Crash Landing: Patriots Season Comes To Disappointing End In Denver
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots will not be defending last year's Super Bowl crown in Santa Clara, California two weeks from now, as their season came to a end Sunday with a 20-18 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
It was the fifth straight Conference title game for Bill Belichick and his Patriots, a streak that means very little to the coach now that the 2015 season is over.
"Disappointing. Disappointing result," Belichick said after the defeat. "You know, there were a lot of big plays in the game. Any one of them probably could've made the difference. I think we all feel -- coaches, players, all of us -- there was such a fine line between winning and losing that they all could've done just a little bit more to make it a different result.
"Crash landing to the end of the season like it usually is in the National Football League," Belichick added. "I'm proud of our guys. They fought right to the very end like they always do. In the end, we just couldn't quite make enough plays obviously."
Plenty went wrong for the Patriots in Denver, as Tom Brady threw a pair of first half interceptions. The New England offense struggled for most of the day, as the offensive line had trouble keeping the Denver pass rush away from Brady. Denver recorded four sacks and 20 quarterback hits for the game, pestering Brady on half of his drop backs.
Even Stephen Gostkowski, one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, missed an extra point afte New England's first touchdown, his first missed extra point since 2006.
That miss hurt in the end, as the Patriots couldn't convert on a two-point conversion after Brady hit tight end Rob Gronkowski to pull within two with 12 seconds left. Gostkowski took the blame after the game, but his teammates wouldn't allow it. Brady, who went 27-for-56 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown, blamed their inability to get the two-point conversion for the loss.
"It's a disappointing loss because this team had fought pretty hard, to come up short on a two-point play," Brady said after the game. "It would have been a fun overtime had we had the opportunity, but we just came up one play short."
The Patriots were also quick to give the Broncos the credit they deserved for having a plan and executing on Sunday.
"You have to give credit to Denver. They're a good team, a very solid defense and they have great players on their side," said Gronkowski, who finished with eight catches for 144 yards and the late score despite not being 100 percent. "They just made more plays than us."
While the season didn't end with them hoisting another Lombardi Trophy and the team is not pleased with Sunday's results, the Patriots remain a proud bunch for all they battled through.
"I'm proud of this team," Gronk continued. "The defense deserves a lot of credit and did a great job today. Throughout this game and the whole season, you're proud to be on this team. Everyone fought, everyone battled and everyone gave it all they got. I'm proud to be part of this season, a great season overall."
"I'm proud of the way we fought," said Brady, "and we certainly fought to the end."