Running back Devontae Booker of the Denver Broncos attempts to break a tackle from New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung on Dec. 18, 2016.Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Tom Brady overcame a slow start to lead the New England Patriots to a rare win in Denver on Sunday in a 16-3 grinder that dealt a crushing blow to the Broncos' playoff hopes.
Brady missed his first six passes for just the second time in his career – the first was way back on Oct. 12, 2003, against the Giants – but he came back to lead the Patriots (12-2) to a record eighth-consecutive division title and a first-round bye.
Brady returned to the site of his worst beating, a 20-18 loss in the AFC championship 11 months ago when he was hit a career-high 23 times. This time, he brought a power run game and a much-improved offensive line with him.
The result was just his third win in Denver in 10 tries, and it was the Broncos' hopes of defending their Super Bowl title that took a beating.
The Broncos (8-6) lost for the third time in four games and were supplanted by the Dolphins for the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC race with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Brady completed just half of his 32 passes for 188 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 68.2. That was actually worse that Broncos' QB Trevor Siemian, who was 25 for 40 for 282 yards and an interception for a rating of 73.1.
Those numbers alone belied the Patriots' all-around dominance of their nemesis.
Behind Dion Lewis' 95-yard effort, New England out-rushed Denver 136 yards to 58.
Brady's first completion was a 17-yarder to Julian Edelman a minute into the second quarter, which ignited a touchdown drive that ended with LeGarrette Blount powering his way in from the one-yard line. That was his 15th rushing touchdown, which set a single-season franchise record and broke a 3-3 tie.
The Patriots put the ball on the ground twice on that drive. Brady was sack-stripped on the first snap with left guard Joe Thuney pouncing on the fumble, and Lewis recovered his own fumble at the Denver one-yard line just before Blount scored.
The Broncos out-gained New England 146 yards to 39 in the first quarter, but Siemian made two bad decisions that thwarted promising drives.
His throw to Emmanuel Sanders from the New England 14 was both poorly timed and poorly placed. Cornerback Ryan Logan picked it off and returned it to midfield, setting up Blount's touchdown run.
The Broncos reached the New England 31 on the ensuing drive but Siemian was pressured and instead of throwing the ball away dumped it off to running back Justin Forsett for a 6-yard loss that pushed Denver out of field-goal range.
Denver trailed 10-3 at the half and had five consecutive three-and-outs before its initial first down, which came with about eight minutes left in the game on a drive that stalled at the New England 30, where the Broncos gave up the ball on downs.
That, and below-freezing temperatures, sent the crowd streaming the exits.
Raiders 19, Chargers 16
Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 44-yard field goal with 2:40 left, his fourth of the game, and the Oakland Raiders beat the San Diego Chargers 19-16 in the Relocation Bowl on Sunday to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2002.
Playing before what looked like a home crowd at 70,000-seat Qualcomm Stadium, the visiting Raiders (11-3) earned a playoff nod on the same field where they made their last postseason appearance, an embarrassing 48-21 loss to Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl on Jan. 26, 2003.
There was a surreal atmosphere to the game, which might be the Chargers' second-to-last in San Diego.
Team chairman Dean Spanos seems almost certain to move the team to the Los Angeles area after failing to get a big public subsidy to help him replace aging Qualcomm Stadium.
The Raiders could be on the move, too, with owner Mark Davis eyeing Las Vegas, although they'd still play in Oakland until a new stadium was built in Sin City.
Raiders fans in their Silver and Black outnumbered Chargers fans by roughly 80 per cent to 20 per cent in the crowd of 68,352, the largest crowd of the year in San Diego.
The Chargers (5-9) were eliminated from the playoff chase when Miami beat the New York Jets on Saturday night.
The Chargers will miss the postseason for the third time in coach Mike McCoy's four seasons and for the sixth time in six seasons overall.