Patriots Live Blog: Pats Blow Out Broncos 43-21

Final, 43-21 Patriots: That is all she wrote. What a game. The Pats head into their bye week riding high on a five-game winning streak, none bigger than this one.

Fourth quarter, 1:42, 43-21 Patriots: The Pats got stopped on the Denver 46-yard line and had to punt. Allen booted it and Slater had no idea where it was. He had the chance to down it on the 1-yard line but didn't get there in time. No matter. 1:42 left in this one.

Fourth quarter, 3:01, 43-21 Patriots: Another fourth-down attempt, another incompletion for Manning.

The quarterback has 438 passing yards, but it may be the least impressive 438-yard passing performance of all time. He just doesn't have it today, despite those stats.

Pats take over at their own 26-yard line, and it's all over now but for the big lady stressing those vocal chords.

Fourth quarter, 6:13, 43-21 Patriots: The offense couldn't chew up much clock there, after Brady's third-down QB sneak inexplicably did not pick up a first down. That almost always works, but not on this day -- probably because the Patriots didn't really need it.

Fourth quarter, 8:32, 43-21 Patriots: After a 9-yard Vereen run, chants of "Brady's better!" start to fill Gillette Stadium. That's rich.

Fourth quarter, 8:43, 43-21 Patriots: Emmanuel Sanders made a dandy of a catch on fourth-and-5, but he was a half-yard short of the first down line, and it's another turnover on downs.

The New England defense has stepped up in a big way on these last two drives, and as a result, the Pats are a few drives of running the ball away from ending this one.

The Broncos are now 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts.

Fourth quarter, 10;23, 43-21 Patriots: That drive went nowhere, and the Patriots had to punt. Rahim Moore was called for a block in the back on the Denver return, so the Broncos take over on their own 13-yard line. The return by Isaiah Burse went to the 39-yard line, so that's a pretty huge penalty. (Except for the fact that Manning can make up those yards in one play, but under normal circumstances, you know.)

Fourth quarter, 11:20, 43-21 Patriots: Manning completed a 41-yard bomb to Demaryius Thomas and a 28-yard deep ball to Sanders, setting up a first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. But the New England defense clamped down. On fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Manning's lofted pass to Tamme in the end zone was not catchable, and the Broncos turn it over on downs.

New England takes over on its own 9-yard line.

Fourth quarter, 13:56, 43-21 Patriots: The ruling on the field stood, but no matter for Gronk, who lined up outside 1-on-1 with Von Miller, ran a quick slant and caught a quick touchdown.

The Patriots went for two, with Brady completing a pass to Edelman but coming up short of the goal line. So it's 43-21, and the Pats lead by 22 points.

Of note, Gronk made some history on that play. He hauled in his 50th career touchdown in his 59th career game. That ties him with Randy Moss for second-fewest games in NFL history to reach 50 touchdown receptions.

Fourth quarter, 14:00, 37-21 Patriots: Rob Gronkowski is not a human being. The "man" just pulled down a leaping, one-handed grab in traffic over the middle, all while spinning around. It was, in a word, sick.

It sets the Pats up on the 1-yard line, but the Pats are challenging the play. They think Gronkowski was perhaps not touched by any Broncos before he rolled into the end zone. We shall see.

End of third quarter, 37-21 Patriots: After the Broncos applied some pressure and the New England defense started to show some cracks, the Patriots offense is picking up the slack.

They're currently driving at the Denver 25-yard line after slowly and methodically moving down the field. Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell have huge third-down catches, and Von Miller was also offside on another third down, a penalty which gave New England a first down.

And on this drive, Brady passed John Elway on the all-time passing yards list. The home crowd is letting him know they appreciate it, as chants of "Bra-dy! Bra-dy!" are raining down on the field.

It's second-and-3 from the Denver 25-yard line when the fourth begins.

Third quarter, 5:50, 37-21 Patriots: Sloppy, sloppy play from the New England defense all but gave the Broncos a free seven points there.

The Pats picked up penalties on three straight plays -- pass interference on Collins followed by encroachment and then defensive holding on Brandon Browner -- setting up a first-and-10 from the New England 15-yard line.

On second down, Hillman was completely unaccounted for in the left flat, and he waltzed his way to the front left pylon for a score. That was too easy for Denver. The big play of the drive was a 25-yard catch-and-run by Emmanuel Sanders, and with nearly 21 minutes remaining in the game, the Patriots can't afford to relax here. The Broncos are two TDs and a pair of two-point conversions away from tying this game.

Third quarter, 7:31, 37-14 Patriots: Holy moly.

Wes Welker was wide open, and Manning lofted a pass right to the receiver. But Welker dropped the pass clean, and it bounced right into the arms of Brandon Browner.

