AMERICAN FOOTBALL NFLTHE SCENE was familiar to the Denver crowd at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
The quarterback got up after rushing for a touchdown and celebrated with great passion.
Take that, Tebowmania.
Is that what New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady shouted as he ferociously spiked the ball?
See, there was a twist to the visual. It wasn’t Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow scoring the touchdown and spreading the spirit with his Hulkian pose.
This was Brady emphatically sending a message during the Patriots’ 41-23 thumping of the Broncos on Sunday that, while Tebow may be the phenomenon, he would not be the better of the two quarterbacks in this game.
“Personally, that’s what I took that as,” said Broncos cornerback Andre Goodman. “Because of the build-up between Tebowmania versus Brady, I think he took that personally. And football is a personal game. I don’t blame him for taking it personal. It was our job to keep him out of the end zone so he doesn’t spike the ball.”
In a tale of two quarterbacks, a tale of two quarterback styles, a tale of nowhere-near-old and no-longer-so-young, a determined Brady clinched yet another AFC East title for the Patriots on an unseasonably mild December afternoon in Denver.
In many ways, Tebow had the best passing game in his career. Maybe not statistically, but this was a game where he looked like a passer. He threw in rhythm. He was accurate on midrange slants and sideline patterns. He completed 11-of-22 for 194 yards and also gained 93 yards rushing on 12 carries. He led his offence to touchdowns on his first two possessions and another in the fourth quarter, when in previous weeks he has been magical.
“I thought he improved,” Broncos coach John Fox said.
“Hey, he’s a Gator, so you know I think a lot of him,” said Patriots and former Broncos defensive tackle Gerard Warren, who also played at Florida.
Brady denied it, of course, but he played as if he was perhaps a bit offended by all the mania surrounding Tebow in recent weeks. “No, certainly not,” Brady said after the game.
Tebow entered the tie with a 7-1 record and a six-game winning streak. Brady entered as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
He has three Super Bowl rings and a 16-0 regular season to his credit. Picking apart a Broncos secondary filled with rookies, Brady completed 23-of-34 for 320 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
And yes, he had a one-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a menacing spike, in the second quarter that put the Pats up 24-16 after they had once trailed 16-7.
“This was a setback, no doubt about that, but sometimes setbacks are setups for bigger things to come,” Fox said.
The Broncos fell to 8-6, but still lead the AFC West by one game with two remaining. They can clinch the division in one of two ways – win next week at Buffalo and second-place Oakland loses at Kansas City; or, even if the Broncos lose to Buffalo, they would clinch the play-offs by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the season finale on New Year’s Day.
“We’re all right,” Tebow said. “We’re excited about where we’re at, and we’re going to continue to be positive and stay motivated and just try to improve.”
The first play-off appearance in six years is still there for the Broncos, but competing against an elite team such as the Patriots, who have been NFL royalty since 2001 and just clinched another AFC East title with an 11-3 record?
Not yet.
Weekend Results– Buffalo 23 Miami 30; Chicago 14 Seattle 38; Indianapolis 27 Tennessee 13; Kansas City 19 Green Bay 14; St Louis 13 Cincinnati 20; Minnesota 20 New Orleans 42; NY Giants 10 Washington 23; Houston 13 Carolina 28; Oakland 27 Detroit 28; Philadelphia 45 NY Jets 19; Arizona 20 Cleveland 17 (OT); Denver 23 New England 41; San Diego 34 Baltimore 14.
