Halftime: Patriots start slow, trail Broncos 17-9

Broncos QB Peyton Manning ranks second in playoff history in passing yards (7,022) and fourth in TD passes (38).

Peyton Manning is off and running….

Brady would throw to his favorite receiver tight end Rob Gronkowski in that crucial drive inside of five minutes.

The Patriots kicker had made 523 straight extra points (and all 60 in his postseason career), with his last miss coming a decade ago when he was a rookie.

Aqib Talib batted the pass into the air and Bradley Roby intercepted it. But Brady’s pass for the end zone was off the mark, and the onsides kick was recovered by the Broncos, setting off a Mile High party in Denver. Manning is now 6-11 in his vaunted series against Brady, but 3-1 when it has counted the most – with the AFC title on the line.

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said after that he couldn’t say much about their status but was also mindful that the Super Bowl was two weeks away. However, despite his advanced age, he is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and under the spotlight, he is expected to perform. The Broncos will play Carolina, a 49-15 victor over Arizona in the NFC game. New England is 1-4-2 against the spread against a team with a winning record, 1-5 against the spread in their last six road games, and 1-3-1 against the spread following a win.

“And what an incredible effort by the Patriots, for us to beat that team today, a very special win”. Tom Brady can quickly take control of a football game if he is given the opportunity.

The Patriots offense was clicking in their win against the Chiefs, although they got help from some weird play calling by Andre Reid with his team down by 14 points and more than enough time to get two drives out. The Broncos top-ranked defense has to make the difference for the Broncos if they are to pull an upset. He finished 27 for 56 for 310 yards.

New England’s only offensive touchdown came on a Steven Jackson run in a goal-line situation, stemming from a Denver fumble on a backwards pass deep in its own territory. After going nowhere on the first three downs, Brady went in Gronkowski’s direction on fourth-nand-10. The formula was nearly identical to what the Giants did in their two Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady.

Manning would take advantage, getting the Broncos into field goal range for a Brandon McManus 52 yard field goal to put the Broncos up 17-9 with thirty seconds left in the first half.