Patriots Blowout Broncos: The Fallout

The headline everyone runs with prior to a Peyton Manning-led team taking on the New England Patriots is always “Brady Vs. Manning” and rightfully so. Manning and Tom Brady are arguably the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Since Manning joined the Denver Broncos his duels with Brady have been classics. They were often close games that showed why both these quarterbacks were in a league of their own. However, it was not that long ago that Brady dominated any time he went up against Manning. The game we saw yesterday afternoon looked like the latter when Brady led the Patriots to a 43-21 win over Denver.

Now the reputation that Manning has that he just can’t win when there is a big-game atmosphere is back.

Fans of Manning will have a truck of excuses for the quarterback and most are legitimate. Cold weather was a definite factor in the game, as was the sloppy play of the Bronco’s defense and special teams. Regardless, the scoreboard still says that Manning lost. Not only was it a big loss but also the Broncos did not even cover the spread as 3.5 favorites. It was not a good day to be a Bronco or someone who bet on them.

A lot will be made of this loss. It was a high profile game that every NFL fan had their eyes. However, it is not the end of the season for the Broncos who still sit atop their division and are playoff contenders. In fact, the Broncos now sit on top of the Super Bowl future odds at 13/4. Below them, though, is the Pats with 6/1.

Denver’s road to the Super Bowl leads right through New England, so these two teams will likely meet each other again in the playoffs and Manning will have a chance to prove that he can get it done in big games and also hush the critics, for a short period anyway.