost to the Jets if they had a real QB and offense.

• People said that even if the Pats win this game, they have no shot at winning HFA. I disagree. I think the Pats can beat anyone anywhere the way they are playing and I still don't know if the Broncos can go into KC or Cincy. Hell, the way the Rams have been playing in recent weeks, I wouldn't be shocked if they beat the Broncos in St. Louis.

• Gronk is easily the best offensive player who is not a QB. He is totally uncoverable. He has a catch radius of I think 20 feet. He is just a freak of nature.

• The play before the Ninkovich INT, I swear Nink saw something that he capitalized on the next play. If you look at the film, his was basically in the same spot in coverage and had his eyes locked on Manning. They ran a similar route the next play and he just jumped the route and made the INT.

• For all the crap Jamie Collins has gotten on this board, he had a great game today. He is really a jack of all trades and can do almost anything. He needs to work on his consistency. If can, he can be a dynamic LB.

• I can't believe the Pats got Ayers for swapping a late sixth with a seventh. Two games, two sacks. He needs to be more consistent too, but a nice start with little time at this defense.

• Hightower is handling the play calling abilities worlds better this year. He was doing a great job calling defensive audibles at the line. I think he was catching Manning off guard a lot calling audibles at the last minute that Manning didn't adjust for especially late in the second quarter. His coverage skills are vastly improved too.

• Although they had troubles running the ball, the interior o-line was solid all night. Vollmer had a lot of problems tonight, but the interior o-line won in the trenches for the most part. I don't want discuss Mankins anymore. The Pats aren't missing him now.

• All the talk about the Broncos additions, only Sanders did anything tonight. The Pats' defensive additions made plays, the Broncos didn't.
• The Pats just out physicalled the Broncos and the Broncos showed they are soft, finesse offense. I think in the playoffs when they let defensive players be more physical, the Pats could absolutely destroy them.

• The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC as of tonight goes through Foxboro. I like the Pats' chances of that happening at the end of the year. I don't think the next four games are nearly as tough as people make them out to be and the Pats are playing the best football of any team in the league over the last five weeks.

Click to expand...

The Broncos are not "vastly overrated." They're damn good. That type of nonsense is an attempt to cheapen our win.