Denver Broncos, 22 New England Patriots, 20
We have finally come full circle. Peyton Manning and an elite Denver Defense just did to Tom Brady in 2016 what Tom Brady and an elite New England Defense did to Peyton Manning in 2003. A complete switch. Now it's Brady with the awards and highlights and numbers but Manning with the win and a shot at a Super Bowl. Peyton's early career was defined by playoff losses to the Patriots but he's won the last 3 AFC Championships ('06, '13 and now '15 seasons).
Let's not throw this all on Manning's shoulders. He had two 1st half TDs to TE Owen Daniels but in the 2nd half he was a non-factor. This game was won by the Denver Defense. The tried and true cure for the Brady Blues is defensive line dominance and Broncos LB Von Miller, LB DeMarcus Ware and DT Derek Wolfe provided it. The Patriots' injured O-line stood no chance, struggling mightily the entire game.
Manning and the Offense bowed out of the 2nd half and the Denver Defense began to bend to Brady's will but not break. Down 20-12 with 10:02 remaining, Tom Brady and the Patriots would be given 3 chances to drive the field and score a Touchdown + 2pt conversion.
First, Brady led the Patriots 64 yards to the 16 but on 4th-and-1, DeMarcus Ware had a free sprint at Brady who lofted the ball to WR Julian Edelman. CB Chris Harris Jr came off his man and made the tackle.
A prompt 3-and-out from Manning & The Broncos. Punt.
Second, Brady led the Patriots 55 yards to the 14 but on 4th-and-6, Brady again backpedalling threw into triple coverage for TE Rob Gronkowski, incomplete.
A prompt 3-and-out from Manning & The Broncos. Punt.
You just don't give Tom Brady 3 chances! Brady hit Gronkowski on 4th-and-10 for 40 yards, then hit him again on a 4th-and-4 from the 4. Gronk powered through double coverage for a stunning back-of-the end zone TD with 17 seconds on the clock. Because of the missed XP, the OT relied on a 2pt Conversion.
KEY PLAY: The 2pt Conversion was failed. With no O-line Protection all day, the Patriots rolled Brady right but the Broncos were on him again. CB Aqib Talib read Brady's eyes, jumped in front of Edelman, tipped, and intercepted. I suppose you could also say K Stephen Gostkowski's missed XP was a major factor considering it was the reason or the 2pt conversation. It was his first missed XP since 2006.
MVP: LB Von Miller made himself a star today. He was the big name with the big sacks, a stunning bait and attack INT that was a stumble away from being a Touchdown and did lead to one of the Broncos TDs. Miller and Co were on the field almost the entire 4th quarter holding onto an 8 point lead and they kept Tom Brady from his 7th Super Bowl. Not very many defenses would have been able to do that.
Carolina Panthers, 49 Arizona Cardinals, 15
The stat that is going to truly capture what happened in Carolina today is 7-to-1. Cardinals-to-Panthers turnover ratio. Palmer threw four interceptions and fumbled twice, CB Patrick Peterson muffed a punt when Cardinals were down only 10. The Panthers took their 2nd chance, drove the field and effetively ended the game in the 2nd quarter with a 1 yard TD run by QB Cam Newton to go up 24-7.
Unlike Seattle last week, Arizona did not appear to have any fight in them once they were down 17, down 20, down 27, on-and-on until they lost by 34. The turnovers flowed freely, two per quarter, and the Cardinals Defense had no answer for the powerful ground game of Carolina. As it has been all season, Newton and RB Johnathan Stewart slashed through the the opposing D, worn down by the Panthers O-line. Led by C Ryan Kalil, G Trai Turner and T Michael Oher, the O-line has just not gotten enough credit for this 17-1 run. The Cardinals Defensive front lost their composure on the field in the 1st half, throwing up their hands, staring angrily into space. They were already beaten.
KEY PLAY: The 22 yard go route to WR Ted Ginn, the 86-yard catch-and-run by WR Corey Brown, the Newton 1 yard run, the Newton 12 yard run, LB Luke Kuchley's 2nd postseason Touchdown that closed the window on QB Carson Palmer's day. They all added up for the points that won this game. But the key that broke the spirit of the Cardinals was the Patrick Peterson muffed punt, the Defense didn't hold and the Cardinals never showed a spark again.
MVP: There were many great performances across both Lines, CB Josh Norman and LB Luke Kuchley led a dominating effort from the D but the Panthers would not be going to the Super Bowl without QB Cam Newton. He has just elevated his game, making the throws, he looks fast, strong and agile. The Panthers have designed an Offense with wrinkles that relies on power, and Newton is the throttle.
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