Boomer Esiason: Patriots Should Have Kicked Field Goal With 6 Minutes Left
BOSTON (CBS) -- The season is over for the New England Patriots following a 20-18 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
It was a frustrating day for the New England offense and Tom Brady, who threw two first half interceptions, was sacked four times and took 20 quarterback hits throughout the game. While the defense held strong for most of the afternoon, the Patriots' offense couldn't get much going until late in the fourth quarter. In the end, they didn't make enough plays when it mattered most.
Boomer Esiason of WFAN and The NFL Today joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Monday morning to discuss the loss, and said it all came down to Denver's defensive game plan.
"I thought the Patriots would score at least 24 points, but it was a whale of a football game from the Broncos defense," said Boomer. "The tackles of the Patriots, Sebastian Vollmer and Marcus Cannon, really had a long day.
"It was really the way [Denver defensive coordinator] Wade Phillips played the game," he said. "Right before the game started I said if I was Wade Philips the last thing I would do was blitz Brady. I'm playing with eight guys in the secondary and rushing three guys, kind of taking the playbook of the New York Jets in 2011 when they went up [to Foxboro] and upset Brady and Belichick.
"I looked at some of the plays last night and from about five-to-seven yards, there were six guys standing there and it got really, really crowded [in the middle of the field]. They frustrated Tom and they beat him up on top of that," said Boomer.
Boomer was curious as to why the Patriots didn't do more "chipping" to try to slow the Denver pass rush, sending either a tight end or running back to hit those guys off the line. That wasn't possible when the Pats were still behind in the fourth quarter, and it came down to Vollmer and Cannon's inability to provide Brady with much -- if any -- protection.
He was also surprised with Belichick's play calling, mainly the coach's decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Denver 16 in a 20-12 game with 6:03 left. Brady threw a screen to Julian Edelman behind the line, and the receiver was taken down for a one-yard loss, giving Denver the ball without the Patriots putting any points on the board.
"I was surprised they didn't kick the field goal there. You have to take the temperature of the game, and usually Ernie Adams and Bill Belichick are on spot, understanding the way the game is being played. The Patriots' defense in the second half was awesome," said Boomer. "I would have kicked the field goal there because the defense was stifling the Broncos offense, and they still had three timeouts left and the two-minute warning. I think they were a little panicky and got aggressive when they really didn't have to. They could have let the game come to them, so that touchdown to Gronk would have been a game-winner instead of needing the two-point conversion to tie the game."
While this season has come to an end, Esiason thinks the Pats will be back in the AFC Championship Game next season.
"They will be right back here. They're loaded and a great football team," said Boomer. "I have a feeling they'll be good enough to get through the AFC East again, as long as Tom stays healthy. They're a really good team and if they stay healthy they'll be fine. They have to tweak the offensive line, especially when they play against edge rushers."
Hear what else Boomer Esiason has to say about Sunday's loss, and who he thinks will win Super Bowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers: