Patriots vs. Broncos: Takeaways From 20-18 Loss

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Jan 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) is hit by Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib (21) in the first half in the AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Yesterday sucked. No other way to describe it. Obviously this was not the worst loss the Patriots have suffered under the Brady and Belichick regime, but in terms of how surprisingly bad this team played, it’s right up there after the two Giants Super Bowls and 2010 divisional loss to the Jets. All week long anyone that understood football knew that it was going to take a damn near perfect game from the Broncos to win this ball game, simply because the Patriots were the better team. And even right now, after taking the loss, I still think New England had the better football team. But on that particular day, January 24th, Denver’s defense kicked the Pats’ offense all over the field, and that is why Peyton Manning is in the Super Bowl instead of Tom Brady.

If I’m going to be completely honest, I never even turned on the NFC Championship game, and if I don’t feel any better two weeks from now, I’ll skip the Super Bowl as well (although you might be better off, given it might be a huge blowout for Carolina). Every year I get more and more emotionally invested in the Pats, so when they don’t win it all, I feel like s**t for quite some time.

Anyway, here are a few takeaways/reasons why the Patriots lost yesterday.

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