Browner returned it from the 41-yard line all the way down to the 10-yard line.

McCourty also delivered a shot to Welker, who remained down on the turf for a minute after the play.

And Brady made it hurt quickly, delivering a 10-yard strike on a slant to LaFell. That touchdown, as you know, was a rahter large one, and the Pats lead big once again.

Third quarter, 7:46, 30-14 Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski has got himself some leg strength. He just hit a no-doubter from 45 yards into the wind, scoring three big points for the Patriots.

Brady converted a fourth-and-5 on that drive, delivering a perfect strike to Shane Vereen, who was actually covered pretty well. But the drive stalled after that, thanks in part to Brandon LaFell's drop on second down. It led to a third-and-11, and Brady had to throw the ball away to preserve the field position and avert the risk of a sack.

It was a 12-plays, 53-yard drive that ended in points. Even though it wasn't a touchdown, scoring drives should do the job the rest of the way.

Third quarter, 11:06, 27-14 Patriots: Manning makes the turnover hurt, lofting a picture-perfect pass to Julius Thomas at the front right pylon, right over Patrick Chung, for the Broncos' first touchdown in about 23 minutes of game time. That touchdown came on a third-and-1 from the 18-yard line.

The Broncos converted their first third down on that drive, which went 57 yards on just six plays. That was the Denver offense that we all expected to show up, and it's once again a football game.

Third quarter, 13:30, 27-7 Patriots: That's not at all how the Patriots wanted to start the second half. Brady was rushed on a third down, and his throw to Amendola was high. Amendola reached up and tipped the ball, and it ended up getting picked off by Bradley Roby.

The Broncos take over at their own 43-yard line with a chance to strike quick and start closing the gap. Potentially huge swing there.

Third quarter, 15:00, 27-7 Patriots: After a rousing celebration of the three-time Super Bowl champion players who attended the ceremony, it's football time once again.

Amendola was back deep, but he took it out the back of the end zone for a touchback. First-and-10 from the 20 for Brady and Co.

Halftime, 27-7 Patriots: Manning took a knee from the 21-yard line, and this game heads to halftime with the Patriots convincingly ahead. The Pats will also get the ball coming out of halftime, too, and a touchdown there could legitimately be the knockout blow. But the way the New England defense has been playing, a 20-point cushion alone may already be enough.

Some stats for you:

Brady: 18-for-27, 178 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Manning: 16-for-27, 178 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

Edelman: 6 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
Gronkowski: 5 receptions, 60 yards
Vereen: 4 receptions, 27 yards, 1 TD

Sanders: 6 receptions, 89 yards
D. Thomas: 3 receptions, 44 yards
Welker: 3 receptions, 31 yards

Gray: 4 carries, 7 yards
Vereen: 4 carries, 11 yards

Hillman: 7 carries, 12 yards
Juwan Thompson: 2 carries, 6 yards

Second quarter, :08, 27-7 Patriots: Shane Vereen broke out of the backfield and was left completely alone over the middle of the field. Brady very patiently stood in the pocket, waiting for Vereen to make his break, and he delivered one of the easier touchdowns of his career.

It's a huge party here at Gillette, and with a huge celebration on tap to honor the three-time Super Bowl champion players, it's only going to get louder coming out of halftime.

Second quarter, :33, 20-7 Patriots: Julian Edelman absolutely toasted T.J. Ward on a second-and-21, creating separation after Ward was in tight coverage and hauling in a huge 26-yard pass from a scrambling Brady. Vereen caught a pass in stride on the next play, setting up the Patriots at the Denver 5-yard line.

On the very next play, Edelman got open in the back of the end zone, and Brady found him once again. It was a touchdown, and the home crowd was merry, but it's under review and it's going to come back. The ball clearly hit the turf. Heck of an effort from Edelman, though.

It'll be second-and-goal from the 5-yard line with 33 seconds left after the play gets overturned.

Second quarter, 2:03, 20-7 Patriots: Akeem Ayers, welcome to the Patriots.

Sure, he played last week, but he just came up with a huge sack on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs.

Pats take over on their own 43-yard line with plenty of time, plus a timeout and the two-minute warning, to put together a drive.

Clearly John Fox had no confidence in his kicker, and it hurt the Broncos there.

Second quarter, 2:09, 20-7 Patriots: Facing a fourth-and-6 from the New England 34-yard line, the Broncos elected to go for it. Manning stood back for a shotgun snap and began assessing the defense, but New England called timeout. We'll see how this plays out after the stoppage in play.

