NFL: Perfection denied as Broncos bt New England Patriots in overtime thriller #pats

DENVER — What a game.

The best game of the NFL season to this point ended with C.J. Anderson running all alone down the left sideline, raising a hand to celebrate as he ran through the snow to give the Denver Broncos an amazing 30-24 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday night.




Anderson got past the line, got through safety Duron Harmon's tackle attempt on a third-down run, and took it 48 yards to the end zone for a dramatic comeback victory that ended the Patriots' chances at a perfect season. The big story of the game from the New England side was a knee injury to tight end Rob Gronkowski, but this was a win for Denver that stamped the Broncos as a Super Bowl contender with new quarterback Brock Osweiler.

The game was an instant classic, with the great theater of a snowy field at Sports Authority Field. The game was a defensive struggle through three quarters. Patriots running back Brandon Bolden scored on a 63-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to give New England a 21-7 lead, and that was a sign of craziness to come.
The Broncos came all the way back and took a late lead. A muffed punt by New England's Chris Harperled to one touchdown. The Broncos made a curious decision to kick a field goal from the 3-yard line with a little more than six minutes left. But after the knee injury to Gronkowski, the Broncos got the ball back and Osweiler calmly drove Denver to take the lead. He hit Andre Caldwell for a 4-yard touchdown with 1:09 left to put the Broncos ahead by a field goal. Osweiler wasn't great in his second career start, in place of injured Peyton Manning, but he came up huge in the fourth quarter.

But despite trailing 24-21 and with their best offensive weapon back in the locker room, the Patriots weren't going away quietly. Even without Gronkowski, Brady drove New England downfield. He completed a pass with 10 seconds left to get in field-goal range for Stephen Gostkowski. And in some terrible, snowy conditions, Gostkowski calmly drilled the kick to tie the game.
The Broncos defense got a stop to start overtime. Then Anderson ran to glory to finish it. With the Gronkowski injury and Denver's win, it seemed like the balance of power in the AFC shifted a bit on Sunday night