LANDRY'S PICK SIX IN OT RUINS STAFFORD'S DAY

October 29th, 2010: New England rookie quarterback Matt Stafford shredded the
Broncos pass defense all day, completing 34 of 50 for 448 yards and three
touchdowns. His last pass of the day was the killer for the Patriots, not the
Broncos, however, as Bronco safety Dawan Landry jumped the route on a pass
intended for Kellen Winslow, Jr, picked Stafford off at the Bronco 32 and
raced 68 yards in overtime to score, giving the Broncos the 37-31 win. The
Broncos won their first game of the season against nine losses, while the
Patriots fell to 0-10.  

The interception for the score came on a fourth and six from the Bronco 38 on
the first possession of overtime. Too far to try the field goal against a 10
mph wind, and too close to pass up the opportunity to go for it. The Patriots
had moved from their own 13 yard line to a first and five at the Bronco 37,
behind two big completions to Winslow for 31 yards, but that was as close as
they got. On first and five Jerome Felton got nailed for a yard loss by B.J.
Raji, and two passes by Stafford fell incomplete, setting up the fourth down
pass attempt to Winslow.  

"We couldn't stop that kid," Bronco head coach Hank Sienzant said after the
game, from the winning locker room. "We made him look like Johnny U,"
Sienzant said of Stafford, who had thrown only two touchdown passes in the
previous nine games but threw three against the Broncos today.  

With the score tied, the Broncos survived a scare in the final half-minute at
the end of regulation after punting the ball to the Patriots at their own 12
yard line. But Stafford hit Sinorice Moss on a slant for 36 yards, then,
after an incomplete, connected with Winslow for 12 to move the ball to the
Bronco 40 yard line with six seconds left. With one time out left, Stafford
threw down the middle and connected with Moss for 11 more, but he wasn't
touched down by the Broncos at their 29 until time had expired, sending the
game into overtime.   

The Broncos scored touchdowns the first three times they got the ball,
jumping to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter. They got their first touchdown
after rookie safety Malcolm Jenkins forced an Adrian Peterson fumble, with
Na'il Diggs recovering at the Denver 45. Veteran quarterback Daunte Culpepper
got the start for the Broncos, and in his first action since week one,
completed three of three on the opening drive, throwing a 12-yard touchdown
pass to Dwayne Bowe to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead midway through the first
quarter. The Broncos defense bottled up Peterson on a third and three run
(something they did successfully all day, allowing Peterson just 65 yards on
20 carries), and forcing the Patriot three-and-out.  

The Broncos came right back to score again, moving from their own 32 to a
touchdown on a two-yard dive play up the middle by Lendale White on first and
gaol, with the big play a Culpepper to Brandon Pettigrew 13-yard completion
followed by a roughing the passer penalty by defensive end Antonio Smith that
moved the ball to the Bronco 14. Culpepper then hit Nate Washington for 12
across the middle before handing off to White for the score up the gut.  

But Stafford and New England were just getting started. He found wideout
Steve Breaston running free across the middle for 35 yards, then hit him
again a few plays later for the score from four yards out to cut the Bronco
lead to 14-7. But the Broncos answered back with another touchdown of their
own, with Culpepper completing five of five for 66 yards to move the ball to
the Patriot 14 in five plays, then gave the ball to White for seven, then to
Delanie Walker for the final seven yards up the middle to give the Broncos a
21-7 lead midway through the second quarter.  

Apparently satisfied with their work to date, the Broncos offense shut it
down until the fourth quarter, after they had fallen behind 24-21. The
Patriots scored 17 unanswered points to wrest the lead away from the Broncos,
getting a 19-yard field goal from Nick Folk before the end of the half to cut
the Bronco lead to 21-10. But the Broncos goal line stand on that possession
should not go without mention, as the Patriots had the ball first and goal at
the Denver two yard line and could not score. Two Stafford passes were
successfully defensed, then Adrian Peterson was stuffed for no gain on third
and two by linebacker Na'il Diggs.  

New England's Daniel Muir picked off Culpepper on the Broncos first play of
the second half, giving the Patriots another excellent chance to score from
the Bronco 34, but after getting down to the Bronco seven yard line, the
Broncos defense held again, with Terrell Thomas picking off Stafford in the
end zone to thwart the Patriots again.  

But the Broncos were forced to punt after a three-and-out, and punter Jon
Ryan fumbled the snap, then picked it up and tried to run with it, getting
nailed for a eight yard loss and turning the ball over to New England at the
Denver 15. After a completion to Moss, Adrian Peterson took in it from three
yards out to cut the Bronco lead to 21-17 midway through the third quarter.  

The Broncos were going backward - literally. A holding penalty backed them
up, then rookie Glen Coffee was nailed for a two-yard loss to put the Broncos
in a second and 22 hole they could not dig out of, and Stafford led the
Patriots from their own 13 to the go-ahead touchdown on the first play of the
fourth quarter, hitting back-up tight end Will Heller from 12 yards out for
the touchdown and the 24-21 lead for the Patriots. But on third and one from
the New England 41, Culpepper threw long and hit Louis Murphy for the
touchdown to put the Broncos back on top, 28-24.  

Throwing on nearly every down, Stafford got the lead back in a hurry,
completing four of five for 74 yards, hitting Sinorice Moss from nine yards
out for the touchdown and the 31-28 lead with just under nine minutes
remaining in the contest. Culpepper found Murphy for 26 on a long slant to
key the Broncos next possession, but the drive died at the New England 16
when a underneath pass intended for Nate Washington was flicked away by
linebacker Zac Diles, forcing the Broncos to settle for the field goal to tie
the game and 31 and set up the dramatic finish at the end of regulation and
the Landry pick six in overtime. 

Game Notes: The Patriots had three receivers over 100 yards receiving, with
tight end Winslow leading the parade with 12 for 162. Sinorice Moss (10-136,
1 TD) and Steve Breaston (7-105, 1 TD) also finished with over one hundred
yards. Louis Murphy was the leading yardage gainer for the Broncos, catching
four for 83 yards, although fellow wideouts Nate Washington (7-57) and Dwayne
Bowe (7-74, 1 TD) also had fine games. Daunte Culpepper looked very sharp in
his first game back from injury, completing 25 of 32 for 271 yards and 2
touchdowns and one pick (109.8). Stafford finished with a 99.4 passer rating,
but the final pick lowered the rating rating considerably. Chris Brown led
the Broncos running back by committer with 6-28, while three Bronco defensive
backs had ten or more tackles as Stafford aired the ball out all game long
(Jenkins 12, Thomas 11, and Porter 10). The Patriots accumulated 32 first
downs (25 by passing) and gained 527 yards of offense to the Broncos 365, but
the Broncos won the turnover battle three to one, and that was the most
telling statistic of the game. New England goes home to host the 2-7
Minnesota Vikings next week, while the Denver Broncos travel to Houston to
face the 6-3 Texans.