Second quarter, 4:46, 20-7 Patriots: Well, so much for that scoring drive. Gronkowski came up with a nine-yard catch-and-run on second down, but the rush to the line once again did not work for the Pats. Brady ran right, had nowhere to throw, and took a big hit from Derek Wolfe after throwing it away. No. 12 was not pleased with that contact, and he let Wolfe know about it.

Broncos take over at their own 33, looking to put some points on the board while they have the wind at their backs.

Second quarter, 5:25, 20-7 Patriots: With the wind at their backs, a 41-yard field goal should have been a piece of cake for the Broncos. But Brandon McManus' kick plunked off the right upright, and the score remains 20-7.

Jamie Collins went Supermanning over the line to pressure Manning on second down, nearly leading to Manning's second INT of the game. And Manning's third-down pass to Welker hit the turf, with Kyle Arrington in tight coverage.

A score here, followed up by a long scoring drive coming out of halftime, would put the Patriots in an ideal spot. We'll see how they do on step one of that plan.

Second quarter, 8:11, 20-7 Patriots: Emmanuel Sanders returned to the game, and Manning threw to him running a go route up the left sideline on third-and-20. But Malcolm Butler was running step-for-step with Sanders, the ball fell incomplete, and on came Colquitt for the punt. He fumbled the snap but managed to get off a great punt. It didn't matter, though, because Julian Edelman was able to blow the roof off this place with an unbelievable 84-yard return. Edelman broke free up the right sideline and then ran all the way across the field, scoring in front of the left pylon.

That was incredible, and the crowd is going bananas. Great blocking, great return, and now the Pats lead by two big scores.

That was Edelman's fourth career return touchdown, which sets a franchise record. He is awfully good at that.

What's crazy is that the Patriots really should have blocked that punt after Colquitt dropped the football. But they're awfully thankful that they failed to come up with a block, I'd bet.

Second quarter, 10:56, 13-7 Patriots: Significant injury update: Emmanuel Sanders is questionable to return with a rib injury. Sanders got hurt after the interception on the last drive.

Second quarter, 11:41, 13-7 Patriots: That was surgical. Brady threw an 11-yard pass to Edelman, a 13-yard crossing pass to Gronkowski and then, after a defensive holding call, a five-yard touchdown pass to Edelman.

The Patriots went 34 yards on four plays, needing just 1:53 to do it, and they really made that Manning interception hurt.

Second quarter, 13:34, 7-6 Broncos: Peyton Manning just made an awful mistake, as he rushed a throw to Demaryius Thomas and completely did not see Rob Ninkovich.

Ninkovich intercepted the pass and returned it 11 yards to the Denver 34-yard line. You don't need me to tell you this -- that's huge.

Second quarter, 14:19, 7-6 Broncos: Oof. You can't drop points, but Brandon LaFell just did.

On third down, Brady delivered a bullet to the back of the end zone. LaFell made a dive to haul in the pass, and it hit him in the chest, but he couldn't come down with it. That hurts, and it cost the Patriots four points.

They settled for a 29-yard field goal from Gostkowski, but keep that drop in mind in the event this one comes down to just a few points.

End of first quarter, 7-3 Broncos: The first quarter comes to an end after Brady handled a bad shotgun snap and then got chased down while scrambling for a 1-yard DeMarcus Ware sack. But the Pats are driving, currently on the Broncos' 18-yard line facing a second-and-11. They've gone 60 yards thus far.

Rob Gronkowski has come up huge on this drive, catching three balls for 38 yards. Of note was T.J. Ward diving straight at Gronkowski's knee after the tight end hauled in a catch over the middle. Ward, the same man who ended Gronk's season with a similar knee-targeting tackle last year on this very field, popped up and gloated after the tackle, which didn't make him look like much of a sportsman. It's at least something to watch as the game goes on.

First quarter, 3:54, 7-3 Broncos: That was a rough drive for the Patriots' two top cornerbacks. Darrelle Revis gave up three receptions for 56 yards (two to Sanders, one to DT), and on a third-and-10, Brandon Browner got called for pass interference in the end zone.

Hillman ran it in from the 1-yard line on the next play, and the Broncos lead 7-3.

That was a nine-play, 80-yard drive from the Broncos, and the Pats are going to have to answer quickly, as they have 3:54 with the wind at their back.

First down, 7:09, 3-0 Patriots: Jonas Gray picked up four yards on two carries to start the drive, and though Brady connected with Edelman on the left side of the field on third down, it was not enough to move the sticks.

Gostkowski came on for a 49-yard field goal attempt, and it was money. The Pats lead 3-0.

First quarter, 8:59, 0-0: A short run, a negative-yardage pass, and an incomplete pass up the left sideline (Bolden on coverage of Demaryius Thomas), and it's another three-and-out for the Broncos.

