Patriots Last Second Field Goal Grants Fourth Win on the Year
For the past week or two, the New England Patriots have known they won’t even come close to the hunt for the playoffs this season. Their biggest goal now is to make sure they improve after every contest and make sure they defeat great football teams, especially ones fighting for a playoff spot. Last night, the Pats had a 23-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Denver Broncos scored 16 unanswered points to tie the game up at 23, and finally, within the last seven seconds of the game, New England knocked in a field goal to win their fourth game on the season, improving them to a measly 4-11, while the Broncos dropped to 7-8. Let’s take a look at how the Patriots were successful in this Sunday Night Football matchup.
On the first play of the game, Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe was sacked by Broncos defensive lineman D.J. Jones. Zappe fumbled the ball which resulted in Jones picking up the ball before being tackled at the Patriots' six-yard line. Even with the opportunity to score from six yards away, the Broncos could not get the job done. Denver would turn the ball over at the Patriots one-yard line. We wouldn’t see a score from either team until there were five minutes left in the first quarter. Broncos running back Javonte Williams ran in three yards for the touchdown. With kicker Will Lutz nailing in the extra point, Denver had a 7-0 lead. On the Patriots' next drive, an almost seven-minute drive that kicked into the second quarter, New England got their first points of the day when kicker Chad Ryland hit a 33-yard field goal. During the second quarter, the Broncos would fumble the ball, and both teams would miss field goal opportunities, there would be no score as the Broncos headed into the locker room with a 7-3 lead.
New England made sure to keep this game interesting in the second half. On their first drive of the third quarter, they marched down the field, and Zappe threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to running back Ezekiel Elliot. Ryland would miss the extra point opportunity; this gave the Patriots a 9-7 lead with plenty of football left to be played. With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Zappe would throw another touchdown this time to tight end Mike Gesicki for 11 yards. With Ryland kicking in the extra point, the Patriots held a 16-7 lead. Ryland kicked it off to Denver immediately after the touchdown, Marvin Mims Jr. caught the kicked ball but dropped it immediately after catching it. While Mims ran a few yards, the ball would ultimately get knocked out of his hand, this resulted in safety Cody Davis recovering the football for the touchdown, and with Ryland’s extra point attempt successful, New England had a 23-7 lead.
The fourth quarter was all Broncos until the very end. First with eight and a half minutes remaining, Denver’s quarterback Russell Wilson threw a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lucas Krull. Denver would attempt and complete their two-point conversion attempt making this a 23-15 ballgame. Next with less than three minutes in the game, Wilson threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Johnson. Denver attempted another two-point conversion which they successfully completed. With two touchdowns and two-point conversions, the Denver Broncos tied this ballgame up at 23. New England made some huge plays in the final few minutes to put themselves in field-goal territory. Ryland, with the game on the line, kicked in a 56-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 26-23 win and their fourth win on the season. On New Year’s Eve, we’ll see the Patriots head to Buffalo to take on the Bills, and the Broncos heading back home for a matchup against the Chargers.
Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe went 25 for 33, hurling 256 passing yards and two touchdowns. New England’s running back Ezekiel Elliott had 12 carries for 47 yards, and receiver Demario Douglas had five receptions for 74 yards in the win. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson went 25 for 37 with 238 passing yards and two touchdowns. Denver’s running back Jaleel McLaughlin had six carries for 37 yards. Broncos’ wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. had three catches for 63 yards during the loss.
