The final error in a game filled with mistakes helped the New England Patriots to a stunning comeback victory.
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime after a misplayed punt return by Denver, lifting the Patriots to a 34-31 victory over the Broncos on Sunday night in Foxborough, Mass.
"We had some plays in the first half that didn't go our way, so it was nice to get a good bounce, and we needed it," said Tom Brady, who helped the Patriots put together a terrific rally in the second half.
Denver's Tony Carter ran into Ryan Allen's punt after it landed, and Nate Ebner recovered for New England at the Broncos' 13-yard line. After Brady ran twice to line up the kick, Gostkowski connected for his 21st successful field-goal attempt.
The Patriots lost fumbles on their first three possessions, but Brady threw for three touchdowns to lead the Patriots (8-3) from a 24-0 halftime deficit to a 31-24 lead as New England scored on its first five possessions of the second half. Then Peyton Manning threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Demaryius Thomas for the Broncos (9-2), tying it at 31.
But Carter's gaffe was the third lost fumble for the Broncos in the second half.
The early turnovers helped Denver to a big halftime advantage, but the Patriots took the lead when Brady hit Julian Edelman for a touchdown early in the fourth. Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal made it 31-24 midway through the fourth.
"We calmed down. We played each play one play at time," Edelman said of the difference in the second part of the game. "We didn't turn the ball over in the second half."
But Manning, who had thrown for only 73 yards in the first three and a half quarters, led the Broncos on an 80-yard drive. Twice the Broncos were rescued by penalties: first when a defensive holding penalty negated an interception, and then when a pass interference on third-and-7 from the Patriots' 17 gave Denver a first down.
On the next play, Manning lobbed one to Thomas in the left corner of the end zone for a tie.
Brady led the Patriots to three straight touchdowns in the third quarter to cut Denver's lead to 24-21 heading into the fourth. He was 21 for 26 for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the second half.
Brady led New England 80 yards for a touchdown to open the second half, thanks to a 33-yard completion to Rob Gronkowski and a 5-yard scoring pass to Edelman. Montee Ball fumbled on Denver's next possession, and six plays later Brandon Bolden ran it in from the 1 to make it a 10-point game.
A 6-yard touchdown pass to Gronkowski with 19 seconds left in the third quarter cut the Broncos' lead to 24-21.
Von Miller returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown and then strip-sacked Brady to force another turnover in the first quarter, setting up Knowshon Moreno's 2-yard touchdown run. Moreno finished with a career-high 224 yards on 37 carries.
When New England got the ball back, it held onto it for just two plays before LeGarrette Blount had the ball knocked loose by safety Duke Ihenacho. Linebacker Danny Trevathan fell on it and was ruled down by contact, negating a return that would have had the Broncos at the Patriots' 11.
Instead, Denver settled for Matt Prater's 27-yard field goal and a 17-0 lead. The Broncos added another touchdown when Manning hit Jacob Tamme from 10 yards out for the only score of the second quarter.
On a night with a kickoff temperature of 20 degrees and a wind chill of 6, Manning completed 11 of 17 passes for 73 yards in the first three quarters while Moreno ran 25 times for 139 yards.
The temperature made it difficult on the players on each side and may have been the reason that first the play clocks and then the game clocks went out, forcing the referees to keep the official time on the field. The clocks came back early in the second quarter.
Brady and Manning have six regular-season Most Valuable Player awards between them and three more in the Super Bowl, where they've combined to win four N.F.L. championships. Sunday was the 14th time they've met, with Brady holding a 10-4 edge.
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