Colquitt's punt came down to Danny Amendola at the New England 45, but he was interfered with while trying to make the catch.

The penalty on Denver's Kayvon Webster was a big one, as it bumps up the Patriots to the Denver 39-yard line.

The Pats have the wind at their backs, so it won't take much in the way of big gains to get into field-goal range.

First quarter, 10:19, 0-0: The Patriots came about an inch or two away from hitting the big one, as Brady lobbed a deep ball up the seam to Brandon LaFell, who made a diving attempt. Yet the ball was just out of his reach, and the Patriots had to punt.

That punt was one that could have been downed inside the 5-yard line, but Matthew Slater's attempt to tap it back to the field failed, as he carried the ball with him into the end zone.

The Patriots picked up one first down on that drive, when Brady hit James Develin out of the backfield for a gain of 10 on third-and-1.

First quarter, 12:13, 0-0: That opening drive could not have gone much better for the Patriots' defense. Kyle Arrington closed on Hillman on first down, and about six blue jerseys swarmed the ball carrier. After a short run on second down, Manning couldn't get the snap in time, and the Broncos got hit with a delay of game.

Manning connected with Emmanuel Sanders on third down, but Jamie Collins stuck with the receiver and threw him to the ground.

First quarter, 15:00: Gostkowski, kicking into the closed end of the stadium with the wind at his back, got plenty of leg behind that opening kick, which went for a touchback. First-and-10 Broncos at their own 20-yard line.

4:23 p.m.: Troy Brown, Willie McGinest and Kevin Faulk headed to the 50-yard line for the opening coin toss. New England won the toss and elected to defer. The Pats will start this one on defense. Here comes Peyton Manning.

4:21 p.m.: Kickoff is just minutes away. The Patriots just held a moment of silence for Tom Menino prior to the national anthem. Coin toss upcoming...

3 p.m.: Inactives are in. These players will not be suiting up for the Patriots:

Alfonzo Dennard, CB
Chandler Jones, DE
Cameron Fleming, T
Jordan Devey, G
Aaron Dobson, WR
James White, RB
Zach Moore, DL

Dennard and Dobson represent the "surprises," though they're not entirely surprising. Dennard hasn't been great, so his absence means the Pats are going with Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Logan Ryan, Kyle Arrington and Malcolm Butler to try to slow the Peyton Manning passing attack. Dobson's no real surprise, considering how strongly Brandon LaFell has come on of late. James White's absence means we'll see more Jonas Gray on the ground for New England.

Here are the Denver inactives:

Montee Ball, RB
Kapri Bibbs, RB
Quinton Carter, DB
Steven Johnson, LB
Ben Garland, OL
Michael Schofield, OL
Virgil Green, TE

2:45 p.m.: With some time to wait before kickoff, WBZ-TV's Levan Reid checks in with some notes about this legendary quarterback rivalry:

Never again are we going to see something like this. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will face each other today and it will be the first time in NFL history that two quarterbacks will square off and they both have more than 150 wins apiece. Not to mention they have both played in the same conference for the entirety of their careers.

Here are some more numbers from the games that they have played against one another.

In the 15 games they've played against one another, Tom Brady is 334 of 500 for 3,680 yards. He has 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Manning is 376 of 600 for 4,371 yards. He has 31 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

Tom Brady had his best QB rating against Manning way back in October 2001. His rating was 148.3 and the Pats won the game 38 to 17. Manning's best QB rating against Brady came in their last meeting, the AFC Championship Game, and Manning had a rating of 118.4. We all know who won that game.

Tom Brady has thrown for 300 or more yards three times in the 15 meetings. Manning has thrown for 300 or more yards an astonishing eight times in their 15 meetings.

Finally, there have only been three meetings out of the 15 in which neither has thrown an interception.

Expect this to be another great one. Both players are going to put the ball up and try and score points.

1:45 p.m.: Good afternoon from Gillette Stadium, where crews are on the field with blow dryers, doing their very best to keep the field dry. That's one heck of a challenge, considering the ugly conditions that surround the stadium.

It's cold (33 degrees), it's windy (22 mph winds), and it's snowing -- not the light, fluffy kind of snow, but more the wet/cold/awful kind of snow that's more annoying than anything else.

The snow is expected to taper off around kickoff, but it's clear this game will be played under anything but perfect conditions.

Logic says that such a situation will favor Tom Brady and the Patriots over Peyton Manning and the Broncos, but come on now. This is the NFL, and crazy things happen on a regular basis. So nobody knows how this one will play out.

Fortunately, that's what we're here for. I'll have updates here in this live blog all afternoon long, from pregame news and notes, to the inactive lists, to every play from quarters one through four, so check back early and check back often.

Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

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