Unsportsmanlike conduct.
That missed TD pass may haunt Manning for a long time if they don’t win.
As a Patriots fan, I’ll just say that while I understand why that’s a penalty, I really don’t think it should be. Didn’t look deliberate.
Not that I’m complaining.
Yes! Nice stop. Another score might put this one away.
I’m ambivalent about going for it there. I get it, but I think getting within a touchdown (and not needing two) is the smarter choice. There’s a good chance you’ll need the FG anyway, and it would save clock.
A quick three-and-out is not what I wanted to see there.
Between New England’s inability to block and Brady’s inability to hit a receiver, I wouldn’t worry.
That’s a bad challenge. If the receiver had control at all, he still had it when his butt hit the ground, and he’s down by contact. I think the Broncos will regret this one.
I thought it would have been beautiful if the result of the challenge were “it was a catch. But he was down by contact. First down Patriots!” But it was pretty clearly incomplete.
Since Manning can’t hit a receiver beyond 10 yards except by luck, I’m hoping for luck.
Why didn’t New England take the 3 points? If they fail, they are trusting their defense to get the ball back. Now they have 2 minutes to score a touch down and get the two point conversion, just to tie. If they had taken the 3, kicked off, and held the Broncos like they did. They would now have 2 minutes to score a touchdown and win the game.
Am I missing something?
Instead of the challenge they made, the Broncos should have challenged the completion to Gronk. He didn’t have control when he hit the ground.
Whew.
What a close call.
Grats to all the Brocnos fans 
Hope my Panthers will meet you there.
Well, I’ll be rooting for the Broncos in the Super Bowl, because I really do like Peyton Manning. But honestly, I don’t see it happening. Both teams played pretty shittily today. The Broncos were just slightly less shitty.
Yes he did.
Can’t argue with that. A Super Bowl win is going to depend on the defense.
Just in case you think I’m crazy, I wasn’t talking about the TD, I was talking about the long 4th down completion to the 10. I’m watching on a DVR with a little delay so I can skip the ads.
Congratulations, Denver.
Dammit.
It’s moot now, but I played it back and forth on slo-mo, and he definitely did not. The ball may even have hit the ground, but I can’t say for sure, since they only showed a close-up one time from one angle. It still may have been a legal catch, but the ball was being juggled while his knees were down.
Either way, it would have been a much better challenge, because at least it couldn’t have turned a fourth down into a first down for NE.